France's Hollande defends early Afghan pullout
KABUL - French President Francois Hollande made an unannounced trip to Afghanistan on Friday to visit some of the French troops he wants to pull out later this year, defending his plan for their early exit after meeting his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai.
U.S. senators penalize Pakistan for jailing doctor who aided CIA
WASHINGTON - U.S. senators scandalized by Pakistan's jailing of a doctor for helping the CIA find Osama bin Laden voted on Thursday to cut aid to Islamabad by $33 million -- one million for each year in the doctor's sentence.
Bin Laden film got no Special Ops help: U.S. admiral
WASHINGTON - The U.S. admiral who oversaw the operation to kill Osama bin Laden denied on Thursday that he or his staff helped advise Hollywood film makers shooting a movie about last year's secret raid to kill the al Qaeda leader.
Pakistan seeks face-saving formula in NATO talks
ISLAMABAD - Pakistan is unlikely to re-open supply routes to NATO troops in Afghanistan unless the United States offers a politically acceptable formula in talks on ending a six-month standoff on the issue, a Pakistani official said on Thursday.
Happiness for Bhutan Olympians is not golden
THIMPHU, Bhutan - In a remote Himalayan valley, an archer and a shooter are calmly preparing for a trip of a lifetime to represent Bhutan at the London Olympics, but winning is not the main target.
U.S. should respect decision to imprison doctor who helped CIA find bin Laden - Pakistan
ISLAMABAD - The United States should respect a Pakistan court's decision to imprison a doctor accused of helping the CIA find Osama bin Laden, the Pakistan foreign ministry spokesman said on Thursday.
INSIGHT - Iran's "Great Game" in Afghanistan
KABUL - With most foreign combat troops set to withdraw from Afghanistan by 2014, Iran is is using the media in the war-ravaged nation to gain influence, a worrying issue for Washington.
Asian cities develop new indicators for 'climate resilience'
NEW DELHI (AlertNet) - Ten Asian cities prone to floods, droughts or soaring temperatures are developing a set of key indicators to assess their vulnerability to the effects of climate change and improve urban planning to boost resilience.
Arms deals, human rights and hypocrites: Bernd Debusmann
(Bernd Debusmann is a Reuters columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.)
Pakistani doctor jailed for helping CIA find bin Laden
PESHAWAR, Pakistan - Pakistani authorities have sentenced a doctor accused of helping the CIA find Osama bin Laden to 33 years in jail on charges of treason, officials said, a move that drew angry condemnation from U.S. officials already at odds with Islamabad.
Taliban poetry, mourn the dead boy, curse the naked “daughter of the west”
The Taliban poems are as maddeningly confusing as they are revealing. They deserve to be studied closely.


