Iraq&#39;s first day of campaign begins; 40 hurt in Karbala
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Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi announces his intention to run, while a car bomb targeting a Shiite cleric explodes at a shrine.
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The day's violence underscored the rise in ethnic and sectarian tensions as the embattled nation heads toward elections in January.
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Prime Minister John Howard launched a media blitz yesterday to persuade undecided voters to give him a fourth term in today&#39;s election, where he will be the first of the three leaders -- US, British and Australian -- who invaded Iraq last year to face a
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Iraqi authorities set January 30 as the date for the nationâs first election since the collapse of Saddam Husseinâs dictatorship and pledged that voting would take place throughout the country, despite rising violence and calls by Sunni clerics for a
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_ Iraq has been rocked by car-bomb attacks in its two holiest Shiite cities. At least 60 people are dead and many dozens injured. In Karbala, police say a suicide bomber blew up a vehicle near the main bus station.
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BAGHDAD - A deadly bomb blast in the holy Shiite city of Karbala and furious criticism of Shiite politicians by Iraq&#39;s defense minister cast a pall over the official launch Wednesday of Iraq&#39;s election campaign, threatening to inflame sectarian tension
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Iraqi officials say Jan. 30 has been set as the new date for the war-torn country&#39;s first national elections since a US-led military coalition toppled Saddam Hussein&#39;s regime.
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BAGHDAD -- Senator John F. Kerry, who made criticism of the Bush administration's Iraq policy a central theme of his presidential campaign, arrived in the war-torn capital yesterday on a solo fact-finding mission to the region.
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IRAQâS national election campaign kicked off yesterday with angry accusations that Iran was masterminding the continuing insurgency in an effort to undermine democracy and bring about clerical rule.
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Insurgents fired mortars and rockets at a venue where Iraq&#39;s interim national assembly held its first session Wednesday, a stark reminder of the country&#39;s risky road to elections in January.
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US and Iraqi forces have launched a major offensive against a town suspected of harboring insurgents in northern Iraq. At least eight people have been killed and dozens injured in the fighting in Tal Afar Saturday.
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Iraq&#39;s interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi joined the race for Iraq&#39;s Jan. 30 elections at a Wednesday news conference meant to highlight his appeal to Iraq&#39;s diverse and sometimes fractious ethnic and religious groups.
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Campaigning in Afghanistan&#39;s presidential election officially began today. Afghan Transitional Administration Chairman Hamid Karzai and his 17 opponents have 30 days to try to win support from more than 10 million registered voters.
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Iraq's most powerful-looking electoral  bloc unveiled a slate of candidates for its election campaign  on Thursday, throwing down a gauntlet to minority Sunni Arabs  who complain next month's vote will be marred by violence.
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Iraq's domestic soccer league kicked  off Wednesday for the first time since American-led forces  invaded the country to oust dictator Saddam Hussein.
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Kicking off his country&#39;s first democratic election campaign Wednesday, Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi declared his own candidacy, saying the country can handle the challenge.
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Candidates in Afghanistan&#39;s first-ever presidential election kicked off the final day of campaigning Wednesday, with interim leader Hamid Karzai and one of his chief