EU to send 100-member team to observe Afghan elections

September 19th, 2009 NEW DELHI - India has welcomed the successful presidential elections in Afghanistan, with the preliminary results in favour of the incumbent, Hamid Karzai. The elections were held Aug 20 but the counting took nearly a month to complete.

September 15th, 2009 EU pushing for investigation of Afghan electionBRUSSELS — German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier says the EU is pushing for an investigation of "all fraud allegations" during Afghanistan's elections. His call reflects increasing European Union concerns over the August election.

September 9th, 2009 MADRID - Spain will withdraw its troops from Afghanistan within five years, Defence Minister Carme Chacon said. The remarks followed Spain's recent announcement that it would send another 220 soldiers to the Central Asian country to help in the continued battle against the Taliban.

August 22nd, 2009 KABUL - Election monitors from the European Union Saturday described the Afghan presidential elections as "largely positive". Two days after the elections, the European Union Election Observation Mission to Afghanistan, in a statement, welcomed the elections "as a victory against those who wanted to prevent the Afghan people from deciding their own future".

August 21st, 2009 NEW YORK - The UN Security Council has hailed the Afghans for holding elections defying the Taliban violence aimed at deraling the poll process. In a statement Thursday, British UN Ambassador John Sawers, who holds the rotating Security Council presidency for August, congratulated the people of Afghanistan "on their participation in these historic elections".

August 21st, 2009 PARIS - The Muslims in France will observe the holy month of Ramadan from Saturday, WAM news agency reported Friday citing the French Council of the Muslim Faith. Muslims fast from daybreak until sunset during the holy month of Ramadan.

August 21st, 2009 SHIMLA - Afghan students pursuing their post graduation degrees at Himachal Pradesh University are elated about elections back home being held in relative peace. The students expressed their happiness with the elections getting over in peaceful mode by defying Taliban threats.

August 16th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - : Peace during the forthcoming Afghan elections and situations arising after the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Baitullah Mehsud's death would be on top of US Special Envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke's agenda, who arrived here on Saturday. During his visit, Holbrooke would be meeting President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lieutenant General Shuja Pasha and several top officials.

August 15th, 2009 Huge blast rocks Afghan capitalKABUL — A huge blast has echoed through the Afghan capital. A plume of smoke was rising Saturday morning in the direction of the U.S.

August 13th, 2009 Karzai orders Afghan forces election cease-fireKABUL — Afghanistan's president says he's ordering Afghan security forces to observe a cease-fire during the upcoming election day. Hamid Karzai also demanded Taliban fighters not carry out violence during next Thursday's vote.

July 31st, 2009 KABUL - The Taliban has called for a boycott of the Afghan presidential and provincial elections scheduled Aug 20 and warned it would launch fresh attacks if its diktat is not heeded. In a statement to the media Friday, the rebels said people must boycott these elections as the polls are backed by the US.

July 15th, 2009 NEW YORK - The United Nations Security Council Wednesday called for "free, fair, transparent, credible, secure and inclusive" provincial and presidential elections next month in Afghanistan. "The Security Council also calls upon the people of Afghanistan to exercise their vote in this historic opportunity and for all Afghans to make their voices heard," the council said in a statement after a discussion on the situation in that country.

June 27th, 2009 TRIESTE - Foreign ministers of the world's eight leading industrialised nations praised Pakistan's domestic war against Taliban-linked militants at a summit in the Italian city of Trieste Saturday. "The G8 supports Pakistan's decisive action against violent extremism and militancy and acknowledge Pakistan's ongoing counter-terrorism efforts," a joint statement, approved after a meeting with the foreign ministers of Afghanistan and Pakistan, said.

April 29th, 2009 Australia to send 450 more troops to AfghanistanCANBERRA, Australia — Australia announced Wednesday it will increase by almost one half its troops in Afghanistan to about 1,550 as part of the U.S.-led surge of international forces to bolster the faltering fight against Taliban insurgents. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who has mostly played down prospects of increasing Australia's commitment against Afghan insurgents since taking office in 2007, said he had been persuaded to increase the deployment during discussions last week with President Barack Obama.

March 24th, 2009 BRUSSELS - European Union diplomats are deeply concerned about the happenings in Pakistan and consider it more sensitive than Afghanistan. They put Pakistan at the heart of efforts to beat the Taliban, who are backed by al-Qaeda fighters, drug runners and criminal gangs.