Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from August, 2017

The beauty of Kabul

On 8th, March, 2017, we travelled from Urumqi to Kabul on the flight of Ariana. In the sunset, our plane flew towards the sun, going through the sea of clouds that were gilded at the rim of them. A blue scarf following the hat of a hostess reminds us that a conservative Islamic country awaits us ahead. It was dark when we got out of the airport. We were warmly welcomed by teachers from Kabul University and a gift for Women’s Day was brought to me by them on behalf of the Literature Faculty. Our perturbation along the way totally disappeared immediately by such a surprise. On the way to Kabul University, through the window, we saw the dilapidated, low adobe house in the dim light and the hotels with dazzling neon lights in sharp contrast. I cannot help but sigh: "The nightlife seems so diversified! “Those are just wedding halls here” said the local teacher named Wen Pu in Chinese who accompanied the Chinese Director to pick us up from the airport. We all praised his the good Chin

Five infrastructure projects that survived Afghan wars and conflicts

Band-e Sardeh Dam Located in the Ghazni province, the dam was constructed in the 1960s and provided irrigation for 13,000 hectares of land. Band-e Sardeh has a capacity of 259 million cubic meters of water. It has also plays an important role in flood control in the region. Land around the dam is under-cultivated at the moment, largely because of attacks on farmers from the Taliban. The Russians also built an airport near the dam, which is now used by the United States and its allies in their fight against the Taliban insurgents. Salang Tunnel Built in the 1960s, the 2.6 kilometer-long tunnel is an artery that connects Kabul with cities in northern Afghanistan. It is the only north-south tunnel in the country that is in use throughout the year. Around 10,000 vehicles pass the tunnel every day. It cut travel time from Kabul to northern Afghanistan by almost 62 hours. Moscow agreed to construct the tunnel under the Salang Pass on the Hindu Kush Mountains in 1955. Considered an en

Для активизации торговли через сухопутный торговый порт Чабахар правительство Ирана снизило таможенные пошлины для афганских бизнесменов на 80%

Как заявил иранский атташе по экономическим вопросам в Кабуле, Иран также готов предоставить Афганистану снижение таможенных пошлин на импорт через порт Чабахар на 75% и разрешить пользование складскими помещениями порта. В настоящее время объёмы торговли между Афганистаном и Ираном составляют 1,5 млрд. долларов в год, однако основной статьёй торговли является закупаемое Афганистаном топливо.

L'Italia ha disposto un pacchetto di aiuti umanitari per alleviare le sofferenze della popolazione civile in Afghanistan

Per fronteggiare alcune delle crisi umanitarie più gravi, abbiamo disposto, tramite la Cooperazione Italiana, un pacchetto di aiuti umanitari dell’importo di 9 milioni di euro per alleviare le sofferenze della popolazione civile in diversi Paesi tra cui l'Afghanistan. E’ quanto ha affermato il ministro degli Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale, Angelino Alfano, specificando che l’attuazione degli interventi in questione verrà affidata “alle Agenzie delle Nazioni Unite e della famiglia della Croce Rossa Internazionale in prima linea nello sforzo umanitario, nonché alle Organizzazioni della società civile italiana presenti nei Paesi in questione”. In Afghanistan, grazie ad un finanziamento di 2 milioni di euro, la Cooperazione Italiana interverrà per garantire la fornitura di generi umanitari (tende e coperte) a famiglie vulnerabili nel Nord del Paese ed attività di medicina ostetrica di urgenza in favore delle donne rifugiate e sfollate. Quanto messo in campo sino ad oggi no

L'Ambasciata d'Italia sconsiglia viaggi a qualsiasi titolo in Afghanistan

In considerazione della gravità della situazione di sicurezza e dell’elevato rischio di sequestri ed attentati a danno di stranieri in tutto il territorio nazionale, si sconsigliano viaggi a qualsiasi titolo in Afghanistan. Negli ultimi mesi, in particolare, le condizioni di sicurezza hanno subito un sensibile deterioramento in tutto il Paese, incluse le principali città (Kabul, Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif, Jalalabad, Kandahar, Kunduz). Restano critiche le aree meridionali e sud-orientali ed è peggiorata la situazione anche nel nord e nell’ovest del Paese. E’ assai elevato il rischio di attentati nelle principali città, incluse la capitale ed Herat, e nelle altre zone del Paese, ai danni di obiettivi istituzionali o di strutture frequentate da stranieri (guest house, alberghi, ristoranti, uffici, abitazioni, veicoli, mercati, etc.). E' alto il rischio di attentati tramite IED (Improvised Explosive Device) posti lungo il ciglio delle strade, portati indosso da attentatori suicidi o car

Bilateral relations between India and Afghanistan have been characterized by ‘friendly engagement’ and underscored by positive public perception in both countries

