Mongolian herders reel under dreaded 'dzud' weather

Thousands of Mongolian herders face disastrous livestock losses from a dreaded severe weather phenomenon known as the "dzud", the Red Cross said Thursday in launching an international emergency aid appeal.Landlocked Mongolia is grappling for the second straight year with dzud conditions -- a dry summer followed by brutal winter cold that leaves livestock and other animals at risk of starvation and exposure on the country's rugged steppes.It threatens tens of thousands of herders in a country whe