Voting begins in historic Afghan presidential election April 5, 2014 - 11:58 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Voting began on Saturday, April 5 in Afghanistan's presidential election, which will mark the first democratic transfer of power since the country was tipped into chaos by the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001, according to Reuters. Taliban insurgents launched a spate of attacks in the run-up to the vote, which they brand as a U.S.-backed sham, but there was no word of violence as voting got under way at 7 am (0230 GMT) local time. After 12 years in power, the incumbent Hamid Karzai is ineligible to run again due to the constitution, and there are eight candidates contesting the election. The favorites are former foreign ministers Abdullah Abdullah and Zalmay Rassoul, and former finance minister Ashraf Ghani. Related links:   Top stories Across a swathe of southern Turkey, people sought temporary shelter and food in freezing winter weather. The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. The Prosecutor’s Office has released surveillance footage and said that one of the detainees in the case, Iveri Melashvili. Destinations welcomed 900m fewer international tourists in January–October when compared with the same period of 2019.   Partner news |  Latest news Viva-MTS’ digital B2B services show steady growth  Viva-MTS’ strategy of business differentiation has proven its vitality as it helped sustain the Company’s stable growth.Young Armenian chess players win Youth Championship medals Young Armenian chess players have won medals, including one gold, at the World Youth Chess Championship.Armenia ex-PM: Fantastic opportunities amid Russian sanctions Tigran Sargsyan believes that the risk of pressure on Armenia amid anti-Russian sanctions continues to exist.Departure of Russians may cause 5-10% drop in Armenia’s GDP – analyst The departure of Russian nationals may result in 5-10% decline in Armenia’s GDP, according to Alexei Kuznetsov. |
