Hamid Karzai in fiery row with US official

Explosive details have emerged of an encounter between Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, and Richard Holbrooke, the US envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan. At one point the Afghan president whipped off his distinctive karakul sheepskin hat and slammed it onto the table where the two men were having dinner, a day after the disputed August 20 election. "For an Afghan man to do that, it's a big gesture," said a local businessman. "It's like throwing down the gauntlet."