Afghan MPs snub Karzai's new cabinet, reject 17 out of 24 of his nominees
Afghanistan's president, Hamid Karzai, was dealt a painful political blow yesterday when the country's parliament rejected 70% of his nominees for a new cabinet, including a regionally powerful warlord and the only female minister. The secret ballot of MPs, which came at a crucial point in Karzai's quest for legitimacy in the eyes of Afghans and the rest of the world, resulted in the rejection of 17 out of 24 of his nominees.