Afghanistan holds first presidential election

Hamid Karzai, the current interim president of Afghanistan, appears to have won in the country's first-ever presidential election. Despite flaws and obvious fraud in the election, Karzai appears to have captured over 55% of the vote. A final announcement of the winner will be made after investigations into several instances of fraud are concluded.

Arafat to receive medical treatment in France

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, suffering from a low blood platelet count, will receive medical treatment at a hospital in France. In his absence, the Palestinian Authority, the prime minister, and legislative council will assume leadership. Members of the Palestinian leadership have said they are satisfied that Israel will allow Arafat to return once his medical condition improved. Arafat's doctor says that there is no evidence of leukemia or poisoning, as some believe.

Hotel explosion injures five

An explosion at a hotel in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad injured five people on Thursday, October 28. The cause of the explosion is believed to have been an electrical short-circuit and not a bomb. Of the five injured, one was an employee at the American embassy in Islamabad and three were Pakistani.

Bomb in Taiwan kills one, injures 20

One person was killed and at least 20 injured when a bomb exploded in the Narathiwat region of Taiwan on Thursday, October 28. The region has been tense in recent weeks, with the deaths of 78 residents in military custody. Earlier in the day, police in the area defused another bomb found in a town in Narathiwat.

Election workers kidnapped in Kabul

Armed men kidnapped three U.N. election workers in Kabul, Afghanistan's capital. The election workers, all of whom were women, had been working to oversee the recent presidential election in the nation. The workers were allegedly abducted from their car at gunpoint. The driver of the car was also reported to be missing.