News brief: Big stories of the day

Twitter war of words erupts between Sushma Swaraj, Pakistan minister over abduction of Hindu girls in Sindh

A war of words erupted on Sunday between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Pakistan's Information Minister Fawad Chaudhary over reports of abduction of two Hindu teenaged girls and their forcible conversion to Islam on the eve of Holi in the Sindh province.

UK finance minister Hammond denies plot to oust PM May but admits deal may not pass  

Britain must find a way to leave the European Union in an ''orderly'' fashion rather than trying to oust Prime Minister Theresa May, finance minister Philip Hammond was quoted as saying on Sunday. 

Exit poll has Thai opposition winning most seats but not enough for government

Thai voters flocked to the polls on Sunday for the first election since a 2014 coup, and an exit poll indicated the populist party linked to exiled former leader Thaksin Shinawatra would win the most seats, but not enough to form a government.

Air strikes kill dozen Afghans, battle intensifies in Taliban strongholds

Air strikes in the northern Afghan province of Kunduz killed about a dozen civilians on Saturday, local officials said, as battle intensified there and in southern Helmand province.

Royal adviser fired over Khashoggi murder absent from Saudi trial: Report

A Saudi royal adviser fired over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi is not among the 11 suspects on trial at secretive hearings in Riyadh despite Saudi pledges to bring those responsible to justice, sources familiar with the matter said.