http://www.mail.com/locations/2602-central-asia.html Mail.com - the best personalized free web-based Email en en http://sec-s.uicdn.com/mail.com/2.23/img/mailcom_logo_rss.png http://www.mail.com/locations/2602-central-asia.html http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1861256-australian-general-key-us-army-post.html FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii (AP) — Maj. Gen. Richard Burr salutes with his palm facing out, like he's shielding his eyes from the sun. He wears a wide-brimmed felt "slouch hat" with a brown and green camouflage uniform. The two-star general in the Australian Defence Force stands out amid the American soldiers donning berets and green and beige fatigues at the U.... Fri, 01 Feb 2013 13:26:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1861256-australian-general-key-us-army-post.html 2013-02-01T13:26:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/us/1861424-5-years-us-families-pursue-kyrgyz-adoptions.html NEW YORK (AP) — The boy, named Vladimir, is 5½ years old, struggles at learning to count and draw, and lives in an orphanage in Kyrgyzstan. His would-be parents in New York have had just five brief visits since they signed on to adopt him in 2008, yet they refuse to abandon the quest. "We have already bonded with this child," said Frances Pardus-Abbadessa... Fri, 01 Feb 2013 11:12:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/us/1861424-5-years-us-families-pursue-kyrgyz-adoptions.html 2013-02-01T11:12:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1861394-teliasonera-boss-quits-uzbekistan-allegations.html STOCKHOLM (AP) — The chief executive of TeliaSonera resigned Friday after an independent review on alleged bribery by the telecoms company found it had failed to conduct a proper background check on a partner Uzbek firm believed to be connected with the family of the country's autocratic ruler. The review, conducted by a law firm, exonerated TeliaSonera o... Fri, 01 Feb 2013 10:51:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1861394-teliasonera-boss-quits-uzbekistan-allegations.html 2013-02-01T10:51:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1861198-us-limited-fight-north-africa-militants.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is struggling to confront an uptick in threats from the world's newest jihadist hot spot with limited intelligence and few partners to help as the Obama administration weighs how to keep Islamic extremists in North Africa from jeopardizing national security without launching war. The spread of militants across Libya, Al... Fri, 01 Feb 2013 07:51:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1861198-us-limited-fight-north-africa-militants.html 2013-02-01T07:51:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1860114-apnewsbreak-afghan-massacre-trial-set-sept.html SEATTLE (AP) — A military judge has scheduled a Sept. 3 court martial for Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, the U.S. soldier accused of massacring 16 Afghan villagers during nighttime raids last year, his lawyer said Thursday. Civilian attorney John Henry Browne told The Associated Press that the date is too soon to give the defense team time to prepare, and they ... Thu, 31 Jan 2013 19:58:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1860114-apnewsbreak-afghan-massacre-trial-set-sept.html 2013-01-31T19:58:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1858548-congress-grapples-with-gap-scofflaw-contractors.html WASHINGTON (AP) — With thousands of civilian contractors remaining in Iraq and Afghanistan, Justice Department officials want Congress to resolve a legal issue they say obstructs efforts to prosecute any such workers who rape, kill or commit other serious crimes abroad. Scofflaw Pentagon employees and contractors supporting the American war mission overse... Thu, 31 Jan 2013 18:37:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1858548-congress-grapples-with-gap-scofflaw-contractors.html 2013-01-31T18:37:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1859818-american-deaths-afghan-war-drop-to-4-year-low.html WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. troop deaths in Afghanistan have plunged to the lowest level in four years, reflecting a pullback from direct combat into the less deadly role of advising and assisting Afghan forces as they do more of the fighting. Attacks by Taliban insurgents also have declined, although the war is far from finished. Pentagon figures show that th... Thu, 31 Jan 2013 18:27:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1859818-american-deaths-afghan-war-drop-to-4-year-low.html 2013-01-31T18:27:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1859298-hagel-legal-immunity-key-afghanisan.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Chuck Hagel, President Barack Obama's nominee to be the next secretary of defense, says it will be important to protect from potential Afghan prosecution any American troops who remain there after the allied combat mission ends in 2014. Hagel made the remark Thursday during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Commit... Thu, 31 Jan 2013 15:05:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1859298-hagel-legal-immunity-key-afghanisan.html 2013-01-31T15:05:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1858814-german-parliament-extends-afghan-mission.html BERLIN (AP) — Germany's Parliament has voted to extend the country's military mission in Afghanistan by 13 months. Parliament approved the extension on Thursday by a vote of 435 to 111. The German contingent is being slowly reduced as the country prepares to bring all combat troops home by the end of 2014. The new mandate foresees a drop from a current ma... Thu, 31 Jan 2013 10:00:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1858814-german-parliament-extends-afghan-mission.html 2013-01-31T10:00:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1856012-bomb-afghan-market-kills-2-children.html KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Afghan government says a bomb has exploded in an open-air market in eastern Afghanistan, killing two small children. The governor's office for Khost province says in a statement that the bomb was hidden under a stall in the main bazaar in Sabari district. It went off Wednesday while a group of police officers were passing