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Desperation drives Afghan women to suicide by fire
In the refined and historic Afghan city of Herat, 67 young women have been admitted to the main hospital this year after setting themselves on fire.
Afghanistan to vote in shadow of rising Taliban insurgency
Millions of Afghans are expected to defy Taliban threats and vote in a poll on Saturday seen as a crucial step towards building democracy.
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Afghan drug cartels, officials squeeze poppy farmers
Like farmers the world over Haji Afzal has locked in the price for his crop. Afzal was paid $5 000 by a middleman for a drugs cartel.
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Suicide attack near Kabul hotel kills eight
A suicide bomber struck an upmarket district of Kabul on Tuesday near a hotel and guest house frequented by foreigners, killing eight people
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Karzai ‘to accept vote ruling’ to avert chaos
Hamid Karzai will accept final results due later on Tuesday from Afghanistan’s chaotic election, officials said after frantic Western lobbying.
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Commandos free kidnapped journalist in Afghanistan
Nato commandos on Wednesday rescued a New York Times reporter held by the Taliban in Afghanistan during a dramatic airborne swoop.
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Troops scramble to drain swelling China quake lake
Troops armed with dynamite scrambled on Tuesday to blast through a huge wall of debris that is damming a rising quake lake in south-west China and putting more than a million people at risk. With the May 12 earthquake death toll already standing at more than 65 000, officials are desperate to avoid another disaster.
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Musharraf pulls out of anti-terror meet
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Wednesday cancelled a trip to Afghanistan to attend a key anti-terrorism meeting, citing a previous engagement amid heightened security concerns. On the eve of a high-profile meeting of leaders from volatile regions bordering the two countries, Musharraf telephoned Afghan President Hamid Karzai to tell him that he would not attend.
