Reuters ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – As U.S. influence in Islamabad wanes, Pakistan’s former adversary Russia is building military, diplomatic and economic ties that could upend historic alliances in the region and open up a fast-growing gas market for Moscow’s energy companies. Russia’s embrace of Pakistan comes at a time when relations between the United States and its historical ally are unravelling… Read more »
The Guardian Just before 7am one morning in Mumbai, three men clearing a sewer pipe were overcome by deadly fumes and collapsed. Their deaths sparked a cat-and-mouse pursuit across India. Records show the bodies of the trio were rushed to an embalmer, where a certificate was issued declaring them safe for flying. Permissions were sought in their home state of Orissa. Within… Read more »
The Guardian At least two people have been killed and eight others injured in anti-Muslim riots in a popular tourist district in central Sri Lanka as the government blocked Facebook and other social media services in an effort to quell the violence. Reports of an attack on a Buddhist temple in Abathanna triggered another day of clashes across Kandy district between members… Read more »
France 24 Despite U.S. support, the Afghan government’s surprising new peace offer to the Taliban is running into a wall. The insurgents insist talks for a conflict-ending compromise should take place with Washington, not Kabul. The impasse is blocking a diplomatic path out of America’s longest-running war and could prove as fateful as fortunes on the battlefield. The Trump administration… Read more »
Afghanistan has long been a place of struggle. Known from ancient times as the “Graveyard of Empires”, it has seen the hindering and or demise of such people as Alexander the Great, the Mughals, Safavids, the Mongols, the British, and most notably, the Soviet Union. So why would the US continue to remain militarily active in the harsh, unforgiving, and… Read more »
Al-Jazeera A Taliban infiltrator has killed 16 pro-government militia fighters in Afghanistan’s Helmand province.
Al-Jazeera New Delhi, India – India has warned Pakistan that it “will pay” for its “misadventure” in Indian-administered Kashmir in the wake of a deadly attackon an army camp in Jammu city. At least six Indian soldiers were killed after fighters stormed the Sunjuwan army camp on Saturday. The three attackers were killed in the ensuing gun battle that continued for more than two days.
France 24 Gunmen attacked Kabul’s Intercontinental Hotel on Saturday, seizing hostages and exchanging gunfire with security forces as the building in the Afghan capital caught fire and residents and staff fled.
France 24 The war was not yet over when peace was given a chance in Afghanistan. But after a brutal start to the year, it’s time for a strategic rethink. Over the past 16 years, Afghanistan has been a laboratory for a dizzying number of policy experiments to help secure the country. US troop levels have surged and ebbed, Taliban militants have been… Read more »