Afghanistan presidential election: All the latest updates - Aljazeera.com

Voting is under way in Afghanistan's presidential election, the fourth since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.

Incumbent President Ashraf Ghani is seen as the frontrunner in the 14-man race, with Abdullah Abdullah, the country's chief executive, considered his main rival.

Security forces are on high alert due to threats from the Taliban to attack polling stations.

Here are all the latest updates:

No contact with hundreds of polling centres

Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission (IEC) said it had lost contact with 901 of the country’s 5,373 polling centres.

Habib-Ur-Rahman Nang, head of the IEC secretariat, said the commission was not able to communicate with polling centers in the provinces of Badakhshan, Takhar, Kunduz and Baghlan, where telecom services were not active, local media TOLO News reported.

In addition, 464 polling centers in 17 provinces were closed, including 33 centres which lacked election materials, election commissioner Mawlana Mohammad Abdullah said.

'Trying to take my vote'

Shahla was not able to cast her ballot as IEC workers refused to help her cast a vote [Ali M Latifi/Al Jazeera]

A voter named Shahla said electoral workers at Naderia High School in Kabul's Kartei Parwan neighborhood refused her permission to cast her ballot because the system showed she had already voted.

"I've voted here before with the same ID. If I had already voted once today, why isn't my finger marked with ink?"

"I'm not illiterate, why would I do such a thing? They are trying to take my vote with a ridiculous, baseless claim," Shahla told Al Jazeera, expressing her anger and disappointment.

'In and out very quickly'

Mustafa Azizi said he did not face any problems voting at a school Chelsetoon, in west Kabul.

Mustafa Azizi, 27, voted at a school in Kabul's Chelsetoon area [Ali M Latifi/Al Jazeera]

"Everything was orderly, I was in and out very quickly," he said.

"I didn’t see anyone complaining but I've heard reports of issues at [Kabul's] Habibia [area]."

Problems reported with biometric devices

Dozens of people were turned away or had to wait for hours to vote at Kandahar’s Sayeed Jamaluddin High School due to problems with two biometric devices, according to reports.

Some 600 people were registered at this centre.

Similar issues were reported in Kunar province.

Afghan president hails landmark polls 

Ghani cast his ballot in Kabul, hailing the election as a sign of strengthening democracy in Afghanistan.

"It is a moment of pride for me that a major part of the election expenses have been paid by the Afghan government," he said.

Ghani also stressed the need for fairness and urged election observers to monitor the process.

Ghani, right, casts his vote at Amani high school, near the presidential palace in Kabul [AP/Rahmat Gul]

Voting delays, heavy security

Independent Election Commission staff showed up late at a polling station in Kabul's Herati Masjed, delaying the voting process by almost an hour.

Shah Bolbol's name did not appear in the electoral roll and was turned back [Ali M Latifi/Al Jazeera]

At least four people were turned away after voting started amid problems with voters' names appearing in the electoral roll.

"The IEC is hiring incapable, illiterate people, this is why it's happening," Shah Bolbol, who waited for three hours to vote, told Al Jazeera.

He was asked to go to the IEC offices as his name did not appear on the voter list.

However, others were able to vote without any problems.

"The services were good, the security was good. I was very happy to go and vote. No one was afraid," Mohammd Wahid, a Kabul resident, told Al Jazeera.

Low turnout reported in Kabul

Reporting from a polling station in Kabul at 10am local time, Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley said the turnout appeared to be low compared with the 2014 presidential polls.

"Five years ago, when presidential elections were held there were lines of people here and now I have barely seen 200 people who have been voted here in the last two hour," he said.

"It's either because of the security situation or because people here become very disillusioned with the political situation. Five years ago, they were promised big changes, such as the economy and security will be improved, but none of that happened. So people here think if they vote it's going to be more of the same."

Birtley said there were reports of explosions in Kandahar and in the north of Kabul, while a mortar was reportedly fired in Helmand province.

Blast at Kandahar polling station wounds 15

At least 17 people were wounded when a bomb exploded outside a polling station in the southern city of Kandahar, a hospital official said, hours after the polls opened.

