Afghanistan

Karzai running mate escapes injury in bombing

President Hamid Karzai’s running mate survived a bomb attack on his convoy Wednesday morning in northeast Afghanistan, on the last day of campaigning before the country’s first presidential election.

Ahmed Zia Massood, the brother of slain resistance leader and Afghan hero Ahmed Shah Massood, was not injured. But the bomb, apparently detonated by remote control, killed two and injured two, including the governor of Badakhshan province, said Hamid Elmi, spokesman for the campaign. The governor is expected to recover.

The attack happened in an area known for its drug trade but not known for insurgent attacks.

“The enemy is everywhere,” Elmi said.

Afghans will vote in presidential elections Saturday.

Jerusalem

Adviser specifies delay on Palestinian state

A top adviser to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said in a published interview Wednesday that Israel’s planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip was meant to delay the establishment of a Palestinian state indefinitely, and claimed the United States supports the policy.

The blunt assessment by Dov Weisglass, Sharon’s point man with the Bush administration, came a week into a broad Israeli incursion in Gaza that has killed 75 people.

Weisglass’ comments, published in the Haaretz daily, contradicted the Israeli government’s assurances that it remains committed to the U.S.-backed “road map,” which calls for an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel, but has been stalled for months amid violations by both sides.

Weisglass’ remarks angered the Israeli left and prompted Sharon’s office to issue a damage-control statement saying Israel remains committed to the road map. However, Sharon last month said Israel was no longer following the plan.

Tokyo

Quake rattles eastern Japan

An earthquake struck eastern Japan late Wednesday, shaking buildings in Tokyo and injuring four people. There were no reports of major damage.

The 5.8-magnitude quake hit at 11:40 p.m. (9:40 a.m. CDT) and was centered some 40 miles beneath the earth’s surface in Ibaraki state, northeast of the capital, the Meteorological Agency said.

A magnitude-5 earthquake can cause damage to homes if it occurs in a residential area. But the depth of the temblor dampened much of its potentially destructive power.