Chinese leaders have yet to announce details of a rural reform policy, contributing to speculation that officials are in disagreement on major aspects of the policy.

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The opposition boycotted the election in protest, saying the government had drawn up rules that made it impossible for it to compete. The catch? Few seemed to care.

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Afghan government troops repulsed a fresh attack by Taliban fighters in southwestern Afghanistan and killed at least 18 of them.

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Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates warned that it “remains to be seen” whether the allies could better coordinate their work in the country.

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Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rocket and rifle fire for about an hour in a confrontation at their border over claims to a 900-year-old mountaintop temple.

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Cotton is at the core of Tajikistan’s economy and farmers are forced to grow cotton through a complex system of debts and obligations.

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Christians in eastern Orissa State in India say they are being forced to leave their faith in exchange for safety.

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An attempt to mate two elderly turtles during this year’s breeding season ended without producing any offspring.

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In the Afghan province of Bamian, women are uprooting traditional gender roles by taking up leadership positions.

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Hong Kong’s financial regulators announced on Tuesday that they would provide government backing for all of the territory’s 3 billion in bank deposits through 2010.

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