The Last Jew in Afghanistan

Drew Barrymore, converting to Judaism, is the latest

(NEWSER) - Drew Barrymore is getting married , but first she's—reportedly—converting to Judaism, the religion fiance Will Kopelman practices. She follows the tradition of these seven other celebrity spouses (or not-quite-spouses) who did the same thing, notes The Frisky :

• Isla Fisher: Converted to Judaism for Sacha Baron Cohen.
• Jesus Luz: Started following Kabbalah for Madonna.

Death toll hits 60 in twin Afghanistan bombings

(AP) - Hamid Karzai vowed today to confront the government in Islamabad over a devastating suicide bombing against a Shiite shrine in Kabul that he said originated on Pakistani soil. At least 56 people were killed in yesterday's bombing at the shrine, and four more when a second bomb hit a Shiite vehicle procession. A man claiming to be from Lashkar-e-Jhangvi al-Alami, a Pakistan-based splinter group of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi that has carried out attacks against Shiite Muslims in Pakistan, has called various media outlets to claim responsibility for the Kabul bombing. More»

They mark first major sectarian assaults in a decade

(AP) - A suicide bomber struck a crowd of Shiite worshippers at a mosque in Kabul today, killing at least 54 people and wounding more than 160 in one of two deadly attacks on a Shiite holy day—the first major sectarian assaults since the fall of the Taliban a decade ago. Four other Shiites were killed in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif when a bomb strapped to a bicycle exploded as a convoy of Afghan Shiites was driving down the road, shouting slogans for the festival known as Ashoura. An additional 21 people were wounded in that attack. More»

Suicide bomber hits NATO convoy

(AP) - A Taliban suicide bomber rammed a vehicle loaded with explosives into an armored NATO bus today on a busy thoroughfare in Kabul, killing 17 people, including 12 Americans. It was the deadliest strike against the US-led coalition in the Afghan capital since the war began. US soldiers wept as they pulled bodies from the debris, one witness said. The blast occurred on the same day that a man wearing an Afghan army uniform killed three coalition troops, who were reportedly Australian, in the south. More»

Meeting was set up by Pakistan's ISI

(NEWSER) - The US held at least one secret peace negotiation this summer with the Haqqani Network, the militant group at the center of its current public spat with Pakistan, senior officials tell the Wall Street Journal . The meeting was set up by Pakistani intelligence, which the US says confirms its suspicions of the cozy relationship between the two. More»