Officials: Afghan avalanches kill 166 people KABUL (AP) -- The death toll from massive avalanches that blocked a mountain pass north of Kabul soared to 166, as hundreds more remained trapped in their snowbound vehicles, Afghan officials said Wednesday....Pakistani officials confirm Taliban chief is dead PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) -- Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud has died, the country's top civilian security official told The Associated Press on Wednesday. It was the government's first categorical confirmation of the death of the feared militant, whose passing is likely to weaken, but not vanquish, the al-Qaida-linked insurgent network he led....Political supporters clash in streets of Sri Lanka COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) -- Sri Lankan government supporters hurled stones at thousands of opposition activists and police fired tear gas and water cannon as a mass protest over the arrest of defeated presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka sparked unrest....Myanmar's Suu Kyi undecided on junta's elections YANGON, Myanmar (AP) -- Myanmar's detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi says that the military-run country's upcoming elections cannot be credible unless the government allows freedom of information, her party said Wednesday....300 families flee Afghan town ahead of offensive KABUL (AP) -- About 300 families have already fled a southern Afghan town ahead of a major U.S.-Afghan offensive planned on a key Taliban stronghold, provincial officials said Wednesday....UN envoy in North Korea to spur nuke talks SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- A senior U.N. envoy held talks with North Korean officials Wednesday and the North's top nuclear negotiator met his Chinese counterpart amid an international push for the regime to rejoin disarmament negotiations....Soldier detained over teen's death in Kashmir SRINAGAR, India (AP) -- A soldier suspected of involvement in the shooting death of a teenager in Indian-controlled Kashmir was detained after the killing triggered massive anti-India protests across the region....NZ teen kidnaps puppy to save it from euthanasia WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- A New Zealand teenager faced legal action after he stole his own injured puppy from a clinic to save it from euthanasia when the family couldn't afford expensive surgery after it was hit by a car....Vietnam War-era shell explodes, injuring 4 HANOI, Vietnam (AP) -- Officials say a Vietnam War-era artillery shell has exploded at a coffee plantation. Four men were injured, three seriously....China declares new national food-safety campaign BEIJING (AP) -- China declared a new food-safety campaign Wednesday after contaminated milk products from an earlier scandal showed up repackaged in several places around the country, exposing weaknesses in the country's promise to stop such problems from happening again....
