Top 10 Travel Activities for Your Bucket List

We all enjoy traveling, visiting and exploring new places. Depending on location, the specific place can offer a lot of things and activities to enjoy with. There are a lot of places that are made ju

st for everyone’s pleasure, and yet there are ton of places that offers once in a lifetime adventure such as exotic and dangerous cruises, or going to safari on your foots and so on… Even if you do not enjoy in any of them, there are a lot more travel activities you will surely enjoy and remember for the rest of your lives. For this reason we created the top 10 travel activities list that will made of everybody’s bucket list! Let’s start:

Spend a Week In Over-water Bora Bora Bungalows

Celebrate New Year’s Eve in Sydney, Australia

View the magical Northern Lights in Norway

Watch the sunrise from the Mount Kilimanjaro

Explore Grand Canyon from a helicopter

Meet the Moai of Easter Island

Cruise down the Nile & see the Pyramids of Giza

Start the Trans-Siberian Railway and ride from Beijing to Moscow

Start a journey through the ruins of Machu Picchu

View the beauty of Kenya on safari

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Blasphemy case: Briton in Pakistan sentenced to death

Several recent cases have prompted international concern about the application of Pakistan's blasphemy laws

Continue reading the main story

A court in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi has sentenced a 70-year-old British man to death after convicting him of blasphemy.

Muhammad Asghar was arrested in 2010 after writing letters to various people claiming to be a prophet, reports say.

His lawyers argued for leniency, saying he has a history of mental illness, but this was rejected by a medical panel.

Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws carry a potential death sentence for anyone deemed to have insulted Islam.

Several recent cases have prompted international concern about the application of these laws.

Asghar, who is from Edinburgh, Scotland, was accused of writing letters to police officers claiming to be a prophet. He is thought to have lived in Pakistan for several years.

Continue reading the main story

"Asghar claimed to be a prophet even inside the court. He confessed it in front of the judge," Javed Gul, a government prosecutor, told AFP news agency.

Sensitive issue

But his lawyer told the BBC's Saba Eitizaz that she was forcibly removed from the case by the judge and that proceedings were carried out behind closed doors.

His lawyer says she will launch an appeal against the verdict, which was delivered late on Thursday. Higher courts in Pakistan have been known to overturn blasphemy verdicts handed down in lower courts because of insufficient evidence.

Asgharn has been diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic and had treatment at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Edinburgh, but the court did not accept his medical reports from the UK, reports say.

He has been in jail since his arrest in 2010 and his lawyer says he has also tried to take his own life in jail on one occasion.

Correspondents say Asghar is unlikely to be executed as Pakistan has had a de facto moratorium on the death penalty since 2008. He was also ordered to pay a substantial fine by the court.

A Scottish government spokesman said they were "concerned" about the case.

"As a minimum we would urge the Pakistani authorities to abide by the moratorium they have on the death penalty. Our thoughts are with Mr Asghar's family at this difficult time," the spokesman said.

Senior UK Foreign Office Minister Baroness Warsi said British officials were providing consular support to Mr Asghar.

"We will be raising our concerns in the strongest possible terms with the Pakistani government," she added.

The legal charity Reprieve has urged the UK government to take immediate steps to protect Asghar, adding that he has has "a long and documented history of psychological ill-health" and needs constant care.

Critics argue that Pakistan's blasphemy laws are frequently misused to settle personal scores and that members of minority groups are also unfairly targeted.

In 2012 the arrest of a young Christian girl, Rimsha Masih, on blasphemy charges provoked international outrage. After being detained in a high security prison for several weeks she was eventually released and her family subsequently fled to Canada.

Blasphemy is a highly sensitive issue in Pakistan, where 97% of the population are Muslim.

Muslims constitute a majority of those prosecuted, followed by the minority Ahmadi community.

Earlier this year, another 72-year-old British Pakistani from the Ahmadi community, Masood Ahmed, was jailed on blasphemy charges.

The Best of Hard Enduro 2013

Grimace again at the best Hard Enduro moments of 2013. We take a moment to look back on the highs and lows of the last season and take a look forward to 2014.
From The Tough One to Romaniacs, via Hell's Gate and the Hare Scramble, it has been another remarkable season in the sport's history.
There were top honors for Graham 'The Silent Assassin' Jarvis but a late charge from fellow Brit Jonny Walker prevented a clean sweep of events. See how the battle played out in this no-holds-barred Hard Enduro clip. 

