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Showing posts from November, 2016

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