by.... Wed, 30 Jan 2013 11:10:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1856012-bomb-afghan-market-kills-2-children.html 2013-01-30T11:10:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/us/1855502-ap-interview-top-us-general-confident-afghans.html KABUL (AP) — The top commander of U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan believes government security forces have improved faster than expected and will be ready to take the lead in the 11-year-old war against the Taliban when foreign combat forces take a back seat this spring. Marine Gen. John Allen told The Associated Press that the main job over the next two y... Wed, 30 Jan 2013 10:19:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/us/1855502-ap-interview-top-us-general-confident-afghans.html 2013-01-30T10:19:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1854682-us-military-deaths-afghanistan-2045.html As of Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013, at least 2,045 members of the U.S. military had died in Afghanistan as a result of the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, according to an Associated Press count. The AP count is two less than the Defense Department's tally, last updated Tuesday at 10 a.m. EST. At least 1,706 military service members have died in A... Tue, 29 Jan 2013 19:58:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1854682-us-military-deaths-afghanistan-2045.html 2013-01-29T19:58:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1853002-20-killed-kazakhstan-plane-crash.html ALMATY, Kazakhstan (AP) — A passenger jet carrying at least 20 people crashed Tuesday in heavy fog near Kazakhstan's principal city, Almaty, killing all on board, the airline and officials said. The Kazakh Prosecutor-General's office listed 21 people as having been killed. The SCAT airline said the plane carried 20. The accident highlights persistent conc... Tue, 29 Jan 2013 11:07:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1853002-20-killed-kazakhstan-plane-crash.html 2013-01-29T11:07:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1852948-karzai-afghan-government-lead-peace-talks.html KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghanistan's president warned on Tuesday that all efforts at peace talks with the Taliban should go through the government, and appealed on the country's powerbrokers not to engage in such negotiations if the authorities are sidelines. Hamid Karzai insisted the government — and not foreign powers — must lead the talks if the cou... Tue, 29 Jan 2013 09:16:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1852948-karzai-afghan-government-lead-peace-talks.html 2013-01-29T09:16:00Z http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/1849736-karnow-vietnam-reporter-historian-dies-age-87.html Stanley Karnow, the award-winning author and journalist who wrote a definitive book about the Vietnam War, worked on an accompanying documentary and later won a Pulitzer for a history of the Philippines, died Sunday morning. He was 87. Karnow, who had congestive heart failure, died in his sleep at his home in Potomac, Md., said son Michael Karnow. A Paris... Sun, 27 Jan 2013 21:47:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/1849736-karnow-vietnam-reporter-historian-dies-age-87.html 2013-01-27T21:47:00Z http://www.mail.com/entertainment/celebrity/1848830-harrys-afghan-downtime-movies-candy-trades.html LONDON (AP) — Prince Harry's off-duty time in Afghanistan appeared to be full of war movies, board games and elaborate candy trades. The 28-year-old helicopter pilot and fellow members of his squad swapped Kit Kats and Rice Krispies Squares for American soldiers' M&Ms, according to a British media pool report released Sunday. Harry himself outlined one of... Sun, 27 Jan 2013 12:37:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/entertainment/celebrity/1848830-harrys-afghan-downtime-movies-candy-trades.html 2013-01-27T12:37:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1848710-roadside-bomb-kills-10-afghanistan.html KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) — A police truck packed with officers and detainees struck a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan's largest city, killing 10 of those aboard, officials said Sunday. It was one of four blasts Saturday that left at least 24 people dead across the country. Attacks by insurgents are a daily occurrence around Afghanistan and the Afg... Sun, 27 Jan 2013 12:15:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1848710-roadside-bomb-kills-10-afghanistan.html 2013-01-27T12:15:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1847700-china-prove-ultimate-winner-afghanistan.html KABUL (AP) — China, long a bystander to the conflict in Afghanistan, is stepping up its involvement as U.S.-led forces prepare to withdraw, attracted by the country's vast mineral resources but concerned that any post-2014 chaos could embolden Islamist insurgents in its own territory. Cheered on by the U.S. and other Western governments, which see Asia's ... Sat, 26 Jan 2013 17:15:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1847700-china-prove-ultimate-winner-afghanistan.html 2013-01-26T17:15:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1847802-suicide-bomber-kills-police-afghanistan.html KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — At least 12 people were killed in bombings around Afghanistan on Saturday, including 10 policemen who died when a suicide bomber driving a motorcycle blew himself up in Afghanistan's northern Kunduz province, officials said. Kunduz provincial police spokesman Sayed Sarwar Husseini said the policemen, including the head of the pro... Sat, 26 Jan 2013 14:26:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1847802-suicide-bomber-kills-police-afghanistan.html 2013-01-26T14:26:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1847834-officials-10-workers-die-russia-building-fire.html MOSCOW (AP) — A fire ripped through a new Moscow building's underground parking lot on Saturday, killing 10 migrant workers and injuring 13 others who had been working and living there, city police said. All those who died were citizens of Tajikistan, Moscow police said in a statement. It said they were killed after a garbage heap on the floor they were w... Sat, 26 Jan 2013 14:01:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1847834-officials-10-workers-die-russia-building-fire.html 2013-01-26T14:01:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1847482-health-answers-sought-burned-off-war-garbage.html WASHINGTON (AP) — J.D. Williams didn't think much about the smoke cloud that often shrouded his air base in Iraq. Not when it covered everything he owned with black soot or when his wheezing and coughing made it difficult to sleep at night. "We just went about our business because there was a war going on," said Williams, a retired chief warrant officer w... Sat, 26 Jan 2013 13:26:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1847482-health-answers-sought-burned-off-war-garbage.html 2013-01-26T13:26:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1846108-pentagon-budget-crisis-hurt-war-effort.