India welcomes successful Afghan elections

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 4th, 2009 Chavez welcomes US decision to cut aid to HondurasCARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is welcoming the United States' decision to cut millions of dollars in aid to Honduras. Chavez says "it's about time" Washington took action against the government that has been in charge in Honduras since a June 28 coup ousted his ally, President Manuel Zelaya.

August 22nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Welcoming the Afghanistan general elections, India Saturday said that it was "gratifying to see the democratic process taking strong root in Afghanistan". Afghanistan conducted its second presidential elections Aug 20 amidst violence and threats from a resurgent Taliban in various parts of the war-ravaged country.

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 20th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama praised the elections that took place in Afghanistan Thursday as successful despite violence that claimed the lives of 26 people. "We had what appears to be a successful election in Afghanistan, despite the Taliban's efforts to disrupt it," Obama said in a radio interview.

August 15th, 2009 NEW YORK - Recognising India's emergence as a global economic power, the world's largest stock exchange NASDAQ marked the country's 63rd Independence Day with display of the Indian tricolour on an electronic board at the Times Square in mid-town Manhattan. India's Consul General in New York Prabhu Dayal rang the closing bell Friday at the exchange, which lists seven Indian companies with combined market capitalisation of $35 billion, to mark a "very important occasion", as Dayal put it.

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.

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 28th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A top French official has praised India for the successful conduct of the Lok Sabha elections saying it was a "fresh and dazzling demonstration of the vitality of the Indian democracy". President of the Constitutional Council of France Jean-Louis Debr congratulated India's Chief Election Commissioner Navin Chawla for the smooth conduct of the month-long elections that were held in five phases beginning April.

July 27th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Visiting Afghanistan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta Monday rubbished Islamabad's allegation that India was backing the Balochistan insurgency in Pakistan. "This is not a new claim by Pakistan," he said, adding: "But we need to have closer relation against international terrorism in our region." Spanta said this during his talks with Indian External Affairs Minister S.M.

July 17th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The US has cautiously welcomed the reported agreement between Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and Yusuf Raza Gilani to resume the India-Pakistan dialogue halted by the November Mumbai terror attack. "I've just seen reports and, of course, we're very encouraged by these positive signals coming out of the talks," State Department Spokesman Ian Kelly said Thursday when asked to comment on the outcome of the two premiers' meeting on the sidelights of the Non-Aligned Movement(NAM) summit in Sharm-el-Sheikh (Egypt).

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.

April 12th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - The Congress Sunday welcomed as a positive step the decision of Kashmiri separatist leader Sajad Lone to fight elections. 'The Congress welcomes this development.

January 19th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Former Indian captain Mohammed Azharuddin may be the latest from the world of cricket to join politics, sources close to the player suggested Tuesday. Speculation is rife that the former stylish batsman might contest elections on Congress ticket from his hometown Hyderabad.