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Showing posts from 2016

Южно-азиатская ассоциация по региональному сотрудничеству (ЮААРС) планирует построить в Афганистане новый промышленный парк

Представители ЮААРС уже запросили у афганского правительства участок под застройку. Представители торгово-промышленной палаты Афганистана (ТППА) приветствовали инициативу и выразили уверенность, что она существенно укрепит афганскую экономику. «Мы также ведём переговоры со странами-участницами о других возможных совместных проектах», — цитирует слова вице-главы ТППА Юнуса Моманда афганский телеканал «Ариана-ТВ». ▂ ▃ ▅ ▆  T HE CONTENT OF THIS BLOG IS NOT INTENDED TO CAUSE HARM, but if You have any concerns about the contents of this Blog, contact me by filling out the email form below. Disagreeing with the content of this Blog does not constitute sufficient ground for You to ask me to remove or modify any parts of this Blog. Thank You for visiting my Blog, Ivo R.Toniut  ▂ ▃ ▅ ▆

Afghan, Japanese, French and German specialists met to discuss whether two ancient statues of Buddha in Bamyan, Afghanistan should be restored

International specialists met to discuss whether two ancient statues of Buddha in Bamiyan, Afghanistan should be restored.  The Government of Afghanistan has agreed with international experts to repair one of the Buddha statues called ‘Shahmama’ using the original material. The participants in the meeting also agreed to establish a recreation park in the area between the two statues. This comes as previous meetings on rehabilitation of the statues had failed to reach a decision. [The Taliban dynamited the 56m Salsal statues and its female 38m Shamama in 2001.] ▂ ▃ ▅ ▆  T HE CONTENT OF THIS BLOG IS NOT INTENDED TO CAUSE HARM, but if You have any concerns about the contents of this Blog, contact me by filling out the email form below. Disagreeing with the content of this Blog does not constitute sufficient ground for You to ask me to remove or modify any parts of this Blog. Thank You for visiting my Blog, Ivo R.Toniut  ▂ ▃ ▅ ▆

Afghan actress awarded at Marrakech International Film Festival

An Afghan actress has won the Award for the best performance by an actress in Marrakech International Film Festival, it has been reported. The award was given to Fereshteh Hosseini during the 16th Marrakech International Film Festival on Saturday, December 10, 2016. The 19-year-old Fereshteh appeared in ‘Parting’ movie jointly produced by the Afghan and Iranian filmmakers. Directed by Navid Mahmoudi, the film is based on the story of two young Afghans, Fereshteh (played by Hosseini) and Nabi, who are in love, according to Financial Tribune. The movie also focuses on the issue of Afghan refugees as the showcases the lives of those who are forced to stay and the ones in transit. It depicts the uncertain situation of the young couple after they leave Afghanistan with an hope to find a better life by heading towards Europe via Turkey. Hundreds of thousands of Afghans were forced to leave the country due to the growing instability in the country and headed mainly towards the European cou

Afghanistan will get US$ 1billion annually for transit from TAPI gaspipeline

Afghanistan will get more than $1 billion in profit only from the transit of Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline once the project kicks off, it has been reported. Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov quoted by Trend News agency has said “More than 12,000 jobs will be created for our Afghan brothers.” The long delayed $10 billion Trans-Afghanistan gas pipeline was formally inaugurated last year with the state-run gas company – Turkmengaz, named project consortium leader for TAPI Pipeline Company Limited in August, working on the construction of the pipeline.The United States government and Asian Development Bank will support the mega project that will run more than 700 km across Afghanistan on its way to Pakistan and India. The pipeline is expected to last for 30 years with a proposed annual capacity of 33 bcm of gas which would be filled with gas from Turkmenistan’s mammoth Galkynysh field. It is estimated that the gas pipeline will become operatio

Asian Development Bank (ADB) approves US$ 415 million grant to support Afghanistan's energy security

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $415 million grant to boost Afghanistan’s energy supply and strengthen the country’s cross-border trade in energy.   “Insufficient energy supplies constrain growth and income opportunities that can fuel ethnic and regional tensions, as well as insecurity,” said Asad Aleem, Senior Energy Specialist in ADB’s Afghanistan Resident Mission. “This assistance will support the government’s $10.1 billion national energy supply program, which aims to expand power supply to boost economic growth and cut poverty.” Afghanistan has seen energy demand grow by almost twice its economic growth rate from 2005 to 2012, with the country sourcing around 80% of its total supplies from neighboring countries. Reliance on energy imports, the small size of the domestic market, limitations in transmission and distribution networks, and governance and financing weaknesses leave energy security highly vulnerable. The national grid is also not synchronized with the