Naimatullah, the head of a regional hospital who only has one name, told AFP news agency that "15 people - all men - were injured and were brought to the hospital".

Voting under way across Afghanistan

Polls opened across Afghanistan in the country's fourth presidential election since the Taliban was removed from power in 2001 in a US-led invasion.

Voting stations are scheduled to close at 5pm (12:30 GMT). 

Read more here.

Security tops voters' concerns

In the lead-up to the vote, the precarious security situation and the struggling economy seemed to be dominating voters' concerns.

"In Afghanistan, from the moment you wake up to when you put your head down to sleep, you are in danger," Kabul resident Farooq Saidzada said.

Read more here.

All you need to know about the polls

Who are the candidates? What are the main issues? What is being done to ensure security?

Go here to find out the answers to these questions - and much more.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/09/afghanistan-presidential-election-latest-updates-190928051301257.html

2019-09-28 10:26:00Z
52780394648753

Afghanistan presidential election: All the latest updates - Aljazeera.com

Voting is under way in Afghanistan's presidential election, the fourth since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.

Incumbent President Ashraf Ghani is seen as the frontrunner in the 14-man race, with Abdullah Abdullah, the country's chief executive, considered his main rival.

Security forces are on high alert due to threats from the Taliban to attack polling stations.

Here are all the latest updates:

No contact with hundreds of polling centres

Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission (IEC) said it had lost contact with 901 of the country’s 5,373 polling centres.

Habib-Ur-Rahman Nang, head of the IEC secretariat, said the commission was not able to communicate with polling centers in the provinces of Badakhshan, Takhar, Kunduz and Baghlan, where telecom services were not active, local media TOLO News reported.

In addition, 464 polling centers in 17 provinces were closed, including 33 centres which lacked election materials, election commissioner Mawlana Mohammad Abdullah said.

'Trying to take my vote'

Shahla was not able to cast her ballot as IEC workers refused to help her cast a vote [Ali M Latifi/Al Jazeera]

A voter named Shahla said electoral workers at Naderia High School in Kabul's Kartei Parwan neighborhood refused her permission to cast her ballot because the system showed she had already voted.

"I've voted here before with the same ID. If I had already voted once today, why isn't my finger marked with ink?"

"I'm not illiterate, why would I do such a thing? They are trying to take my vote with a ridiculous, baseless claim," Shahla told Al Jazeera, expressing her anger and disappointment.

'In and out very quickly'

Mustafa Azizi said he did not face any problems voting at a school Chelsetoon, in west Kabul.

Mustafa Azizi, 27, voted at a school in Kabul's Chelsetoon area [Ali M Latifi/Al Jazeera]

"Everything was orderly, I was in and out very quickly," he said.

"I didn’t see anyone complaining but I've heard reports of issues at [Kabul's] Habibia [area]."

Problems reported with biometric devices

Dozens of people were turned away or had to wait for hours to vote at Kandahar’s Sayeed Jamaluddin High School due to problems with two biometric devices, according to reports.

Some 600 people were registered at this centre.

Similar issues were reported in Kunar province.

Afghan president hails landmark polls 

Ghani cast his ballot in Kabul, hailing the election as a sign of strengthening democracy in Afghanistan.

"It is a moment of pride for me that a major part of the election expenses have been paid by the Afghan government," he said.

Ghani also stressed the need for fairness and urged election observers to monitor the process.

Ghani, right, casts his vote at Amani high school, near the presidential palace in Kabul [AP/Rahmat Gul]

Voting delays, heavy security

Independent Election Commission staff showed up late at a polling station in Kabul's Herati Masjed, delaying the voting process by almost an hour.

Shah Bolbol's name did not appear in the electoral roll and was turned back [Ali M Latifi/Al Jazeera]

At least four people were turned away after voting started amid problems with voters' names appearing in the electoral roll.

"The IEC is hiring incapable, illiterate people, this is why it's happening," Shah Bolbol, who waited for three hours to vote, told Al Jazeera.

He was asked to go to the IEC offices as his name did not appear on the voter list.

However, others were able to vote without any problems.

