Geneva - The spread of cholera continues unabated in Zimbabwe, where the death toll has risen to 2,755 since August, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Thursday.

The UN update issued in Geneva, which reflects the situation as of January 21, showed a total 48,623 people in the beleaguered southern African country, were infected with the waterborne disease.

On Wednesday alone, 36 deaths and 1,125 new infection cases were recorded, OCHA said.

Lausanne, Switzerland  - Norwegian horse rider Tony Andre Hansen has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in an attempt to get back the bronze Olympic medal that he lost last month.

The sport's ruling body FEI disqualified him from the Olympics last month after ruling that he had been guilty of a doping violation after his horse Camiro tested positive for capsaicin on the day of the team jumping final of the Olympic Games.

Geneva - The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) began Monday the distribution of aid material to around 8,000 families in the Gaza Strip following the cessation of military activity there, a spokeswoman said in Geneva.

The Red Cross is now providing cooking utensils, tarpaulins, hygiene articles and blankets for families that lost their homes in the three-week Israeli military offensive, said spokeswoman Dorothea Krimitsas.

Access to the families in the worst-affected parts of Gaza was proving difficult, with many houses completely destroyed or heavily damaged. Unexploded ordnance was also proving a particular hazard.

Geneva, Jan. 19 : The Iraqi journalist who threw shoes at U. S. President George W. Bush during the latter''s surprise visit to Baghdad last month, will seek political asylum in Switzerland, his Geneva-based lawyer has said.

According to a foreign news agency report, lawyer Mauro Poggia says Muntadhar al-Zeidi''s life is in danger in Iraq.

Al-Zeidi is currently in an Iraqi jail awaiting trial on charges of assaulting a foreign leader for his December 14 shoe-throwing incident at a news conference in Baghdad.

Wengen, Switzerland  - Austria's Manfred Pranger claimed victory in the men's slalom in Wengen Sunday while France's Jean- Baptiste Grange came home sixth to retain his lead in the discipline's World Cup standings.

Pranger registered a winning time of 1 minute 40.36 seconds for his two runs, finishing 34 hundredths ahead of compatriot Reinfried Herbst with Croatia's Ivica Kostelic third in 1:40.75 minutes.

France's Grange continues to lead the slalom standings with 349 points after five of 10 events, followed by Kostelic on 305 and Pranger on 219 points.

Wengen, Switzerland - Didier Defago gave Swiss fans a home victory in alpine skiing's downhill classic at Wengen on Saturday.

Defago edged Bode Miller by 0.20 seconds to prevent the American winning a hat-trick of World Cup victories on the spectacular 4.445-kilometre-long Lauberhorn course.

It was only a second career World Cup victory for 31-year-old Defago, whose single previous win was in a super-G in December 2002.

Defago posted 2 minutes 31.98 seconds in perfect sunny weather on the World Cup's longest downhill run, with Miller followed on the podium by fellow American Marco Sullivan, 0.39 seconds behind the winner.