Bilateral relations between India and Afghanistan have been characterized by ‘friendly engagement’ and underscored by positive public perception in both countries; this has continued after the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government took office in May 2014. Even then, emerging realities in and related to Afghanistan necessitate innovative action from both countries in at least three key sectors: 1) Political 2)  Economy and Developmental Partnership 3) Security. POLITICAL Overall, over the past three years, political relations between India and Afghanistan have witnessed more flow than the perceived ebb. Both countries held national elections in 2014. The new dispensation in India treaded cautiously during the Afghan presidential election and also during the initial months of incumbent Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s presidency. The commonly held perception at that time was that this caution was due to President Ghani’s overtures to China and Pakistan. How
Today on a street of #Kabul the 5th fastest growing City in the world. # ForeignCurrency #ExchangeRates #EUR #USD #AFN Afghanis

We had the Taliban letter. Now we have the US strategic review. Time to get to work! Peace is Possible: EU Special Representative in Afghanistan

Donald Trump pledged support for Afghanistan and warned Pakistan for harboring terrorists. “America will continue its support for the Afghan government and the Afghan military as they confront the Taliban in the field,” Trump said in his address to the Americans yesterday 21 August 2017. EU Ambassador  F-M Mellbin He said that the core pillar of the new strategy is a shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions. “We will not talk about talk about number of troops or our plans for further military activities. Conditions on the ground, not arbitrary timetables, will guide our strategy from now on.” He said that it is up to the people of Afghanistan to take ownership of their future. “We will not dictate the Afghan people how to live or how to go govern their own complex society. We are not nation building again. We are killing terrorists.’ Commenting on Pakistan, Trump said that the U.S. can no longer be silent about its safe havens for terrorist organization, the T

Singer Aryana Saeed talks about her concert

Americans are devising a new strategy to further destroy Afghanistan

In recent weeks, two major players in the private security industry proposed that Trump administration officials privatize U.S. military operations in Afghanistan to an unprecedented degree. Erik Prince, former owner of the now-defunct firm Blackwater Worldwide, proposed a scheme that would entail the appointment of a viceroy to oversee operations in Afghanistan, and the use of “private military units” to fill in gaps left by departing U.S. troops. Meanwhile, Stephen Feinberg—owner of DynCorp International, which holds numerous major U.S. government security contracts at present—similarly proposed that the Trump administration privatize the military force in Afghanistan, though his conceptualization of such a force calls for it to be placed under CIA control. Luckily, Defense Secretary Mattis reportedly has so far declined both offers. Research overwhelmingly indicates that replacing U.S. military personnel with contractors is not likely to be a militarily effective solution for the

Afghanistan becomes member of International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD)

Founded in mid 1928, ICOLD is an international non-governmental organization dedicated to sharing of professional information and knowledge of the design, construction, maintenance, and impact of large dams. Afghanistan’s energy and water ministry in a statement said that the Paris-based organization had announced that Afghanistan had met the criteria for the membership with its solid programs for building dams and water management. ICOLD totally has 100 members. The Afghan committee for the organization is led by Energy Minister Ali Ahmad Osmani. The organization assists nations in the development and management of water and hydro-power resources. Ivo Toniut  is an Italian Business Consultant - Expert of Afghanistan.  He has been working in several infrastructure sector/sub sectors  for nearly forty years, holding different management positions; business traveling in more than fifty countries across four continents, and acquiring knowledge of four languages besides Italian n

Afghanistan: consultation held in Herat City to discuss international trade challenges

Afghan industry leaders, small business owners and representatives from the public sector met in Herat on August 13 to explore trade-related provincial challenges and solutions that can feed into the ongoing design of the country’s National Export Strategy (NES).  The NES will provide a blueprint for competitiveness and development of the country’s export sector and strengthen links between export development and socio-economic growth. It will include detailed activities, targets and impact measures, indicating what exactly needs to be done, by whom and with what resources to improve the country’s export competitiveness. The event was jointly organized by Afghanistan’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) and the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), with the technical support of the International Trade Centre (ITC). The consultation in Herat follows the first NES stakeholders’ consultation held in Kabul on 20-21 February and in Mazar-e-Sharif on 18 May. A major tra

Can Google Maps help solve Afghanistan-Pakistan border dispute?