В Афганистане был впервые произведён ценный базиликовый мёд

Пчеловод из провинции Кандарар впервые произвёл мёд из базиликового нектара. Стоимость базиликового мёда составляет 600 афгани (около 9-10$) за килограмм. Это второй по стоимости сорт мёда после черничного. Его особенностью является низкое содержание глюкозы, благодаря чему его могут употреблять даже диабетики. ▂ ▃ ▅ ▆  T HE CONTENT OF THIS BLOG IS NOT INTENDED TO CAUSE HARM, but if You have any concerns about the contents of this Blog, contact me by filling out the email form below. Disagreeing with the content of this Blog does not constitute sufficient ground for You to ask me to remove or modify any parts of this Blog. Thank You for visiting my Blog, Ivo R.Toniut  ▂ ▃ ▅ ▆

Don't ask for your privacy. Take it back!

VeilMail in Afghanistan and Iran (FILE SHARING, VIDEO AND AUDIO ALL ENCRYPTED) ▂ ▃ ▅ ▆  T HE CONTENT OF THIS BLOG IS NOT INTENDED TO CAUSE HARM, but if You have any concerns about the contents of this Blog, contact me by filling out the email form below. Disagreeing with the content of this Blog does not constitute sufficient ground for You to ask me to remove or modify any parts of this Blog. Thank You for visiting my Blog, Ivo R.Toniut  ▂ ▃ ▅ ▆

Afghanistan, a country where 87% of women have endured physical or sexual violence

Life has not been easy for her. In the past seven years, the 27-year-old has been forced to flee her country twice, received more death threats than she can count, and was brutally beaten by 10 men on the street and left to die. Her crime? She covers her head with a baseball cap instead of a hijab, raises her voice for women’s rights, and is Afghanistan’s first female rapper. >>> READ FULL ARTICLE ▂ ▃ ▅ ▆  T HE CONTENT OF THIS BLOG IS NOT INTENDED TO CAUSE HARM, but if You have any concerns about the contents of this Blog, contact me by filling out the email form below. Disagreeing with the content of this Blog does not constitute sufficient ground for You to ask me to remove or modify any parts of this Blog. Thank You for visiting my Blog, Ivo R.Toniut  ▂ ▃ ▅ ▆

Kandahar province of Afghanistan and Iran’s Sistan Baluchistan province agreed to expand trade via Chabahar port

Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar province and Iran’s Sistan Baluchistan province have agreed to strengthen cooperation. Kandahar’s Governor Humayun Azizi signed a number of agreement with his Iranian counterpart, Ali Hashimi, last week. Both sides agreed to expand trade via the Chabahar port by providing all facilities to traders and removing trade barriers. As per the agreement, exhibitions of Iranian products would be organized in Kandahar province. And, Iran would assist in training and capacity building of the National University of Agriculture Technology in Kandahar. Both parties agreed on exchanging students and professors between Sistan-Baluchistan University and Kandahar National University of Agriculture in an effort to prepare ground for scientific and educational cooperation. The two sides also agreed on working together on the generation and distribution of electricity in Kandahar province. Primary talks and consultations concerning this field would start in 2 months. Sis

Iran and Afghanistan to regulate banking ties

The Governor of the Central Bank of Afghanistan (Da Afghanistan Bank-DAB) called for regulating banking ties with Iran to develop trade. In his meeting with the Governor of the Central Bank of Iran he said that major portion of transactions of the extensive Iran-Afghan trade take place outside the banking system. He called for a mechanism to channel trade to the banking course to prevent risks for Afghan and Iranian businessmen & businesswomen. Iran and Afghanistan are trading through cash payments and traditional money exchangers, and a banking system is needed to upgrade the volume of exchanges.“Extensive trade between Iran and Afghanistan should be further promoted through banking ties and we seek expansion of the brokerage ties between banks of the two sides so as to minimize the trade risk,” said the Governor of Iranian Central Bank. ▂ ▃ ▅ ▆  T HE CONTENT OF THIS BLOG IS NOT INTENDED TO CAUSE HARM, but if You have any concerns about the contents of this Blog, contact

