Women MPs Brawl During Karzai Impeachment Talks

The relationship between Hamid Karzai and the Afghan parliament has reached breaking point, and so have the tempers of some lawmakers. Two female members of parliament came to blows yesterday as the chamber discussed kicking the president out of office, reports the New York Times. One woman threw a shoe, her opponent threw a water bottle, and the pair exchanged a few punches before being separated by other lawmakers.

The dispute centers around a special court set up by Karzai to address allegations of fraud in last year's election. The court has ruled that 62 members of parliament should be removed and replaced by candidates who challenged the results, but 200 of 249 MPs are refusing to recognize the court's authority. To force them to comply, Karzai may have to order their arrest or dissolve parliament, and exercising either option is likely to result in violence a lot more serious than shoe-throwing. (More Hamid Karzai stories.)