Afghanistan’s parliament dealt a stinging rebuke to President Hamid Karzai today by rejecting 70% of his nominees for a new Cabinet.

A private guard working for the international shipping company DHL opened fire and killed the company’s country director and his deputy today before turning the gun on himself, officials said.

The foreign ministers of Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed today to increase cooperation after meeting with Group of Eight counterparts concerned that acrimony between the two neighbours is helping the Taliban inflict mounting losses on NATO troops and Afghan civilians.