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TOKYO - Asian stocks plunged Wednesday and European shares opened sharply lower after Wall Street chalked its second-biggest point drop in four years and rattled already nervous markets worldwide.
The tumble came just as international markets were recovering in recent days from sharp declines in early March amid concerns about overvalued stock prices and slower U.S. economic growth.
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At least four people have been killed and several wounded in a huge explosion at a shop selling ammunition in the Afghan capital, Kabul, police say.
The blast took place in a bazaar where rifles, gunpowder and bullets are sold.
Many surrounding shops and houses were destroyed by the force of the blast, which also left a 3m (10ft) crater.
Officials gave conflicting initial information about the cause but have since dismissed reports of a bomb, saying it "was not a terrorist act".
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A US soldier has testified that his commander ordered him to kill three Iraqi detainees, then cut him with a knife to make it look as if there had been a struggle.
Specialist William Hunsaker told a court martial for Ray Girouard on Tuesday that the staff sergeant ordered him and another soldier to free the men, then shoot them as they ran.