"The services were good, the security was good. I was very happy to go and vote. No one was afraid," Mohammd Wahid, a Kabul resident, told Al Jazeera.

Low turnout reported in Kabul

Reporting from a polling station in Kabul at 10am local time, Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley said the turnout appeared to be low compared with the 2014 presidential polls.

"Five years ago, when presidential elections were held there were lines of people here and now I have barely seen 200 people who have been voted here in the last two hour," he said.

"It's either because of the security situation or because people here become very disillusioned with the political situation. Five years ago, they were promised big changes, such as the economy and security will be improved, but none of that happened. So people here think if they vote it's going to be more of the same."

Birtley said there were reports of explosions in Kandahar and in the north of Kabul, while a mortar was reportedly fired in Helmand province.

Blast at Kandahar polling station wounds 15

At least 17 people were wounded when a bomb exploded outside a polling station in the southern city of Kandahar, a hospital official said, hours after the polls opened.

Naimatullah, the head of a regional hospital who only has one name, told AFP news agency that "15 people - all men - were injured and were brought to the hospital".

Voting under way across Afghanistan

Polls opened across Afghanistan in the country's fourth presidential election since the Taliban was removed from power in 2001 in a US-led invasion.

Voting stations are scheduled to close at 3pm (11:00 GMT). 

Read more here.

Security tops voters' concerns

In the lead-up to the vote, the precarious security situation and the struggling economy seemed to be dominating voters' concerns.

"In Afghanistan, from the moment you wake up to when you put your head down to sleep, you are in danger," Kabul resident Farooq Saidzada said.

Read more here.

All you need to know about the polls

Who are the candidates? What are the main issues? What is being done to ensure security?

Go here to find out the answers to these questions - and much more.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/09/afghanistan-presidential-election-latest-updates-190928051301257.html

2019-09-28 09:55:00Z
52780394648753

Hundreds of boys, men freed from torture building in Nigeria - NBCNews.com

LAGOS, Nigeria — Hundreds of boys and men have been rescued from a building in northern Nigeria where they had been beaten, starved, sexually assaulted and chained, police said Friday.

Visible marks on their bodies showed that some had been tortured, police spokesman Yakubu Sabo in Kaduna State told The Associated Press, as shocked authorities tried to track down the families of what appeared to be some 400 victims.

"The condition under which we found the victims was so dehumanizing, many of them were chained," Sabo said.

Police carried out the rescue on Thursday following a tip. It was not immediately clear what led to police being contacted, or how such a vast scope of alleged abuses managed to go unnoticed.

Local television footage showed most of the victims in very bad condition, with some walking with difficulty.

The building's owner told police the children had been brought by their families to learn the Quran or because they had problems such as drug addiction. But police said the place was not licensed to run any reformatory or educational program.

Some of the male students of "different nationalities" sit on the floor in chains outside a torture chamber on Sept. 26, 2019 in the Rigasa area of Kaduna in northern Nigeria after being rescued by police.AFP - Getty Images

The owner and six others who were said to be teachers have been arrested, the police spokesman said.

Boys can be seen begging on the streets in cities across largely Muslim northern Nigeria. They often are sent away by their families for Quranic training but then can be turned out into the streets by their new guardians to beg to earn their keep.

The newly discovered abuses, authorities said Friday, were another level entirely.

An aide to President Muhammadu Buhari, who comes from the north, earlier this year noted the widespread view that the "almajiri" learning system associated with begging was a "security challenge and a scar on the face of Northern Nigeria."

But the aide, Garba Shehu, rejected reports that the president had banned the system, saying a ban would need to follow due process and consultation with relevant authorities.

"Indeed, the federal government wants a situation where every child of primary school age is in school rather than begging on the streets during school hours," he said. "At the same time, we don't want to create panic or a backlash."

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/hundreds-boys-men-freed-torture-building-nigeria-n1059716

2019-09-28 09:29:00Z
52780394885131

Afghanistan presidential election: All the latest updates - Aljazeera.com

Voting is under way in Afghanistan's presidential election, the fourth since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.

