David Cameron has called Nigeria and Afghanistan "possibly the two most corrupt countries in the world".

Afghanistan’s main intelligence agency said that the reclusive Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar has been dead for more than two years.

The Afghan government is examining claims that reclusive Taliban leader Mullah Omar is dead.

At least 35 people were killed when a suicide bomber riding a motorcycle blew himself up at a bank in eastern Afghanistan.

Ghani seeks to improve relations with Obama after Karzai exit

An Afghan woman who was beaten to death by a mob was buried in Kabul yesterday, her coffin carried aloft by women’s rights activists.

A senior Afghan leader has said his country’s government will begin peace talks with the Taliban in the “near future”.

A senior Afghan leader has said that his country’s government will begin peace talks with the Taliban in the “near future”.

The US and its allies are growing increasingly concerned as Afghanistan shows signs of unravelling in its first democratic transfer of power from President Hamid Karzai.

New partial results in Afghanistan’s presidential election released yesterday show candidate Abdullah Abdullah is still the front- runner, though a runoff election looks likely.

Partial results in Afghanistan’s crucial presidential election show a tight race between ex-foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah and former finance minister Ashraf Ghani.

A BOMB exploded near a police station outside a crucial city in Afghanistan’s south yesterday where Afghan forces are readying to assume security responsibility within hours, another worrying sign as insurgents seek to disrupt a gradual transition process.

Israeli commandos shot passengers at the rate of one a minute during the bloody raid on an aid flotilla bound for Gaza, a Briton on board the main vessel said today.

President Hamid Karzai and top challenger Abdullah Abdullah both have roughly 40% of the nationwide vote for president with 10 % of polling stations counted, the Afghan election commission said today as it announced the first official returns.

Six Afghan presidential candidates warned today that fraud allegations threaten to undermine the recent election and could fuel violence.

Afghans turned to the Twitterverse to share news of Taliban intimidation at the polls and voter turnout in the presidential election.

TOP candidates in the Afghan presidential race yesterday addressed rallies attended by thousands of cheering supporters on the last day of campaigning for key elections overshadowed by Taliban threats.

A fire broke out at the Indian army’s largest arms depot in Kashmir today, wounding at least 30 people, officials said, as shells exploded into the air and a massive plume of black smoke blanketed the Himalayan region.

Rescuers in Pakistan searched for survivors today after landslides and lightning killed more than 70 people and destroyed homes in two remote villages, officials said.

Lightning and heavy rain destroyed homes in two remote villages in north-western Pakistan today, killing more than 50 people, officials said.

A roadside bomb blew up a vehicle, killing five people, including a regional government official, in troubled north-western Pakistan today, a security official said.

A ban on kite flying in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province was lifted today after the sport was banned last year following a series of deaths caused by reinforced kite strings.

South Korea’s foreign minister cemented his position as favourite to succeed UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan when he became the only candidate to escape a veto during an informal Security Council ballot.

Donor nations have pledged €6.6bn to help war-ravaged Afghanistan rebuild and confront threats from private militias and widespread drug cultivation over the next three years.