Bombings in Cairo kill at least 6, injure dozens more

Bombings in Cairo kill at least 6, injure dozens more Posted: 24 Jan 2014 07:44 AM PST A series of attacks today, starting with a suicide car bombing that targeted the Cairo Security Directorate, killed at least six people and injured many more. According to Egyptian authorities, the suicide attack at the security directorate left at least four people dead and dozens more injured. The bombing came only a few hours after the Sinai-based jihadist group Ansar Jerusalem (Ansar Bayt al Maqdis) had issued an audio warning. In the message, an Ansar Jerusalem official identified as Abu Osama al Masri urged Egyptian security personnel to repent and save themselves. "If you can escape with your weapon then do that. Otherwise, you know that soldiers are dealt with as one bloc. We will target you as we target your leaders," al Masri said. Witnesses told Reuters that gunfire was heard following the explosion. Some Egyptian media reports, however, suggested that the gunfire occurred prior as security forces attempted to stop the car from reaching the security directorate. According to McClatchy, "the attackers struck at 6:40 a.m. when officers were changing shifts, creating a security gap." After the bombing, which also damaged the nearby Islamic Museum, security forces shut down all roads surrounding the Interior Ministry in Cairo, state-run MENA reported. The bombing at the security directorate was followed by three other attacks today. A couple of hours after the suicide attack, a "crude explosive device" was thrown at security vehicles in nearby Giza, Reuters stated; at least one person was killed and nine others injured. A third explosion was later reported, near a police station in the Haram area of Giza, according to the New York Times. And in the afternoon, a fourth explosion that reportedly killed at least one person took place near a movie theater in the capital. Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim said the bomber of the Cairo Security Directorate belonged to a jihadist organization and that the bombing would increase the resolve of authorities to continue their efforts to eliminate terrorism, al Masry al Youm reported. Meanwhile, Egyptians who gathered at the site of the main explosion chanted anti-Muslim Brotherhood slogans, including "The people want the execution of the Brotherhood." Yesterday, unidentified gunmen killed five Egyptian policemen and wounded two others in a shooting attack in Beni Suef. That attack, as well as today's bombing in Cairo, has thus far gone unclaimed. Today's attack in Cairo comes exactly one month after an Ansar Jerusalem suicide car bombing attack outside the Daqahliya security directorate in Mansoura killed over a dozen people and injured over 130 more. The Mansoura attack came roughly a day after Ansar Jerusalem called on members of the security forces to repent and leave their positions. Ansar Jerusalem concluded its message by warning that those in the security forces who did not leave would have no one to blame but themselves. "[W]e are the most resolute and determined to carry out the command of Allah and His Messenger to do jihad against you and fight you until all the religion is for Allah," the group declared. In its claim of responsibility for the Mansoura attack, Ansar Jerusalem said it would continue to fight and reiterated its warning for Egyptian Muslims to stay away from buildings associated with the security forces. The group, which has issued such warnings since at least September, stated in an Oct. 21 communique that police and military headquarters "are legitimate targets for the mujahideen." Since July 3, there have been more than 275 reported attacks in the Sinai Peninsula, most of which were carried out against Egyptian security forces and assets, according to data maintained by The Long War Journal. A good number of these attacks, including the Nov. 20 car bombing that killed 11 Egyptian security personnel, have been claimed by Ansar Jerusalem. Attacks by Sinai-based jihadists, Ansar Jerusalem specifically, have also taken place in the Egyptian mainland. On Sept. 5, the jihadist group used a suicide car bomber in an assassination attempt in Nasr City on Egypt's interior minister, Mohammed Ibrahim. A month later, an Ansar Jerusalem suicide bomber unleashed a blast at the South Sinai Security Directorate in el Tor, which killed three security personnel and injured more than 45. On Oct. 19, the Sinai-based jihadist group targeted a military intelligence building in the city of Ismailia in another car bombing. And on Nov. 19, the group claimed responsibility for the shooting attack on Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Mabrouk, a senior national security officer, in Cairo. The al Furqan Brigades, which are not believed to be based in the Sinai, have also claimed responsibility for a number of shootingsand rocket attacks in the Egyptian mainland since Morsi's overthrow. In contrast to Ansar Jerusalem, the group has yet to claim responsibility for any large car or suicide bombings. Ansar Jerusalem, which was founded by Egyptians, is the dominant jihadist group operating in the Sinai Peninsula today. The group, whose fighters are often seen with the al Qaeda flag, has claimed credit for a number of attacks against Israel and Egypt over the past two years. In September 2013, Ansar Jerusalem, which releases material through the jihadist forums of Al Fajr Media Center, al Qaeda's exclusive media distribution outlet, declared that "it is obligatory to repulse them [the Egyptian army] and fight them until the command of Allah is fulfilled." Recent reports in the Egyptian media have suggested that Ansar Jerusalem may have links to Muhammad Jamal and the Muhammad Jamal Network [MJN], which were added to the US government's list of designated terrorists and the UN's sanctions listin October 2013. Jamal, whose fighters have been linked to the Sept. 11, 2012 Benghazi terror attack, is said to have established "several terrorist training camps in Egypt and Libya" with funding from al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. In late November, in response to a Long War Journal query on whether the State Department believes there is a connection between the Muhammad Jamal Network (MJN) and Ansar Bayt al Maqdis, a State Department spokesman said: "We have no comment on the inter-relationships between MJN and the other Sinai groups."

