President Obama calls for improved governance in Afghanistan

Cnn.com and CBSnews.com are reporting that President Barack Obama has called for a “new chapter of improved governance” in Afghanistan.  Obama’s statement comes after Afghan electoral officials declared incumbent President Hamid Karzai, the winner of a second term in office, following an election race marked with suspected fraud.

The original vote for President of Afghanistan occurred on Aug. 20, 2009. Karzai was declared the winner, but a U.N.-backed panel cited fraud as a reason to throw out almost a third of Karzai’s votes nearly two months after the election. The loss of these votes left Karzai without a majority of the vote, so he agreed to a runoff, or second round of voting.

The second round of voting was called off when Karzai’s opponent, Abdullah Abdullah, withdrew from the race last Sunday. Karzai has been in office since 2001, following the U.S. ousting of Taliban leaders.

My Take: I think this is an important story because ever since the war in Afghanistan, whatever happens in Afghanistan also affects the U.S. The CNN article also stated that attacks against U.S. and NATO forces have recently spiked so it is interesting to see what Karzai will try to do differently this time around.

Watch CBS News Videos Online

Onondaga Legislator's son killed in Route 690 shooting

Wsyr.com is reporting that police are still searching for suspects who allegedly shot the son of an Onondaga County legislator on Route 690 over the weekend.

Daquan Williams, 21, was shot around 1 a.m. on Sunday, Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. John D’Eredita said.  Williams and friends were on their way home from a Halloween party when a gunman in a vehicle on the highway shot at the van.  Williams was shot in the chest and was brought to St. Joseph’s Hospital, where he died.

Williams is the son of Onondaga County legislator Monica Williams, who represents the 18^th district, which is Syracuse based.

Syracuse police have teamed up with the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Department to investigate a second shooting that also occurred on Sunday morning.  A 31-year-old man was sitting in a car when several shots were fired into the car, police said.  One bullet went through the back of the man’s head.  Police ask that anyone with information call either Syracuse Police or the Sheriff's Office.

My Take: This is an interesting story because of the nature of it.  You hear about these drive-by shootings on TV but you never think they will really happen.  Hopefully this will keep people aware and maybe someone will come through with information.

Elton John needs 'Healing Hands'

People.com is reporting that British musician, Elton John, has been forced to cancel and postpone his current tour with Billy Joel due to illness.

John, 62, is in a London Hospital being treated for an e-coli bacterial infection and influenza, according to the BBC. 

John canceled European concerts in London, Liverpool, Sheffield, and Newcastle and has postponed a Dublin concert, as well as a Seattle and Portland, Ore. concert, according to his official website.

The two American concerts that were canceled should be rescheduled for a time in December, according to concert promoters.

The postponing of these two concerts comes after a previous part of the tour in America was postponed in July when Joel had to rest after suffering flu-like symptoms and extreme fatigue.

My Take: I just think it’s interesting how the flu, albeit not swine flu this time, affects everyone, both those who are sick and those who rely on the ones who get sick. It seems like a lot of musicians have been coming down with sicknesses (my post last time was about a Backstreet boy getting swine flu), perhaps it is due to the excessive amount of time on the road.