MOSCOW (Reuters) – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a fire-brand Socialist, will sign arms and energy deals during a visit to Moscow which started on Tuesday, moves likely to further strain ties between Russia and the United States.

KABUL (Reuters) – More than 10,000 ethnic Hazaras protested in the Afghan capital on Tuesday, calling for President Hamid Karzai to resign over killings of their kin by rival Kuchi nomads.

KABUL (Reuters) – Two French aid workers kidnapped in central Afghanistan last week are being held by a commander of a former armed faction, a Western radio broadcaster said on Tuesday.