New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said the country will extend its troop commitment to Afghanistan for another year and then begin posting civilian development specialists to the war-torn nation.

A series of deep-blue high-mountain lakes became Afghanistan’s first provisional national park today, as the violence-racked country took a first step toward protecting one of its finest natural treasures.

US FIRST Lady Laura Bush made a surprise visit to Afghanistan to show support for the troubled nation as 16 people, including an Afghan journalist for the BBC, were killed in fresh violence.

Election authorities today said they have dismissed about 50 employees for suspected fraud in last month’s legislative polls, while human rights advocates warned that about half of the winning candidates are suspected to have links to armed groups.

Koguryo – an ancient kingdom that straddled parts of Korea and northeastern China – has been included among nine new sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List of natural and cultural wonders ranging from the Arctic Circle to tropical rainforests.

A UN plane carrying Afghan Vice President Nayiamatullah Shahrani made a belly landing Kabul today after the landing gear failed to open. No injuries were reported.

A BUS carrying people home from a picnic hit a land mine in central Afghanistan, killing 13 passengers and injuring six others, a UN official said yesterday.

A bus has hit a land mine in central Afghanistan, killing 13 passengers and injuring six others.

The United Nations says three mass graves have been found in the central Afghanistan region of Bamiyan.

Hindus will be required to wear an identity label on their clothing in Islamic Afghanistan to distinguish them from Muslims, a Taliban minister said today.

Afghanistan's Taliban rulers have shut down the BBC's office in the capital Kabul and ordered its correspondent to leave.