State Department spokesperson mischaracterizes al Qaeda Posted: 24 Jan 2014 11:05 AM PST Yesterday, State Department Spokesperson Marie Harf made two ridiculous claims about al Qaeda during a briefing with reporters. First, she claimed that there are no "operational" links between al Qaeda emir Ayman al Zawahiri and jihadist groups in Syria. And second, she said that Zawahiri is the only remaining member of "core" al Qaeda. From the briefing [emphasis ours]: QUESTION: Okay. And then, secondly, there were some reports that Ayman Zawahiri has recorded another message - it's on militant websites - telling militants to unite in Syria. Are you aware of these and do you have any response? MS. HARF: I haven't seen it. I think - a few points: Obviously, we are concerned about the terrorist threat in Syria. We're concerned about al-Qaida affiliated elements from taking advantage of the situation there to conduct terrorist attacks. I haven't, quite frankly, seen the Zawahiri message. Did you say it was an audio message? QUESTION: Yes. MS. HARF: Okay. I'll take a look or a listen to that when I get back. And look, this is not new rhetoric we've heard from Zawahiri. He's - core al-Qaida in Afghanistan and Pakistan, besides Zawahiri, has essentially the entire leadership been decimated by the U.S. counterterrorism efforts. He's the only one left. I think he spends, at this point, probably more time worrying about his own personal security than propaganda, but still is interested in putting out this kind of propaganda to remain relevant. So we've seen al-Qaida in the past try to take advantage for propaganda purposes of local - of conflicts in places like Iraq, places like Yemen, and places like Syria, to use that for propaganda purposes. But beyond that, I don't know of more of an operational link between Zawahiri and folks in Syria. QUESTION: So you're not seeing any kind of operational command and control between core al-Qaida and what the militants in Syria -- MS. HARF: I'll check with our folks. Not to my knowledge. But again, I want to check with our team just to make sure what the exact - on operational. We certainly know that elements in Syria take - al-Qaida elements in Syria take inspiration from folks like Zawahiri and from some of the language that we hear from him, and that, I'm sure, it's the same kind of language that's on this audio that I will take a look at when I get off the podium. But beyond that, again, we've been very clear that because of the Assad regime's climate it's created in Syria, we are increasingly concerned about the terrorist threat. Certainly. First, Harf claims that there is no "operational link between Zawahiri and folks in Syria." There is plenty of evidence demonstrating that this isn't true. Zawahiri stepped into the leadership dispute between the Al Nusrah Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham (ISIS) last year. He demanded that the leaders of both organizations file a report with him. They each complied. He then issued a ruling in late May that ISIS and its emir, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, disagreed with and openly defied. The dispute with ISIS is more nuanced than most analysts let on, but it is obviously a very serious disagreement. (We have covered this in-depth, and will have more on this in the near future.) But even if we were to assume that all of ISIS has now gone rogue (and there are good reasons to think this isn't true), Zawahiri retains the loyalty of the Al Nusrah Front and al Qaeda operatives embedded within other extremist groups. There is simply no reason to believe that the Al Nusrah Front is anything other than a loyal branch of al Qaeda. When the leadership dispute with ISIS went public last year, Al Nusrah's emir, Abu Muhammad al Julani, reaffirmed his allegiance to Zawahiri. Other parts of the State Department know this. When Julani was designated a global terrorist in May 2013, Foggy Bottom noted: "Although al Nusrah Front was formed by AQI [al Qaeda in Iraq, the predecessor to ISIS] in late 2011 as a front for AQI's activities in Syria, recently al Julani publicly pledged allegiance to Ayman al Zawahiri, al Qaeda's leader." In December, Julani granted an interview with Al Jazeera. He explained that as far he was concerned, Zawahiri's word on the leadership dispute was final. Julani said: Very briefly, a difference occurred and this happens between brothers in the same house. The outcome of this difference was what you heard in the media. This difference was conveyed to our and their emir Dr. Ayman al Zawahiri, may God protect him. He resolved the difference as you have heard. There is no longer anything that is hidden from the public. The issue was much exaggerated; it is much simpler and easier but took a much larger size and it began to be circulated on the Internet and other media. The issue is much smaller. We are proceeding along the road on the basis of our plan. The difference reached the conclusion that was heard by all. It was resolved by Dr. Ayman al Zawahiri and things stopped there. Of course, from the perspective of some leaders within ISIS, including its emir, the dispute was not resolved. But Julani's words show just how much he defers to Zawahiri. According to Julani, Zawahiri has the final say on leadership issues. Is this not an "operational" link? Julani went on in his interview with Al Jazeera, explaining that Zawahiri "has given us a large margin to decide on our own" how to operate. This does not mean that Zawahiri has given up control of the group. It means that Zawahiri is following the old al Qaeda saying, "centralize the decision, decentralize the action," which has long been the group's