Suicide squad targets Afghan town
Nine suicide bombers are killed along with four bystanders in an attack in the Afghan city of Zaranj, officials say.

'Truth drug' test banned in India
India's Supreme Court says the use of a "truth drug" to question suspects is illegal and a violation of their fundamental rights.

Sri Lankan emergency laws relaxed
Sri Lanka's government eases tough emergency laws, nearly a year after troops defeated Tamil Tiger rebels.

Indian radioactive scare 'over'
India's energy watchdog says all the radioactive material present in an irradiation machine, sold as scrap by Delhi University, is accounted for.

Arrests made over Pakistan attack
Several arrests are made after an acid attack on three girls in Pakistan's Balochistan province last week, police say.

Mumbai gunman 'should be hanged'
The sole surviving gunman who attacked the Indian city of Mumbai (Bombay) in 2008 should be executed, prosecutors say.

Probe into India reporter death
Police in India question the father and brother of journalist Nirupama Pathak over her death, in a suspected "honour killing" case.

Maoists' blockade bites in Nepal
An anti-government strike called by Maoists in Nepal enters its third day, with many businesses shut and roads empty.

FROM BBC SPORT >>
ICC World Twenty20 day six as it happened
South Africa cruise past Afghanistan in Barbados to reach the World Twenty20 Super Eights after Australia beat Bangladesh to qualify for the next stage.

Community shock
Pakistani villagers noticed change in US terror suspect

Testing times
Maoist strike brings Nepal to standstill, with no end in sight

Poor appeal
Why do new recruits join India's Maoist rebels?

Changing threat
Tracing NY bomb plot to Pakistan roots

Power struggle
Cynicism over Pakistani efforts to save energy

Struggling on
Displaced Tamils try to rebuild lives in northern Sri Lanka

Fonseka court martial suspended
A Sri Lankan court of appeal suspends a court martial against former Gen Sarath Fonseka until later in the month.

Sri Lanka pardons jailed editor
A Tamil editor accused of seeking to incite ethnic violence is pardoned by Sri Lanka's president on World Press Freedom Day.

Video shows Taliban chief 'alive'
Videos emerge which appear to show a top Pakistani Taliban, Hakimullah Mehsud, reportedly killed in January, alive.

India 'sex claim' minister quits
A minister in the government of India's southern Karnataka state resigns after a woman accuses him of sexual assault.

Maoists' strike shuts down Nepal
The Maoists shut down Nepal for what they describe as an indefinite strike, in a bid to force the government to resign.

US warns of Delhi attack threat
The US embassy in India warns of "imminent attacks" by militants in the capital Delhi, stepping up an earlier warning.

Pakistan campaigner killed
A Pakistani campaigner reportedly captured by the Taliban is found dead in the North Waziristan region, officials say.

India steps up radiation probe
India's energy watchdog gives a university two weeks to explain how it sold as scrap radioactive waste, which has killed a man.

IPL chief faces corruption probe
Indian cricket officials demand suspended IPL chairman Lalit Modi answer corruption accusations, as an interim head is appointed.

UK firm's Bangladesh ship deal
A Tyneside shipyard lands a contract with the Bangladeshi Navy to refit two ships, safeguarding 100 jobs.

Chasing proxy votes in Pakistan
Chasing proxy votes from Britons living in Pakistan

Elusive peace in Swat Valley
Fearful times as militants regroup in Swat Valley

High alert on India's waters
India's commandos patrol water border with Pakistan

Pakistan's year of offensives?
Have anti-Taliban assaults in Pakistan been a success?

Lalit Modi: India's impresario
Indian sporting impresario Lalit Modi is a showman who blended cricket glamour with big business, writes Tehelka magazine's Shantanu Guha Ray.