VeilMail in Afghanistan and Iran

What would it take for you to change your communication software to protect your Privacy/Security? 1. Knowing Google/Yahoo searched your mail in order to send ads to you 2. The Government having access to every communication 3. Discovering your Metadata is permanently recorded 4. Knowing someone in China had unauthorized access to your system 5. Your bank account being defrauded. 6. Your bank, payments and income being defrauded. At which point would you change away from your social media accounts, our local ISP and your perceived current internet protection? ✉ kabul@veilmail.com Totally secure email messaging ▂ ▃ ▅ ▆  T HE CONTENT OF THIS BLOG IS NOT INTENDED TO CAUSE HARM, but if You have any concerns about the contents of this Blog, contact me by filling out the email form below. Disagreeing with the content of this Blog does not constitute sufficient ground for You to ask me to remove or modify any parts of this Blog. Thank You for visiting my Blog, Ivo R.Toniut  ▂ ▃ ▅ ▆

Afghan women’s handicrafts exhibition in Kabul

Afghan businesswomen display their handcrafts at a exhibition in Kabul. The exhibition, organized by businesswomen from different provinces of Afghanistan, aims at promoting women’s handicrafts and encouraging businesswomen. The businesswomen display over 40 different kinds of handicrafts including jewelry, hand-made dresses, rug, painting and jams. The organization team called on the Government of Afghanistan to provide a permanent place for women’s exhibitions. ▂ ▃ ▅ ▆  T HE CONTENT OF THIS BLOG IS NOT INTENDED TO CAUSE HARM, but if You have any concerns about the contents of this Blog, contact me by filling out the email form below. Disagreeing with the content of this Blog does not constitute sufficient ground for You to ask me to remove or modify any parts of this Blog. Thank You for visiting my Blog, Ivo R.Toniut  ▂ ▃ ▅ ▆ 

Афганистан расширяет сотрудничество с иранскими банками

Глава Центробанка Афганистана Халил Сиддик призвал к расширению сотрудничества с иранскими коллегами. На встрече со своим иранским коллегой Валиуллой Сайфом Халил Сиддик отметил, что значительная часть торговых транзакций между Ираном и Афганистаном совершается в обход банковской системы. Он предложил усилить присутствие банков в этой сфере с тем, чтобы снизить риски бизнесменов обеих стран. Валиулла Сайф подтвердил существование проблемы и подчеркнул необходимость увеличения числа государственных пунктов обмена валюты. ▂ ▃ ▅ ▆  T HE CONTENT OF THIS BLOG IS NOT INTENDED TO CAUSE HARM, but if You have any concerns about the contents of this Blog, contact me by filling out the email form below. Disagreeing with the content of this Blog does not constitute sufficient ground for You to ask me to remove or modify any parts of this Blog. Thank You for visiting my Blog, Ivo R.Toniut  ▂ ▃ ▅ ▆ 

AISA leopards can't change their spots

The merger between Afghanistan Investment Support Agency (AISA) and the Licensing and Intellectual Property Departments of the Ministry of Commerce and Industries (MOCI) shows once again that: - some Officials at the Government of Afghanistan do not have any will to attract foreign investors and treat those already present in the Afghan market as if they were rags; - the fight against AISA bribery and AISA disrespect towards investors remains just a fight made only by words; - AISA was and still remain one of the most corrupt institutions of Afghanistan; - some representatives of AISA still remain the biggest obstacle for both local and foreign investors; - a number of Officials at departments of other ministries involved in the registration process of a foreign company are committed to continue to exasperate foreign investors till they don't give up and accept the extravagant, stressful and humiliating rules and bureocracy created by AISA or, more likely and serious, leave Af

Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey establish the new trade route for the Afghan Lapis Lazuli

The draft agreement on the five nation Lapis-Lazuli agreement was signed on Wednesday between Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. The route will provide the shortest route for Afghanistan to the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. The draft agreement was signed at the 4th technical meeting between the delegations of the five nations in Azerbaijan, according to a statement from the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As per the statement, the agreement focuses on the custom facilities, easing visa processing and facilitating the transactions of goods. The statement regarded deal as the key achievement of the National Unity Government. “The route will cut down the transaction cost of commercial goods between the regional countries,” said the statement. The Lapis Lazuli Corridor is a lynchpin in reviving the ancient Silk Road by connecting South Asia to Central Asia and then to Europe, where Afghanistan serves as the connecting bridge. Its name comes from the f

Veteran broadcaster John Simpson advises everyone to go on holiday in Afghanistan

