Reuters: South Asia News

Afghan leader hosts EU after "problematic" time

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:38:24 +0530

KABUL (Reuters) - Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt met Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday, aiming to mend ties between Kabul and the European Union strained by a fraud-tainted election and what Bildt called a "problematic phase".

Japan plans aid for Kabul ahead of Obama visit

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:54:24 +0530

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan said on Tuesday it would give Afghanistan up to $5 billion in new aid, a move Tokyo hopes will improve strained security ties with Washington ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama's visit this week.

Nepal Maoists close roads to capital in row over army chief

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:27:20 +0530

KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Nepal's former Maoist rebels, waving hammer-and-sickle flags, blocked roads to the capital on Tuesday in protest at the reinstatement of the army chief, the first time they have taken such action since the end of the civil war three years ago.

Pakistani Taliban vow tough guerrilla war

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:20:35 +0530

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani Taliban militants vowed to fight a tough, protracted guerrilla war against the army on Tuesday as a suicide car-bomber killed up to 20 people in a northwestern town, police said.

FACTBOX - Pakistan's nuclear weapons

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:24:04 +0530

REUTERS - Pakistan is capable of ensuring the security of its nuclear arsenal and a report it is negotiating "understandings" for U.S. units to augment the weapons' safety was "absurd", a top Pakistani commander said.

Pakistan "fully capable" of securing nuclear arms

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:20:14 +0530

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan is capable of ensuring the security of its nuclear arsenal and a report it is negotiating "understandings" for U.S. units to augment the weapons' safety was "absurd", a top Pakistani commander said.

Sri Lanka state-sector unions to work to rule

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:14:49 +0530

COLOMBO (Reuters) - A united Sri Lankan opposition on Tuesday put its weight behind state sector trade unions which are going on a five-day work-to-rule in their push for higher pay.

Q+A - Obama's first presidential tour of Asia

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:18:20 +0530

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama leaves on Thursday on his first Asian tour since becoming president on Jan. 20.

FACTBOX - Key figures in Afghanistan's political scene

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:20:25 +0530

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai is expected to name his new government in coming weeks after a fraud-marred election, and may also assign powerful governorships for the country's 34 provinces.

U.N. declares Afghan election "credible, legitimate"

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:32:40 +0530

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. General Assembly declared on Monday that Afghanistan's presidential election was both credible and sound, despite allegations of widespread fraud that led critics to question the vote's legitimacy.