modus operandi. Zawahiri doesn't need to micromanage every single decision Julani makes. Basic modern organizational theory (and common sense) should tell us that it is inefficient for him to do so. But it is still within Zawahiri's purview, according to Julani himself, to decide how much latitude Julani and his subordinates have. Moreover, Julani said, Zawahiri has been giving direction for their efforts. "Dr. Ayman, may God protect him, always tells us to meet with the other factions," Julani said. "We are committed to this and this is a basic part of the principles of jihadist work in general, including work by al Qaeda." If Al Nusrah's story isn't enough, how about the story of Abu Khalid al Suri (Mohamed Bahaiah), a senior leader in Ahrar al Sham and longtime al Qaeda operative who was named by Zawahiri as al Qaeda's mediator in the dispute between the ISIS and the Al Nusrah Front? Zawahiri has issued guidelines to the jihadist groups in Syria to settle their dispute, which both al Suri and Julani have echoed. And, in December, the US Treasury Department identified al Suri as "al Qaeda's representative in Syria" and said that he was funneling cash from Gulf donors through Syria "to al Qaeda." This sounds operational to us. Second, Harf claims that Zawahiri is the only member of "core al Qaeda" remaining. This is not true even with respect to Afghanistan and Pakistan. We can easily identify additional "core" al Qaeda members in South Asia. (For instance, Zawahiri discussed the leadership dispute between ISIS and the Al Nusrah Front with his shura council. This was revealed in Zawahiri's letter. Harf is assuming that no such council exists.) Beyond AfPak, however, Harf's statement demonstrates that she has zero understanding of al Qaeda and its network. For The Long War Journal's view of al Qaeda's international network, as well as the issue of a "core" al Qaeda, see Tom Joscelyn's testimony before Congress in July 2013: In my view, al Qaeda is best defined as a global international terrorist network, with a general command in Afghanistan and Pakistan and affiliates in several countries. Together, they form a robust network that, despite setbacks, contests for territory abroad and still poses a threat to U.S. interests both overseas and at home. It does not make sense to draw a firm line between al Qaeda's "core," which is imprecisely defined, and the affiliates. The affiliates are not populated with automatons, but they are serving al Qaeda's broader goals. And al Qaeda has dispatched "core" members around the globe. As the 9/11 Commission found, Al Qaeda's senior leaders have always pursued a policy of geographic expansion. The emergence of formal affiliates, or branches, has been a core al Qaeda objective since the early 1990s. While the affiliates have varying degrees of capabilities, and devote most of their resources to fighting "over there," history demonstrates that the threat they pose "over here" can manifest itself at any time. In addition to its affiliates, al Qaeda operates as part of a "syndicate" in Central and South Asia. As former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said in 2010, "A victory for one [member of the syndicate] is a victory for all." Al Qaeda and its allies control territory inside Afghanistan today. If additional parts of Afghanistan fall to the syndicate in the coming years, it will strengthen both al Qaeda's ideological messaging and operational capability. For the sake of argument, let's take Harf's statements seriously and accept that al Qaeda has a "core" that is distinct from its far-flung, loosely organized affiliates. If this is correct, then how does she view Nasir al Wuhayshi, al Qaeda's general manager, who isn't even based in the Afghan-Pakistan region (he is in Yemen)? He also leads al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Does Harf consider Wuhayshi "Core al Qaeda"? If not, why? There are plenty of other old-school "core" al Qaeda leaders who are still in the business. We won't list them all, but will give you two other examples. Take Saif al Adel, whose whereabouts are currently unknown. If al Adel were in Iran, would Harf consider him to be "Core al Qaeda," or must he be in Pakistan to qualify? And wouldn't that mean that there are two core al Qaeda leaders left? The Obama administration has previously identified al Qaeda's network inside Iran as being a "core pipeline" for al Qaeda's leadership in Pakistan. Known, longtime al Qaeda operatives run the operation inside Iran. How about Abu Anas al Libi, the "core" al Qaeda leader who, according to a report written by the Defense Department's Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office and published by the Library of Congress, helped establish al Qaeda's network in post-revolution Libya prior to being captured by US forces in Tripoli in early October 2013? Or is he not core al Qaeda because he isn't based along the Afghan-Pakistan border? While the US drone program certainly has killed plenty of top al Qaeda leaders as well as many jihadists the Obama administration would not define as core al Qaeda (think about that for a minute - why are they a threat worthy of a drone strike if they aren't part of a cohesive al Qaeda network?), the network is by no means finished. Al Qaeda doesn't confine its leaders to a small patch of ground in the Afghan-Pakistan region as the Obama administration would like for you to believe. Based on any reasonable definition, Zawahiri isn't the only "core" al Qaeda left standing. And al Qaeda's senior leaders, including Zawahiri, still oversee the group's efforts inside Syria -- particularly the Al Nusrah Front, but also other assets.