Think Afghanistan and what springs to mind? Kidnappings? Car bombs? The Taliban? Perhaps, but if you’re not not perturbed by harrowing headlines, the BBC world affairs editor, John Simpson, recommends a visit to the country. Contrary to the advice of the Foreign Office, which warns against all travel to most of Afghanistan, the veteran broadcaster has endorsed the troubled nation as a top travel destination. “I’d advise everyone to go on holiday in Afghanistan because it’s beautiful and fantastic,” he is quoted as saying in a new Airbnb report, titled How We Travel. “When I was filming in Kabul recently, two ragged characters came up to me – to my surprise they were British. One said ‘I’ve got to thank you so much, my wife and I were at a travel show and you told us to go to Afghanistan as it would be perfectly safe – and you were right!’.” Simpson has filmed many war reports from Afghanistan, where 450 British servicemen and women have died in combat since 2001. However, he

Bank-e-Millie Afghan hoping to introduce a new home-loan system for Afghans in the near future

Bank-e-Millie Afghan on Sunday said it is hoping to introduce a new home-loan system for Afghans in the near future – a first for Afghanistan in more than 16 years. Officials at the Bank-e-Millie Afghan said they have drawn up plans for mortgage loans and repayment schemes within the framework of Islamic banking. The bank said the draft plan has been sent to the ministry of finance and The Afghanistan Bank. "Bank-e-Millie Afghan's Islamic banking (for mortgages) will soon start – within one or two months - on the basis of this, people will be able to take out long term loans for mortgages," said Rahimullah Oriakhail Marketing Manager at Bank-e-Millie Afghan. Many people are forced to pay high prices for rental houses as they do not have the cash to buy property. According to the Central Statistic Organization (CSO) more than one million people live in rented houses in Kabul alone. A number of economists in the country have meanwhile welcomed the move and said that having

Afghanistan's potato prices almost double this year

Farmers in central Bamyan province collected 300,000 tonnes of potatoes this year, less than last year’s yield, but the crop’s price doubled in 2016. Around 90 percent of people in Bamyan are reliant on farming. Potato is one of the main agricultural products of the impoverished province, which produced 300,000 tonnes of potatoes in 2016, compare to last year’s 310,000 tonnes. However, potato prices almost double this year. The rate of per seven kilograms of potato is 90 afghanis, up from last year’s price of 50 afghanis, the agriculture and livestock director said. Abdul Wahab Mohammadi told Pajhwok Afghan News last year’s low prices caused a decline in cultivation of the crop. More than 10 types of potatoes could be grown in Bamyan, meeting 50 percent of people’s requirement, he said. More than 700 potato storage facilities have been built this year and each could store up to 30 tonnes. “We have storage capacity for only 10 percent of Bamyan potatoes. The rest of yield is at risk

Over 50 percent of Afghanistan’s road infrastructure suffering from poor maintenance

Majority of road infrastructure in Afghanistan need rehabilitation beyond repair, a U.S. government watchdog said Saturday, highlighting also poor maintenance. According to supervising body Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, the U.S. spent $2.8 billon to construct and repair Afghanistan’s road infrastructure since 2002, but majority of it was deteriorated or destroyed in the hand of insurgents. “USAID and DOD (Department of Defense) spent millions of dollars on road construction in Afghanistan, but have had only limited success in ensuring the long-term sustainability of those roads,” the report said. Citing USAID estimates, the report said that 54 percent of Afghanistan’s road infrastructure suffered from poor maintenance caused by poor security, lack of capacity and corruption. SIGAR said that it assessed the condition of 1,640 kilometers of U.S.-funded national and regional highways, nearly a quarter of all paved roads in Afghanistan. The results showed that

More and more foreigners choose Pamir Mountains in the northeast of Afghanistan as a new tourist destination

A snow leopard walks on Pamir Mountains in Sarkand Valley in the Northeast of Afghanistan More foreign tourists visited the Pamir Mountains in northeastern Badakhshan province this year than last year, local officials said. Provincial tourism manager, Sayed Akram Seddiq Lalzad, told Pajhwok Afghan News the number of foreign tourists visiting Pamir peaks reached 120 during the first six months of the current year as compared to 115 during the entire last year. He said the increasing number of foreign visitors had a positive impact on economic situation of local residents besides increasing the tourism sector’s revenue. “There are 15 transport companies who facilitate foreign visitors to Pamir Mountains on Ashkasham-Wakhan highway, but unfortunately the companies are not registered with the provincial information and culture department,” he said. Lalzad said a foreign tourist was charged $450 for his transportation to Wakhan region. He said information and culture department officia

Marathon in the Bamiyan province of Afghanistan a symbol of freedom for Afghan women

