ahmed walid karzai was gunned down by a close family associate. he was hamid karzai's half brother and ran the crucial southern provinces of afghanistan for karzai. his death has been described as a huge setback for karzai and for the international coalition that is trying to support the karzai government in kabul. let's try to understand why he was such a crucial figure. it provides a window into understanding the future of afghanistan. ahmed walid karzai was ruthless with tribes that would not support his brother, cutting them off from any aid and military assistance. in addition, he gave the american and british forces in afghanistan information on hostile tribes, provided crucial intelligence on key groups and militants. he was also the first afghan leader to begin talking with the taliban about cease-fires and their entry into government. in other words, he was a practical deal maker. now, he was famous in the west or notorious for the corruption that surrounded him. but corruption surrounded all of the billions of dollars in american and wes

to critics, ahmed walid karzai, head of the provincial council, had become a symbol of corruption within the karzai administration. the taliban has claimed responsibility. >>> the justice department has issued new gun shop rules for the four southwestern border states requiring dealers to alert the federal government to frequent buyers of high-powered rifles. it's part of an effort to stem the illicit flow of weapons into mexico. >>> two people were gored this morning, on the sixth day of spain's failous running of the bulls in pamplona. officials say one person suffered a horn injury to the back, while another was hit in the shoulder. >>> and a possible curve ball for the fan who caught derek jeter's 3,000th career hit. and then graciously gave him back the ball. "the new york times" reports that christian lopez may have 0 to pay tax on the value of his reward. four tickets to the yankees game for the rest of the season. an early look at wall street for the rest of the day. the dow opened at 12,505 after falling yesterday. the s&p tumbled 24 points. the nasdaq sank 57. in tokyo the nikk