BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) — The appointment of a new United Nations envoy for Afghanistan is the latest effort of the world body to speed up reconstruction in the war-torn country and it is expected to reinforce the international presence in face of a growing Taliban insurgency.

Farzana Wahidy flips through the photographs she took of women in Afghanistan, shopping in the market, carrying babies on their shoulder, all while cloaked under a burqa. But few of her photos depict the violence and carnage of suicide bombers that the Western world associates with the war-torn nation. The …

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain warned Israel on Friday over the expansion of Jewish settlements, saying any building on occupied Palestinian lands, including in East Jerusalem, was illegal under international law.