▂ ▃ ▅ ▆  T HE CONTENT OF THIS BLOG IS NOT INTENDED TO CAUSE HARM, but if You have any concerns about the contents of this Blog, contact me by filling out the email form below. Disagreeing with the content of this Blog does not constitute sufficient ground for You to ask me to remove or modify any parts of this Blog. Thank You for visiting my Blog, Ivo R.Toniut  ▂ ▃ ▅ ▆ 

В водохранилище при ГЭС Салма в афганской провинции Герат выпущено 50,000 мальков

Министерство сельского хозяйства, ирригации и животноводства Афганистана сообщило, что в водохранилище при ГЭС Салма в провинции Герат выпущено 50 тыс. мальков рыб разных видов. Таким образом министерство планирует развивать рыбоводство в провинции. Стоимость мальков составила 25,000 долларов США. Инициатива является частью программы министерства по развитию рыбоводства в Афганистане. Водоёмы заселяются мальками рыб, также создаются новые рыбоводческие хозяйства. В центральных и южных провинциях страны можно разводить карпа; климат северных, а также некоторых гористых районов подходит для форели. ▂ ▃ ▅ ▆  T HE CONTENT OF THIS BLOG IS NOT INTENDED TO CAUSE HARM, but if You have any concerns about the contents of this Blog, contact me by filling out the email form below. Disagreeing with the content of this Blog does not constitute sufficient ground for You to ask me to remove or modify any parts of this Blog. Thank You for visiting my Blog, Ivo R.Toniut  ▂ ▃ ▅ ▆ 

Afghan women aim to help restore Afghanistan's iconic Darul Aman Palace

Afghan women seek to rebuild palace destroyed by men By Zabihullah Noori http://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-palace-women-idUSKCN12Q2Z4 Men turned it to ruins. Now women aim to help restore Afghanistan's iconic Darul Aman Palace to its former glory.  Long a symbol of the country's decades of war, the abandoned palace in Kabul - bombed-out and bullet-scarred - is to be rebuilt under an ambitious government plan, and women make up a quarter of the workforce. That's more than symbolic in a country where opportunities for women to develop careers are severely limited. "Our participation in this important project breaks the taboo that considers women to be too weak to work on construction projects,"   Zahra Jafari, a female electrical engineer, told Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone. "It's a huge responsibility on each and every one of us. We strive for excellence and work hard to achieve success beyond expectation. And we want to

Doing business in Afghanistan can be very worthwhile, even smaller investments may generate high profits in a short period of time

Afghanistan is emerging as a central hub for trade as the economies of Central and South Asia continue to grow and become increasingly integrated into the global economy.  ▂ ▃ ▅ ▆  T HE CONTENT OF THIS BLOG IS NOT INTENDED TO CAUSE HARM, but if You have any concerns about the contents of this Blog, contact me by filling out the email form below. Disagreeing with the content of this Blog does not constitute sufficient ground for You to ask me to remove or modify any parts of this Blog. Thank You for visiting my Blog, Ivo R.Toniut  ▂ ▃ ▅ ▆ 

Afghanistan rises to 57 in Beach Soccer World ranking from previous 108

The Afghanistan National Beach Soccer team has made a considerable gain in the World Ranking of Beach Soccer by climbing 51 points to rise to 57 in the world from its previous ranking of 108. The Afghanistan National Football Federation (AFF) informed regarding the latest ranking of the Beach Soccer ranking. According to AFF, the latest ranking puts Afghanistan ahead of some of the prominent teams, including Demark, Austria, Kuwait, Australia, Canada, and Belgium. The Football Federation further added that the significant rise in the ranking of the Afghan team is mainly due to its performance in Asian Olympics in Vietnam where Afghanistan was placed among the Top 4. Afghanistan is currently securing the 11th position in the world ranking table of the Beach Soccer having 158 points while Iran tops the table by having 1,630 points. In the meantime, Portugal is placed in the top in the World Ranking by Beach Soccer and by having 3,566 points while Russia secures the second spot and Bra

Afghan SAFFRON ranked the best in the world for the third consecutive year

The International Taste and Quality Institute (ITQI) in Brussels ranked Afghan saffron number one for the third consecutive year. Afghan saffron was selected among 300 saffron samples from around the world. Saffron has turned into an important exporting item in Afghanistan and its cultivation is popularized throughout the country since 2002. Presently, an annual production of 3.5 tons of saffron bring in over USD 4,500,000 in revenue to the farmers of Afghanistan. Saffron is currently grown on 1,150 hectares of land across Afghanistan and the government is enhancing efforts to further boost its production. In June 2016, the Afghanistan High Economic Council approved the 5-year National Development Plan for Saffron, and the President of Afghanistan, Dr. Ashraf Ghani, ordered creation of a committee to work on production, processing, promotion & marketing of saffron. Afghanistan will be able to produce about 14 tons of saffron annually in the next four years. ▂ ▃ ▅ ▆  T HE CONTE