US drone strike targets AQAP in central Yemen Posted: 23 Jan 2014 06:31 PM PST The US killed four al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula fighters last night, in the third drone strike in Yemen so far this year. The remotely piloted Predators or the more deadly Reapers fired several missiles at a vehicle transporting AQAP fighters in Wadi Abida in the central province of Marib on Thursday night, a Yemeni official told Xinhua. The official said the strike was executed "in coordination with the Yemeni interior ministry." Yemen's Interior Ministry confirmed that it "foiled an attempt by al Qaeda militants to seize some government institutions in Marib province," Xinhua reported. Four people were killed and seven more were wounded in the strike. The Associated Press reported that "three suspected al Qaeda militants" were killed. AQAP is known to operate in Marib province, and the US has targeted AQAP in Wadi Abida three times in the past. Two of the strikes took place in 2013 and the other in 2012. A few years earlier, in March 2008, Wadi Abida was identified as the base of an al Qaeda group known as the Yemen Soldiers Brigade. The group claimed credit for mortar attacks against the US Embassy, the Italian Embassy, and a Western housing complex in Sana'a in 2008. Background on US strikes in Yemen Last night's strike is the third by the US in Yemen since the New Year. The previous two strikes, on Jan. 8 and Jan. 15, targeted AQAP's network in the eastern province of Hadramout. Thursday night's strike is the sixth in Yemen since Dec. 6, when AQAP penetrated security in a major attack at Yemen's Ministry of Defense in Sana'a. The suicide assault resulted in the deaths of 52 people, including foreign doctors and nurses, and 11 AQAP fighters. AQAP claimed that the assault targeted the US-run "operation rooms" for the drone program in Yemen. The pace of the drone strikes in Yemen decreased last year from the previous year (26 in 2013 versus 41 in 2012). The reduction in the number of strikes coincided with a speech by President Barack Obama at the National Defense University in May 2013. The strikes are being reduced as the US government is facing increasing international criticism for conducting the attacks in both Yemen and Pakistan. The number of strikes might have been much lower in 2013 were it not for an al Qaeda plot emanating from Yemen that was uncovered by US officials in late July. The plot led the US to close down more than 20 embassies and diplomatic facilities across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. The plot involved AQAP emir Nasir al Wuhayshi, who now also serves as al Qaeda's general manager. Between July 27, after the plot was disclosed, and Aug. 10, the US launched nine strikes in Yemen; no drone strikes were reported for seven weeks prior to July 27. The burst in attacks was intended to disrupt the plot and take out AQAP's top leadership cadre and senior operatives. The US killed Kaid al Dhahab, AQAP's emir for Al Baydah province, during that time period. For more information on the US airstrikes in Yemen, see LWJ report, Charting the data for US airstrikes in Yemen, 2002 - 2014.

The Best Red Bull Mountain Bike Highlights of 2013

Watch the highlights of Red Bull's mountain bike events and athletes from 2013. Features Red Bull Joyride in Canada, Red Bull Berg Line in Germany, and Red Bull Rampage in the USA, as well as the white-knuckle riding skills of Brandon Semenuk, Aaron Gwin, Curtis Keene, Kelly McGarry, Cam Zink and more.