Afghan upper house backs Karzai election decree

The upper house of Afghanistan's parliament backed a decree by President Hamid Karzai on Saturday that limits foreigners' role in elections, giving him a victory in a dispute that has led to a quarrel with the White House.

A complicated procedural row over how to run a September parliamentary election has emerged as a major bone of contention in the country, prompting an anti-Western tirade by Karzai on Thursday that drew a sharp rebuke from Washington. (Reuters)