Kandahar, cradle of Afghan insurgency, torn by tribal rivalry ahead of vote
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) – Growing violence in the southern province of Kandahar ahead of Afghanistan’s presidential election next week highlights a rift between Pashtun tribes that could tip the country back into civil war.
As Kiev looks West, Putin turns east to build Eurasian dream
ALMATY (Reuters) – With his biggest prize escaping his grasp in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin is likely to turn to the autocrats of Central Asia, particularly Kazakhstan’s Nursultan Nazarbayev, to further his aim of erecting a Eurasian Union of former Soviet…
India asks Australia to return two Hindu statues believed stolen
SYDNEY (Reuters) – India has formally requested two Australian art galleries to return two ancient statues of the Hindu god Shiva after it emerged the artefacts might have been looted from temples before being bought by the galleries several years ago….
Nepal plans free SIM cards to help hikers in distress
KATHMANDU (Reuters) – Nepal plans to distribute free SIM cards to trekkers visiting remote areas alone, officials said on Thursday, after several foreign hikers were attacked or went missing in recent years.
Villager stabs seven people in southern China: state media
BEIJING (Reuters) – A Chinese man stabbed at seven fellow villagers in southern Guangxi province on Thursday, seriously injuring a four-year-old boy and a woman, state news agency Xinhua said.
Retrial for Japanese man said to be world’s longest-serving death row inmate
TOKYO (Reuters) – A Japanese court on Thursday ordered the release and a retrial of an ageing prisoner accused of murder who served on death row for over 30 years, amid doubts about the evidence used to convict him.
How rumor sparked panic and three-day bank run in Chinese city
YANCHENG, China (Reuters) – The rumor spread quickly. A small rural lender in eastern China had turned down a customer’s request to withdraw 200,000 yuan ($32,200).
Chinese police detain suspect after rumor sparks rural bank run
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Police in the rural Chinese city of Yancheng have detained a person suspected of spreading rumors that sparked a three-day bank run, security officials said on the city police force’s official microblog on Thursday.
U.S., EU to work together on tougher Russia sanctions
BRUSSELS/MOSCOW (Reuters) – The United States and the European Union agreed on Wednesday to work together to prepare possible tougher economic sanctions in response to Russia’s behavior in Ukraine, including on the energy sector, and to make Europe les…
U.N. Security Council to meet Thursday on North Korea missile launch
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The U.N. Security Council will hold closed-door consultations on Thursday to discuss a possible condemnation of North Korea’s latest ballistic missile launches, U.N. diplomats said.
