Campaigning officially began Saturday in the runoff election between incumbent President Hamid Karzai and top rival, former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah.

VOA: standard.2009.10.24

Clinton,in a talk with reporters here, said she has been involved in intensive telephone diplomacy with President Karzai and his main election rival, former Afghan foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, and is encouraged by what she has heard from the parties.

VOA: standard.2009.10.19

In fact, his agency developed very clever means to gain access to facilities, especially embassies and foreign offices that would rival anything we have today.

FORBES: A Former KGB Covert Entry Expert Speaks

Mr Fazio rang Mr Fiorani shortly after midnight, one night in July, to tell him he had just signed a document approving BPI's plan to take a majority stake in Antonveneta, thereby (it seemed at the time) scuppering the rival, foreign bid.

ECONOMIST: Exit Siniscalco, scandalised | The

But when, on Tuesday, Mr Sharon publicly re-offered his rival the foreign ministry for the coming three months, Mr Netanyahu surprised him by accepting the job, while insisting that he would not change his plans to fight Mr Sharon for the Likud leadership.

ECONOMIST: No deal, so it’s early elections | The