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The Afghan war effort eventually would be harmed by across-the-board budget cuts, even as the Obama administration intends to shield the military's combat mission from the reductions, the Pentagon's No. 2 official said Friday. "There will be second-order effects on the war," Ashton Carter, the deputy defense secretary, said in an intervi... Fri, 25 Jan 2013 21:41:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1846108-pentagon-budget-crisis-hurt-war-effort.html 2013-01-25T21:41:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1846240-russia-kazakhstan-spar-space-launch-pad.html MOSCOW (AP) — Russia stepped up efforts Friday to resolve a dispute with neighbor Kazakhstan over its demand to reduce the number of commercial satellite launches from the Russian-leased Baikonur cosmodrome. Kazakhstan, which in the past suspended Russian rocket launches after previous failures spilled toxic rocket fuel, has demanded that Russia cuts the ... Fri, 25 Jan 2013 17:04:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1846240-russia-kazakhstan-spar-space-launch-pad.html 2013-01-25T17:04:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1845826-countries-where-women-combat.html From France's Joan of Arc to female resistance fighters in World War II and the black-clad women warriors of the Viet Cong, history is filled with stories of women fighting alongside men. In many modern armies, however, ground infantry combat is still largely a male preserve — either by regulation, practical issues such as physical requirements of living ... Fri, 25 Jan 2013 16:45:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1845826-countries-where-women-combat.html 2013-01-25T16:45:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1845064-afghan-police-suicide-bomber-misses-nato-kills-5.html KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan police say a suicide car bomber has killed five civilians and wounded another 25 in a botched attempt to hit a convoy of NATO supply trucks in eastern Afghanistan. Gen. Faziluddin Ayar, who is responsible for the east, says the bomber missed the convoy, which suffered no damage. The attack took place Friday in the Tagab di... Fri, 25 Jan 2013 05:54:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1845064-afghan-police-suicide-bomber-misses-nato-kills-5.html 2013-01-25T05:54:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1842424-women-combat-good-to-they-meet-standards.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Women in the military must have the same opportunities as men to take on grueling and dangerous combat jobs, whether loading 50-pound artillery shells or joining commando raids to take out terrorists, defense leaders declared Thursday as they ordered a quarter-million positions open to service members regardless of gender. As Defense Sec... Thu, 24 Jan 2013 21:54:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1842424-women-combat-good-to-they-meet-standards.html 2013-01-24T21:54:00Z http://www.mail.com/entertainment/celebrity/1840664-prince-harry-uk-afghan-deployment.html LONDON (AP) — Prince Harry returned to Britain on Wednesday after a 20-week deployment in Afghanistan, landing on a military plane in light snow at the Brize Norton military airbase northwest of London. He had already been in the spotlight for comments made public several days ago in which he asserted that he had targeted Taliban fighters from the cockpit... Wed, 23 Jan 2013 17:33:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/entertainment/celebrity/1840664-prince-harry-uk-afghan-deployment.html 2013-01-23T17:33:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1839124-us-afghan-commander-cleared-petraeus-email-case.html WASHINGTON (AP) — A Pentagon investigation has cleared Gen. John Allen, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, of professional misconduct in exchanging emails with a civilian woman linked to the sex scandal that led retired Gen. David Petraeus to resign as CIA director. Pentagon press secretary George Little said Tuesday that Defense Secretary Leon Panett... Wed, 23 Jan 2013 05:13:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1839124-us-afghan-commander-cleared-petraeus-email-case.html 2013-01-23T05:13:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1837602-army-general-defers-plea-hearing-sex-charges.html FORT BRAGG, N.C. (AP) — An Army general brought back from Afghanistan to face court-martial on a series of sexual misconduct charges deferred entering a plea Tuesday. Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair, who served five combat tours, is headed to trial following a spate of highly publicized military sex scandals involving high-ranking officers that has triggered ... Wed, 23 Jan 2013 00:25:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1837602-army-general-defers-plea-hearing-sex-charges.html 2013-01-23T00:25:00Z http://www.mail.com/entertainment/celebrity/1837364-prince-harrys-wartime-role-draws-reprisal-fears.html LONDON (AP) — Prince Harry's admission that he killed Taliban fighters while working as a helicopter gunner in Afghanistan drew intense British media coverage Tuesday and sparked concerns about possible reprisals. The 28-year-old prince spoke in a pooled interview published late Monday after he was safely out of Afghanistan. He had spent the last 20 weeks... Tue, 22 Jan 2013 17:17:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/entertainment/celebrity/1837364-prince-harrys-wartime-role-draws-reprisal-fears.html 2013-01-22T17:17:00Z