The US has a plan for Afghanistan.

With an unexpected boost from a heavyweight Uzbek warlord, Afghan President Hamid Karzai's chances of winning re-election on Thursday have significantly increased. Pakistan and the United States, though, are looking beyond the polls to the creation of a broad-based administration that would include all the major players - and a sprinkling of Taliban. - Syed Saleem Shahzad The US has a plan for Afghanistan

When presidential challenger Mir Hossain Mousavi and his wife, Zahra Rahnavand, mobilized masses of Iranian women in the last election, President Mahmud Ahmadinejad was taking notes. Now, Ahmadinejad has nominated three women for his cabinet, a landmark move that reformist critics claim has "stolen" their agenda and electorate. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi Ahmadinejad unveils some gender savvy