Incumbent President Ashraf Ghani is seen as the frontrunner in the 14-man race, with Abdullah Abdullah, the country's chief executive, considered his main rival.

Security forces are on high alert due to threats from the Taliban to attack polling stations.

Here are all the latest updates:

No contact with hundreds of polling centres

Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission (IEC) said it had lost contact with 901 of the country’s 5,373 polling centres.

Habib-Ur-Rahman Nang, head of the IEC secretariat, said the commission was not able to communicate with polling centers in the provinces of Badakhshan, Takhar, Kunduz and Baghlan, where telecom services were not active, local media TOLO News reported.

In addition, 464 polling centers in 17 provinces were closed, including 33 centres which lacked election materials, election commissioner Mawlana Mohammad Abdullah said.

'Trying to take my vote'

Shahla was not able to cast her ballot as IEC workers refused to help her cast a vote [Ali M Latifi/Al Jazeera]

A voter named Shahla said electoral workers at Naderia High School in Kabul's Kartei Parwan neighborhood refused her permission to cast her ballot because the system showed she had already voted.

"I've voted here before with the same ID. If I had already voted once today, why isn't my finger marked with ink?"

"I'm not illiterate, why would I do such a thing? They are trying to take my vote with a ridiculous, baseless claim," Shahla told Al Jazeera, expressing her anger and disappointment.

'In and out very quickly'

Mustafa Azizi said he did not face any problems voting at a school Chelsetoon, in west Kabul.

Mustafa Azizi, 27, voted at a school in Kabul's Chelsetoon area [Ali M Latifi/Al Jazeera]

"Everything was orderly, I was in and out very quickly," he said.

"I didn’t see anyone complaining but I've heard reports of issues at [Kabul's] Habibia [area]."

Problems reported with biometric devices

Dozens of people were turned away or had to wait for hours to vote at Kandahar’s Sayeed Jamaluddin High School due to problems with two biometric devices, according to reports.

Some 600 people were registered at this centre.

Similar issues were reported in Kunar province.

Afghan president hails landmark polls 

Ghani cast his ballot in Kabul, hailing the election as a sign of strengthening democracy in Afghanistan.

"It is a moment of pride for me that a major part of the election expenses have been paid by the Afghan government," he said.

Ghani also stressed the need for fairness and urged election observers to monitor the process.

Ghani, right, casts his vote at Amani high school, near the presidential palace in Kabul [AP/Rahmat Gul]

Voting delays, heavy security

Independent Election Commission staff showed up late at a polling station in Kabul's Herati Masjed, delaying the voting process by almost an hour.

Shah Bolbol's name did not appear in the electoral roll and was turned back [Ali M Latifi/Al Jazeera]

At least four people were turned away after voting started amid problems with voters' names appearing in the electoral roll.

"The IEC is hiring incapable, illiterate people, this is why it's happening," Shah Bolbol, who waited for three hours to vote, told Al Jazeera.

He was asked to go to the IEC offices as his name did not appear on the voter list.

However, others were able to vote without any problems.

"The services were good, the security was good. I was very happy to go and vote. No one was afraid," Mohammd Wahid, a Kabul resident, told Al Jazeera.

Low turnout reported in Kabul

Reporting from a polling station in Kabul at 10am local time, Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley said the turnout appeared to be low compared with the 2014 presidential polls.

"Five years ago, when presidential elections were held there were lines of people here and now I have barely seen 200 people who have been voted here in the last two hour," he said.

"It's either because of the security situation or because people here become very disillusioned with the political situation. Five years ago, they were promised big changes, such as the economy and security will be improved, but none of that happened. So people here think if they vote it's going to be more of the same."

Birtley said there were reports of explosions in Kandahar and in the north of Kabul, while a mortar was reportedly fired in Helmand province.

Blast at Kandahar polling station wounds 15

At least 17 people were wounded when a bomb exploded outside a polling station in the southern city of Kandahar, a hospital official said, hours after the polls opened.

Naimatullah, the head of a regional hospital who only has one name, told AFP news agency that "15 people - all men - were injured and were brought to the hospital".

