KABUL: Afghanistan is to host a landmark international conference on Tuesday aimed at charting a path for its future development and showing Western supporters what has been achieved in the nine years since the Taliban regime was overthrown.Here are the main facts about the event:-- The

WASHINGTON: A popular zinc-based homeopathic remedy for the common cold that is sold over the counter is not only ineffective but can cause users to lose their sense of smell, a study published Monday warned.Clinic trials found that zinc nasal gels and sprays were ineffective in

KOLKATA - A train crash in India that claimed more than 60 lives on Monday was caused by negligence, not sabotage, West Bengal Civil Defence Minister Srikumar Mukherjee told AFP."It`s not an act of sabotage. The tragic accident took place because of the negligence on the part of the

ISLAMABAD - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Monday she believed Osama bin Laden was still in Pakistan, in a television interview between high-level talks in Islamabad."I believe (bin Laden) is here in Pakistan and it would be very helpful if we could take them (Al-Qaeda

KABUL: Afghanistan is set to host a key international conference in Kabul on Tuesday, aiming to chart a course for the war-torn country`s future and show supporters it is acting on past pledges.Organised under blanket security, the meeting is being billed as a bid by the Afghan government

COLOMBO - Six countries seen as most threatened by rising sea levels have vowed to cut their carbon emissions as a gesture of their commitment to fight global warming, the Maldivian government said Monday.The countries, mostly low-lying nations, met over the weekend in the Maldives ahead

TAIPEI - Taiwan plans to buy US-made torpedoes and heavy tanks to boost its defence capabilities despite the thaw in ties between the island and mainland China, it was reported Monday.President Ma Ying-jeou has ordered the defence ministry to draft a shopping list which includes MK-54

TORREON - To cries of "Kill them all!" gunmen opened fire at a weekend birthday party here, mowing down at least 17 people in another attack that laid bare the brutality of Mexico`s long-running drug war.A dozen people were also wounded as the killers sprayed more than 200 bullets

BEIJING - At least 20 people were missing Monday after a rain-triggered landslide buried parts of a north China village, while rising waters threatened to overrun numerous lakes and rivers including the Yangtze.The landslide engulfed nine homes in a village in the city of Ankang in

GAZA CITY: The European Union`s top diplomat Catherine Ashton called for the further easing of Israel`s four-year blockade of the Gaza Strip during a visit to the impoverished Hamas-run enclave on Sunday."The answer here is opening the crossings," Ashton told reporters on her first visit

BUENOS AIRES: Nine people have died from hypothermia during an especially cold snap that has blanketed Argentina, even in the north, with unusual snowfall in recent days, a non-governmental group said Sunday.Most of the deaths were of people living on the street in the capital Buenos

ISLAMABAD: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton prepared Monday for talks with senior Pakistani military and political figures and to announce a huge aid deal aimed at combating anti-American sentiment.The US top diplomat flew into Islamabad Sunday, calling for "additional measures" by

SEOUL:  North Korea has started discharging water from one of its dams along the border with South Korea amid high cross-border tensions, reports said Monday.The North has released up to 1,000 tons of water per second from its Hwanggang Dam near the border, the Yonhap news agency

SAINTHIA: A speeding express rammed into the back of a stationary passenger train in eastern India on Monday, killing at least 60 people and trapping others in several badly mangled carriages.The standing train was waiting to leave Sainthia station in Birbhum district, 260 kilometres (160

KABUL - suicide bomber on a bicycle detonated explosives in central Kabul Sunday, injuring up to five people, a government spokesman told AFP."It was a suicide attacker on a bicycle, he was trying to get to a specific area but because of high security the bomber was forced to detonate on

BAGHDAD - Suicide bombers killed 46 people in Iraq on Sunday in two separate attacks targeting anti-Qaeda militiamen that marked the country`s bloodiest day in more than two months, security sources said.Just west of Baghdad, one bomber blew himself up as anti-Qaeda fighters gathered at

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates visit Seoul Wednesday in a show of solidarity amid fresh tensions with North Korea over the sinking of South Korean warship.Clinton and Gates are expected to announce joint naval exercises at the meeting

BEIJING - Police detained a northwestern China mine owner Sunday after 28 workers died in his colliery following a pit fire, the latest in a series of deadly mining accidents, state press said.All 28 miners were killed in the colliery in Shaanxi province after electrical cables caught

CIUDAD JUAREZ: The latest spate of drug-related violence in Mexico left 19 people dead, including five factory workers near the US border and four police officers in Acapulco, officials said Saturday.The Chihuahua state prosecutor said the workers were gunned down when armed men burst

WARSAW: Thousands of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and supporters of equal rights for sexual minorities marched in Poland`s capital Saturday in the first annual EuroPride march in Eastern Europe.The colourful parade wound through Warsaw in sweltering heat of close to 40 degrees Celsius (104