International News

Karzai Declared Afghan President

Afghanistan’s election commission today canceled a runoff presidential election scheduled for Saturday and declared President Hamid Karzai the re-elected leader of the country. The move came after his main challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, withdrew from the second-round elections on Sunday, saying he did not think they would be fair. It was unclear whether the new moves would bring calm or further chaos to Afghanistan's jumbled election picture. Although President Karzai was initially declared the winner of the first round of elections in August, those results were canceled because of allegations of widespread fraud, casting doubt about the legitimacy of President Karzai’s government as the Obama administration considers sending as many as 40,000 additional troops to the country.

New Haitian Prime Minister Designated

A new prime minister has already been designated in Haiti just hours after the sacking of Prime Minister Michele Pierre-Louis. President Rene Preval has designated Haiti`s planning minister, Max Bellerive, as the next prime minister. The Haitian Senate must now convene this week to ratify the process and decide if they will give Mr. Bellerive the nod. Early Friday, 18 members in the 29-seat Senate voted to dismiss Michele Pierre-Louis, citing her poor performance in shepherding economic recovery in Haiti. The dismissal came hours after she declined to appear before the senate, which had summoned her to answer questions over the handling of government finances.

Ethiopia To Develop Biofuels To Cut Oil Imports

Ethiopia wants to emulate Brazil by developing biofuels to cut its dependence on oil imports that cost the Horn of Africa nation more than a billion dollars a year. Ephrem Hassen, coordinator of biofuels development in the Ministry of Mines and Energy, told Reuters in an interview that Ethiopia was developing biofuel crops on more than half a million hectares of arid land. The two major biofuels are petroleum substitute ethanol, which is mainly produced from grains and sugar crops, and biodiesel for which the major feedstocks are vegetable oils. Brazil began its sugar cane-based ethanol program 30 years ago after the world oil crisis sent its economy into a nosedive. It now has the world's most advanced biofuels program, with more than 30,000 filling stations that offer pure ethanol fuel and gasoline blended with 20-25 percent ethanol.

Sudan: Kiir Independence Call Stokes Controversy

The leader of the semi-autonomous Southern Sudanese government is coming under criticism after calling for independence over the weekend (hat tip: BlackElectorate.com). Salva Kiir called on Southern Sudanese to vote for independence in the upcoming referendum if they want to be free. He also warned that they would be treated as "second class" citizens if they vote for unity with the north. But President Hassan Al-Bashir's National Congress party said that Mr. Kirr's comments undermine the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which called for unity. The controversy could put pressure on the already rocky relationship between the north and south.

Meanwhile, voter registration began over the weekend in Sudan for the country's first multi-party elections in 24 years. Voters will elect a president, parliament and state governors in the elections scheduled for next April. The planned elections are a key part of the 2005 peace agreement that ended a 21-year civil war between northern and southern Sudan. The now semi-autonomous south is scheduled to hold a separate vote on secession in 2011.