KABUL/WASHINGTON – Afghan President Hamid Karzai won the presidential vote outright in the first round, election officials said yesterday, but the European Union said more than a third of his votes might be suspect because of fraud.

- – - -

TOKYO – New Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama launched an untested government that aims to radically change how the country is run, wean the economy from exports and create more equal ties with close ally Washington.

- – - -

BRUSSELS – The European Union will support maintaining policies that poured trillions of dollars into economies and call on a G20 meeting for progress on trade talks to help boost a recovery, a draft policy document said.

- – - -

WASHINGTON – US Senator Max Baucus unveiled a long-awaited healthcare overhaul that would dramatically revamp insurance rules but does not include a government-run option backed by liberal Democrats.

- – - -

STRASBOURG, France – European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso won a strong mandate to combat Europe’s economic crisis by gaining a clear majority in the European Parliament for a second five-year term.

- – - -

BEIRUT – Lebanon’s president designated Saad al-Hariri prime minister yesterday, asking the Saudi- and US-backed politician to take on the tough job of forming a new government for a second time.

- – - -

JERUSALEM – The United States and Israel ended another round of talks with no sign yet of a deal on a West Bank settlement freeze, but a US envoy planned to meet again with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tomorrow.

- – - -

BRUSSELS – NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen called for an “open-minded and unprecedented dialogue” with Russia to reduce security tensions in Europe and confront common threats.