Asia

ALMATY, Kazakhstan (AP) — World powers offered broader concessions than ever to Iran in attempts Wednesday keep alive diplomatic channels that seek to rein in the Islamic Republic's nuclear program and prevent it from building an atomic weapon.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Taliban insurgents poisoned and then shot to death 17 people in an overnight attack on a government-backed militia post in eastern Afghanistan, an official said Wednesday.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan official says Taliban insurgents poisoned and killed 17 people in an overnight attack on a post manned by a government-backed militia in eastern Afghanistan.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A suicide bomber slid under a bus full of Afghan soldiers and blew himself up on Wednesday, wounding 10 in another brazen attack that underscores the Taliban insurgency's ability to hit even highly guarded areas in the capital, Kabul.

ALMATY, Kazakhstan (AP) — Negotiations with world powers over how to curb Iran's nuclear program have reached a "turning point" for the better after nearly breaking down last year, the Islamic republic's top official at diplomatic talks said Wednesday at the close of two days of delicate discussions aimed at preventing Tehran from building an atomic arsenal.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A Taliban suicide bomber in a black overcoat and carrying an umbrella as a shelter against the heavy snow crossed a street in Kabul Wednesday toward a bus filled with Afghan soldiers, where he laid down and slithered underneath.

KOLKATA, India (AP) — A fire broke out at an illegal six-story plastics market in the Indian city of Kolkata early Wednesday morning, killing at least 19 people, police said.