Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Wednesday he will not pursue peace talks with the Taliban unless the United States steps out of the negotiations, deflating hopes just a day after the talks were announced.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai suspended talks on a bilateral security agreement with the United States on Tuesday, one day after Washington announced plans to enter into peace negotiations with the Taliban.
The Taliban claimed responsibility on Wednesday for a deadly overnight attack on Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, just hours after the US announced plans to enter into peace talks with the insurgent group.
Senior US officials said on Tuesday that they will enter peace talks with the Taliban at a new office in Doha "within the coming days", in what may be a significant step towards an end to the long-running war.
Early monsoon rains brought flash floods and landslides to the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand in northern India, leaving at least 60 people dead and stranding thousands, officials said Tuesday.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai announced Tuesday that Afghan troops will take over the lead role for the country’s security from US-led NATO forces, which will continue to provide training and support ahead of a full withdrawal by the end of 2014.
An attack by a drunken gang on six Chinese students studying the French art of winemaking in Bordeaux has been condemned by Chinese authorities, who have demanded that France brings the perpetrators swiftly to justice.
Iranian president-elect Hassan Rohani pledged on Monday to follow a “path of moderation” and promised greater openness over the country’s nuclear programme in his first press conference since his election victory on Friday.
The US government on Sunday said it will discuss North Korea’s offer of talks next week with its regional allies, but that any fresh discussions must involve Pyongyang demonstrating a willingness to scrap its nuclear weapons.
Hassan Rohani's presidential poll victory on Saturday evening sparked spontaneous outpourings of joy as the sounds of old political songs and defiant slogans resurfaced on the streets of Iranian towns and cities.
