A second vote will be conducted in Afghanistan presidential election after an investigation revealed widespread ballot fraud. “The Electoral Complaints Commission invalidated nearly two-thirds of the ballot boxes investigated because of fraud, mostly on behalf of Mr. Karzai, the incumbent, who had polled about 55% in August’s elections before the recount. The Independent Election Commission, [...]
[thestar.com]– The embattled head of the United Nations mission in Afghanistan on Sunday denied allegations by his former American deputy that he chose to ignore evidence of fraud in August’s disputed elections and acted in a biased manner that favoured President Hamid Karzai. UN special envoy Kai Eide described the Aug. 20 election in Afghanistan [...]
German authorities have banned air traffic in the skies above Munich’s Oktoberfest in response to the spate of terror threats in recent days. Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann announced a no-fly zone over the Oktoberfest festival area on Saturday, Sept. 26. The airspace restriction came at the request of the federal Interior Ministry. Munich’s Theresienwiese [...]
[Kyodo News]– Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said Friday he has no intention of simply extending the refueling mission in the Indian Ocean in support of U.S.-led antiterrorism operations after the law authorizing it expires in January and that his government is looking to help the Afghan people in a way that can satisfy both [...]
The coppery taste of blood leaking from a cheek that has just been slammed into the lower shelf of teeth. The sensation of scalp suctioning to your skull as you are dragged through the house by a fistful of dark hair. The suffocating seconds the lungs spend stunned after a deft punch in the stomach. [...]
French riot police raze a camp housing mainly Afghan immigrants as part of an agreement with Britain to step up efforts against illegal migrants. The camp was used as a base for risky attempts to reach Britain. Britain’s Home Secretary Alan Johnson said the action taken in Calais would “disrupt illegal immigration and people-trafficking routes.” [...]
Germany was on edge yesterday after a fourth consecutive al-Qaeda video warned of an imminent bomb attack in Germany unless the Government withdrew its troops from Afghanistan. The threats were aimed at German voters ahead of next Sunday’s general election and were being taken seriously by the security authorities. Armed police are being deployed around [...]
Concerns about the legitimacy of Afghanistan’s August 20 presidential elections have heightened following repeated allegations of ballot fraud. The latest results remain unofficial pending further investigation. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has won 54.6 percent of the vote in August 20th’s elections, according to preliminary results released on Wednesday. But about one fourth of the total ballots cast could eventually [...]
Between 56,000 and 100,000 people have fled their homes since Pakistani troops launched a new anti-Taliban offensive in the tribal Khyber district, UN and Pakistani officials estimated on Monday. The military, backed by artillery and helicopter gunships, launched the offensive on Sept. 1 after a suicide bomber killed 22 policemen in Khyber, which lies on [...]
Taliban ambushes, rocket attacks and blasts killed 26 civilians and security forces as Afghan voted on Thursday in elections that were declared a security success with less violence than expected. A series of insurgent attacks killed nine civilians, nine policemen and eight soldiers, government ministers told a news conference in what Defence Minister Abdul Rahim [...]
