Top Story: The Afghan Election Commission canceled a run-off election and declared Hamid Karzai, the presidential incumbent, the winner. The announcement came after his main rival, Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, dropped out on Sunday, saying the election would not be free or fair -- although he and Karzai were in power-sharing talks at the time.
The first presidential election, which occurred in August, was marred by vote-tampering, bribery, and missing ballots; it was widely viewed as illegitimate. Still, Afghan commissioners declared that no candidate won 50 percent of ballots, necessitating a run-off election. The Taliban had threatened to attack anyone participating in the run-off, which administrators feared would come during heavy winter snows. The cancellation will likely come as a relief to organizers, but might further undercut the legitimacy of the Karzai government.
Bad portents?: Investors continue to warn of an impending crash in commercial real-estate.
Americas
- Beleaguered Detroit automaker Ford posted an unexpected profit of nearly $1 billion.
- Mexico extradited its hundredth person to the United States this year, demonstrating improved cross-border relations and continuing heightened drug conflict.
- The New York Yankees are one game away from winning the World Series over the Philadelphia Phillies.
Africa
- Leaders from Swaziland, Mozambique, and Zambia will meet this week to discuss the ongoing crisis in Zimbabwe.
- The U.S. Navy reports an American vessel evaded pirates in East Africa.
- President Laurent Gbagbo of the Ivory Coast delayed again a much-delayed national election.
Asia
- A suicide bomber killed 34 near the headquarters of Pakistan's army, near Islamabad.
- A rescue is ongoing in Australia to save dozens from a sinking ship.
- North Korea again requested biparty talks with the United States on the issue of nuclear disarmament.
Middle East
- Over the weekend, Iran asked the International Atomic Energy Agency to review the UN's plan for sending much of Iran's uranium abroad for enrichment.
- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets with foreign ministers of the Arab League today, who plan to tell her the United States hasn't put enough pressure on Israel over settlement-building.
- Gamal Mubarak, the son of the Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, raised speculation he will take over for his father at a national party conference.
Europe
- As work continues on the Copenhagen climate change agreement draft, the U.N. climate chief said the deal must be legally enforceable.
- British and Russian ministers will meet to mend ties; the countries' relationship has been frosty due to Russian refusal to extradite the man who poisoned Alexander Litvinenko with polonium-210, a rare isotope, in London five years ago.
- Lawyers for Radovan Karadzic, a former leader of Bosnian Serbs currently on trial for war crimes at The Hague, said he would appear in court tomorrow. He has been boycotting his trial.
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