Five priorities to boost Afghanistan’s development

Original article by Annette Dixon , the World Bank Vice President for the South Asia Region. http://blogs.worldbank.org/endpovertyinsouthasia/5-priorities-boost-afghanistan-s-development Today I joined leaders and representatives from 70 countries and 20 international organizations and agencies at the Brussels Conference on Afghanistan. Together with its development partners, the World Bank Group pledged its continued support to the Afghan people and outlined a course of action to help all Afghans realize their dream of living in peace and prosperity. Afghanistan has come a long way since 2001 and has made much progress under extremely challenging circumstances: life expectancy has increased from 44 to 60 years, maternal mortality has decreased by more than three quarters and, from almost none in 2001, the country now counts 18 million mobile phone subscribers. Yet, enormous challenges remain as nearly 40 percent of Afghans live in poverty and almost 70 percent of the population

Employees of the biggest obstacle for foreign investors in Afghanistan are on strike because of salary suspension

About one hundred employees of the Afghanistan Investment Support Agency (AISA) are on strike because of their salaries suspension. The process of AISA merger into the Ministry of Commerce and Industries (MoCI) has led to suspension of their salaries. AISA employees accused the ministry of leaving them out of the National Technical Assistance (NTA) system, which is a new salary scale process based on which employees are given standard salaries. They also complain that the ministry had cut lunch and transport facilities of AISA employees. AISA has always been one of the most corrupt Afghan institutions as well as being the biggest obstacle for both foreign and local investors. Fortunately, thanks to an Order of the President of Afghanistan Dr. Ashraf Ghani issued on April 2016, began the merger process of AISA into MoCI, giving so new hope to all foreign and local investors who began to flee from Afghanistan precisely because of the extravagant and stressful AISA bureaucracy in issu

Shuja Rabbani became the first celebrity from Afghanistan to get a verified Instagram account

A prominent Afghan artist and influential social media activist has become the first celebrity from Afghanistan to get a verified Instagram account. The verification of Rabbani’s account on Instagram, one f the most powerful social media platforms, comes as another milestone for Rabbani’s personal branding as the music producer also received the blue tick from Facebook and announced the verification in a recent tweet. Rabbani is currently amongst the top Twitter users in Afghanistan and he is known for self-expression beyond the art of music production, according to an press release. Rabbani is also an active blogger and one of Afghanistan’s few English writers who engages in humanitarian and political discussions. “I am aware that several Hollywood celebrities have shut down their social media accounts due to hate messages and cyber bullying, and while I am nowhere near as popular as they are on social media, I am not exempted from online harassment either. I have had my share of

Afghanistan to launch pisciculture project at Salma Dam in Herat province

Afghan Government has launched the fish farming in the mega Salam Dam built with the financial support of India in western Herat province of Afghanistan. The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock of Afghanistan (MAIL) said at least 50,000 fish chicks were released in the dam to start the fish farming. MAIL further added that the step has been taken to start fish farming besides the dam produce electricity and irrigates hundreds of acres of land in Herat. According to the officials, the fish chicks will start producing more fishes after two years and will produce thousands of tons of fish. The officials also added that 1.5 million Afghanis have been invested for the establishment of the fish farm. The landmark Salma Dam project was inaugurated by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani in western Herat province of Afghanistan earlier in the month of June this year. The reservoir of the dam is 20 kilometer long and 3 kilometer wide

Resolving disputes related to water rights is the key to economic growth in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan ( UNAMA ) in a new report says that "more effective and transparent means resolving disputes over water rights key to economic growth and avoiding conflict"   in Afghanistan. The report said that the demand for water to support agricultural development in Afghanistan, which has been badly affected by conflict, deteriorating infrastructure and drought, often results in high-stakes water-right disputes. 'Water Rights: An Assessment of Afghanistan's Legal Framework Governing Water for Agriculture' outlines the importance of water to the country's economy. "Many rural communities depend on reliable access to water sources to grow the crops and nourish the livestock on which their lives and livelihoods depend. Almost 80 percent of Afghans derive their livelihood from the agricultural sector," according to the report. Tadamichi Yamamoto, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Afghanis