Voting under way across Afghanistan

Polls opened across Afghanistan in the country's fourth presidential election since the Taliban was removed from power in 2001 in a US-led invasion.

Voting stations are scheduled to close at 5pm (12:30 GMT). 

Read more here.

Security tops voters' concerns

In the lead-up to the vote, the precarious security situation and the struggling economy seemed to be dominating voters' concerns.

"In Afghanistan, from the moment you wake up to when you put your head down to sleep, you are in danger," Kabul resident Farooq Saidzada said.

Read more here.

All you need to know about the polls

Who are the candidates? What are the main issues? What is being done to ensure security?

Go here to find out the answers to these questions - and much more.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/09/afghanistan-presidential-election-latest-updates-190928051301257.html

2019-09-28 08:55:00Z
52780394648753

Whistleblower alleges White House coverup: Live updates - CNN

SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

More than half the US House of Representatives have now said they support an impeachment investigation into President Trump.

The numbers: There are at least 219 House Democrats — according to a CNN count — who publicly stated support for impeachment proceedings. Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, a former Republican who has since become an independent, has also called for an impeachment investigation, bringing the total number of representatives to 220, or just over half of the 435-member chamber.

Why this matters: Reaching the halfway mark on this issue is a significant development as a majority of the House would be needed to vote to impeach the President in order to send the process to the Senate.

But remember: However, CNN's count includes many Democrats who say they support an impeachment investigation but are still waiting for the results of the probe before deciding whether to finally vote to impeach Trump.

Even if the House could pass the vote, it likely would go nowhere in the Republican-controlled Senate, one of many reasons the issue has been politically divisive among Democrats and a large part of why House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had for months avoided calling Democratic investigations an impeachment inquiry.

See the full list of Democrats supporting the inquiry here.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/whistleblower-impeachment-inquiry-09-27-2019/index.html

2019-09-27 12:49:00Z
52780393661999

Whistleblower alleges White House coverup: Live updates - CNN

SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

More than half the US House of Representatives have now said they support an impeachment investigation into President Trump.

The numbers: There are at least 219 House Democrats — according to a CNN count — who publicly stated support for impeachment proceedings. Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, a former Republican who has since become an independent, has also called for an impeachment investigation, bringing the total number of representatives to 220, or just over half of the 435-member chamber.

Why this matters: Reaching the halfway mark on this issue is a significant development as a majority of the House would be needed to vote to impeach the President in order to send the process to the Senate.

But remember: However, CNN's count includes many Democrats who say they support an impeachment investigation but are still waiting for the results of the probe before deciding whether to finally vote to impeach Trump.

Even if the House could pass the vote, it likely would go nowhere in the Republican-controlled Senate, one of many reasons the issue has been politically divisive among Democrats and a large part of why House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had for months avoided calling Democratic investigations an impeachment inquiry.

See the full list of Democrats supporting the inquiry here.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/whistleblower-impeachment-inquiry-09-27-2019/index.html

2019-09-27 12:42:00Z
52780393661999

Whistleblower alleges White House coverup: Live updates - CNN

SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

More than half the US House of Representatives have now said they support an impeachment investigation into President Trump.

The numbers: There are at least 219 House Democrats — according to a CNN count — who publicly stated support for impeachment proceedings. Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, a former Republican who has since become an independent, has also called for an impeachment investigation, bringing the total number of representatives to 220, or just over half of the 435-member chamber.

Why this matters: Reaching the halfway mark on this issue is a significant development as a majority of the House would be needed to vote to impeach the President in order to send the process to the Senate.

But remember: However, CNN's count includes many Democrats who say they support an impeachment investigation but are still waiting for the results of the probe before deciding whether to finally vote to impeach Trump.

Even if the House could pass the vote, it likely would go nowhere in the Republican-controlled Senate, one of many reasons the issue has been politically divisive among Democrats and a large part of why House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had for months avoided calling Democratic investigations an impeachment inquiry.

See the full list of Democrats supporting the inquiry here.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/whistleblower-impeachment-inquiry-09-27-2019/index.html

2019-09-27 12:04:00Z
52780393661999