18 August 2009 - The candidate, clad in a simple salwar kameez, her head mostly hidden under a scarf, except for a tousle of thick black hair that deliberately manages to escape cover, enters a room filled with eager supporters.

17 August 2009 - In a country where regime change has often been violent the appearance of incumbent President Hamid Karzai in a live televised debate must have come as a surprise to many Afghans.

17 August 2009 - One and a half hours north outside Afghanistan’s capital city of Kabul is the peaceful province of Parwan.

There are 324,000 registered voters here for the forthcoming presidential and provincial council elections on 20 August.