Ashish Kumar Sen

Sudanese military aircraft bombed an oil field in neighboring South Sudan on Tuesday, causing an escalation in border violence that derailed an April presidential summit between the two nations.

The Taliban must renounce terrorism and embrace peace talks that include the Afghan government , if the militants want to restart negotiations with the United States, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Wednesday.

The US may impose tough economic sanctions on India for continuing to import crude oil from Iran.

A Pakistani parliamentary commission on Tuesday demanded an end to U.S. drone strikes inside the country and an unconditional apology for a NATO attack that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in November.

The U.S. mission in Afghanistan suffered twin blows Thursday as Afghan President Hamid Karzai demanded that NATO troops stay out of Afghan villages and the Taliban suspended peace talks.

Hollywood actor George Clooney on Wednesday accused the Sudanese government of committing war crimes in a mountainous border region, which he and U.S. officials said was teetering dangerously on the brink of a humanitarian crisis.

Tribal conflict, financial crisis and a humanitarian emergency are threatening stability in South Sudan, only eight months after the world’s newest nation gained independence.

Taliban militants threatened to behead Americans in Afghanistan , as gunmen opened fire Tuesday on a memorial service for civilians killed by a U.S. soldier and protests erupted over a series of U.S. actions that is spreading outrage throughout the country.

Afghans on Monday demanded a swift trial and punishment for the U.S. soldier accused of killing 16 civilians, including women and children, while the Taliban vowed to avenge the killings.

Afghanistan ’s peace process is crumbling amid distrust among all the key players - the U.S., Pakistan , the Afghan president and the Taliban , who continue to attack American and NATO troops.

Two other senators have endorsed Sen. John McCain ’s call for airstrikes to stop Syrian President Bashar Assad ’s lethal, 11-month-long crackdown on dissenters.

Crippling economic sanctions and tough talk of military strikes on its nuclear sites likely have prodded Iran to resume talks with the international community over its secretive nuclear program.

Syrian opposition fighters pulled out of a stronghold in the restive western city of Homs on Thursday, saying they did not have enough weapons to defend the civilians.