PAKISTAN

A British man convicted of smuggling drugs into China was told on Monday he would be executed in the next few hours, as his family made a last-minute plea for clemency, arguing he is mentally ill.

A suicide bomber blew up a Shi'ite Muslim procession in Pakistan's commercial capital Karachi on Monday, killing at least 22 people, the latest in a series of attacks across the country which have killed hundreds.

A suspected suicide bomber blew himself up on Sunday outside a Shi'ite Muslim prayer hall in the main city in the Pakistani part of the disputed Kashmir region, killing at least 2 people, police said.

A bomb in Pakistan's commercial capital Karachi wounded at least 19 people on Saturday, police said, in an apparent attack on Shi'ite Muslims ahead of one of their most important mourning rituals.

The International Monetary Fund has approved a $1.2 billion aid payment to Pakistan after concluding a review of the country's economic performance, the fund said in a statement on Wednesday.

Next year will be crucial for global nuclear non-proliferation efforts and all eyes will be on the United States and Russia to see if the two top atomic powers can reach a deal to reduce their arsenals.

A suicide bomber killed three people outside a popular media club on Tuesday in Peshawar, officials said, a key northwestern Pakistan town that has become the epicentre of Islamabad's battle against militants.

Following is the view from Reuters Asia editors on the news that is likely to matter most this week:

A suicide bomber killed up to 10 people in Pakistan Friday, while a suspected U.S. drone killed six militants, as rising political tension threatened to distract the government from its war against the Taliban.

U.N. peacekeepers' vessels and Lebanese navy boats searched on Friday for more survivors from a cargo ship carrying more than 80 people and livestock that sank in the Mediterranean off Lebanon.

A suicide bomber killed up to 10 people in Pakistan on Friday, while a suspected U.S. drone killed six militants, as rising political tension threatened to distract the government from its war against the Taliban.

The euro stabilized on Friday after this week's steep losses against the dollar and yen and rose off nine-month lows versus the Swiss franc while higher oil prices helped European stocks higher in thin year-end trade.

The euro clawed back some of its recent steep losses against the dollar and yen on Friday and rose off nine-month lows versus the Swiss franc while higher oil prices pushed European stocks higher in thin year-end trade.

The euro recovered from early losses on Friday after Pakistan dismissed rumors of a coup while Asian stocks fell as investors fretted about the outlook for corporate earnings.

Asian stocks dipped on Friday as investors fretted about earnings, while the euro recovered from early losses after Pakistan dismissed rumors of a coup.

Thai investigators said Tuesday they have found mass weapons including rocket-propelled grenades, components for surface-to-air missiles and other armaments seized from a plane setting off via North Korea.

A new vaccine against polio, being used for the first time on children in Afghanistan this week, will be critical in the drive to eradicate the crippling virus, the World Health Organisation said on Tuesday.

A car bomb near the home of a Pakistani provincial government minister killed 20 people on Tuesday, a police official said, in another sign authorities are struggling against Taliban militants bent on grabbing power.

Power company AES Corp on Sunday said it agreed to sell its entire interests in its Oman and Pakistan businesses for about $200 million.

Gurinder Chadha, the director behind the hit Bend it Like Beckham, is one of a trio of Indian-origin women directors wowing the world with their unique style. But unlike Deepa Mehta or Mira Nair, Chadha makes films with a distinctly earthy feel.

Twenty-five NATO allies promised on Friday to send 7,000 more troops to Afghanistan, backing President Barack Obama's new war strategy and stepping up international efforts to defeat the Taliban.