Afghanistan’s next presidential election will be held on April 5, 2014, the election commission said, in a vote seen as crucial for the future of the war-ravaged country.

Taliban militants determined to scuttle Afghanistan’s parliamentary elections showered rockets on cities today as men and women voted in a key test of the government’s ability to fight insurgents and entrenched corruption.

A 23-YEAR-OLD woman, who is the first Afghan in three decades to take part in a beauty pageant, could face prosecution if she returns to her native country, a senior justice official said.