|     Sajjad Tarakzai     | QILA BHATTIAN WALA, Pakistan (AFP) - In the village of Qila Bhattian Wala, nestled in wheat fields, Shiite Muslims know nothing of the record levels of violence suffered by their community elsewhere in Pakistan. Here 3,000 villagers live in harmony with their Sunni neighbours. They worship at the same mosque, guard each others’ religious processions, grow up together, intermarry ...

|     Sebastian Abbot & Aijaz Hussain     | ISLAMABAD (AP) - Despite the worst bout of violence in years along the disputed Kashmir border, Pakistani and Indian officials have kept tension from spiraling out of control. It’s an example of just how far the archenemies have come since relations were shattered by the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. Risk of escalation remains, but senior officials from both nati ...

NEW DELHI (AP) - From Africa’s crowded AIDS clinics to the malarial jungles of Southeast Asia, the lives of millions of ill people in the developing world are hanging in the balance ahead of a legal ruling that will determine whether India’s drug companies can continue to provide cheap versions of many life-saving medicines. The case - involving Swiss drugmaker Novartis AG’s cancer drug Glivec - pits aid gr ...

NEW DELHI (dpa) - An estimated 11 million Hindus are expected to take a ritual dip in the Ganges River in the northern Indian town of Allahabad Monday, amid concerns over high pollution levels. Hindus believe the ritual of the Kumbh Mela pilgrimage, the full version of which comes once every 12 years, cleanses the soul of sins and clears the path to heaven. But environmentalists who recently conducted a tes ...

BANGKOK (dpa) - When ministers from the four member countries of the Mekong River Commission and donors meet in Luang Prabang, Laos, this week, the future role of the agency will be on the table. Questions about the effectiveness of the Mekong River Commission, set up in 1995 to jointly manage sustainable development, have been raised by Laos’ decision in November to go ahead with the 3.5-billion-ollar Xaya ...

[caption id="attachment_7088" align="aligncenter" width="520"] In this Feb 23, 2011 photo, bees pollinate almond trees at an orchard near Bakersfield, Calif. In 2011, for the first time ever, the value of the California almond crop surpassed the state’s iconic grape industry to move into second place, behind dairy, making almond producing land one of the highest priced and most sought-after in the region. A ...

[caption id="attachment_7073" align="aligncenter" width="468"] Belgium’s King Albert II (L) and Queen Fabiola (R) pose during a Belgian Royal Family photoshoot at the Castle of Laeken in Brussels, Belgium on September 2, 2012. Princess Laetitia Maria (R) stands next to them. EPA[/caption] |     Alexandra Mayer-Hohdahl     | BRUSSELS (dpa) - For a long time, Queen Fabiola of Belgium seemed above reproach - l ...

[caption id="attachment_7072" align="aligncenter" width="520"] The illuminated euro sign is seen in front of the European Central Bank, ECB in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, on January 10. AFP[/caption] |     Marie Julien     | BERLIN (AFP) - The German economy, Europe’s biggest, has begun to feel the effects of the cold winds of recession blowing elsewhere in the region, but any downturn it suffers wi ...

[caption id="attachment_7071" align="aligncenter" width="520"] This file photo taken on January 10, shows a fence protecting the construction site of the terminal building of the new “Willy Brandt” Berlin Brandenburg International (BER) airport at dawn. Germany is concerned that its fabled international reputation for efficiency may have taken a blow from a catalogue of delays dogging major projects, especi ...

[caption id="attachment_7002" align="aligncenter" width="351"] A model wears a creation of Burberry Prorsum men’s Fall-Winter 2013-14 collection, part of the Milan Fashion Week, unveiled in Milan, Italy on January 12. AP[/caption] |     Antonella Ciancio     | MILAN (Reuters) - Concerns over the fate of fashion executive Vittorio Missoni and prospects for the economy weighed on the opening of Milan’s menswe ...