The President of Afghanistan orders Kam Air to transport fresh fruit to India

The President of Afghanistan, H.E. Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, has stepped in to resolve the Afghan-India air cargo issues by ensuring that 120 tons of fresh fruit is transported to India every week. This comes weeks after long delays in air cargo that left tons of fresh fruits rotted at Kabul airport. Last week, the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI) called the Afghan-India air cargo a “failed process” as at least 120 tons of fruit are waiting for loading for over two weeks. Traders had complained about cargo flight delays in July as well when their produce were left in a warehouse at Kabul Airport for three days. President’s deputy spokesperson, Dawa Khan Minapal, said President Ghani has ordered Kam Air to prepare a Boeing 737 within the next four days to transport fresh fruit to India. “Our first flight to India will start on 17th of August and we will have two flights per week to India, one from Kabul, another from Kandahar,” Tolo News quotes Farid Paikar, Kam Air de

Afghan models show is time to break down barriers in the highly conservative society

Kabul hosted a catwalk ceremony on Thursday 10 August 2017 where more than two dozen models, including six girls, displayed the costumes worn by the various ethnic groups in Afghanistan. More than 200 spectators attended the fashion show and praised the models for representing the diversity of costumes in the multi-ethnic country. This was the third fashion show that Kabul has witnessed over the past one decade. Holding a fashion show in a conservative society and amidst Taliban-led militancy is a bold step. Fashion is probably the last thing someone would associate Afghanistan with. But to many people’s surprise, Afghanistan’s capital city Kabul was considered one of the fashionable cities in the 1920s-1970s–an era when Afghanistan experienced a rich culture and civilization and a long history of cultural exchange with the West. The fashion story of Kabul city, entitled “Afghan Adventure”, was featured on Vogue magazine’s December issue in 1969. The decades of war not only took away

Afghanistan Pashto News 09.08.2017 د افغانستان پښتو خبرونه

Twenty women in northern Balkh province of Afghanistan have launched businesses with personal funds for resolving their economic problems

Balkh women open cookie factory with own funds.   The opening of a cake and cookie factory is one of the women’s recent initiatives in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of Balkh. Twenty women running this factory hope their economic situation will improve. One of the shareholders, Marzia Ahmadi, told Pajhwok Afghan News she had devised the plan in collaboration with her other colleagues four months ago. She and 19 other women invested in the factory. “We faced some production problems in the beginning but most of them were gradually resolved,” Ahmadi said. They have hired a professional to manage production and they follow his guidelines. She added they managed all factory activities themselves without support from a third party. Masooma, another investor, said besides working at home, women should also get advantage of their abilities outside. She said they offered quality cakes and cookies to the market. Each of the shareholders earned around 4,000 afghanis a month from the factory, she

Beautiful Afghanistan - Wakhan Corridor

International Trade Centre helps Afghan businessmen to become more competitive in global markets

Afghan Government officials and private sector met in Kabul this week with representatives from the European Union and the International Trade Centre to take stock of progress on efforts to build Afghanistan’s capacities to participate in regional trade. The 31 July meeting gathered together members of the ‘Steering Committee’ of the Advancing Afghan Trade (AAT) project, an EU-funded initiative launched last November which aims to strengthen the country’s trade capacities so as to capitalize on the recent accession of the country to the World Trade Organization. The project supports Afghanistan to build trade policy, and trade facilitation capacity, as well as to develop trade and export strategies and strengthen product quality standards. Participants used the meeting to plan activities for the year ahead. ‘Finalizing a national export strategy will be a top priority, to be followed by the implementation of its recommendations for reforms to catalyse export-led growth and job cre

Подписан контракт на улучшение водоснабжения в столице Афганистана

В Кабуле подписан контракт на реализацию проекта водоснабжения. В рамках контракта будет реализована первая стадия большого проекта водоснабжения общей стоимостью 72 млн. евро. Стоимость работ данного этапа составит около 11,4 млн. долларов США. Подрядчиком по проекту выступит глава 'Группы Мумтаз'   Б.Латифи а заказчиком, Корпорация городского водоснабжения и канализаций.Финансирование проекта осуществят Агентство международного развития США, а также EU.

Afghanistan’s National Power Company DABS warns Government Officials to clear their electricity bills or their names would be made public

Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), Afghanistan’s national power company, have warned government officials to clear their electricity bills amounting to seven billion Afghanis within the next 10 days or their names would be made public. “The list has been shared with the Presidential Palace, the Attorney General Office and the police headquarters to bring pressure on power bills defaulters,” said DABS spokesperson Wahid Tawhidi in an exclusive interview with Pajhwok Afghan News (PAN). According to the source, some government officials have “thrashed” DABS officers for giving the electricity bill. DABS have told a number of the defaulters to pay their arrears in installments in next 10 years, but they still have not cooperated. Last year, DABS shared the names of a number of defaulters with the media and as a result, managed to collect over 1.5mn Afghanis from the defaulters. >>> READ ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Afghanistan Railway Sector - Bidding opportunities

Get the benefits of IvoTONIUT's expertise of the Afghan market. ivotoniut.com

A possible deal between Kabul and Washington on Afghanistan's mines cannot protect Afghan interests and would only benefit the U.S.

The delay in the announcement of the new Afghan policy of Trump-led US administration has fueled various assumptions about the future of Afghan-American relations. Although Trump was against the continuation of Afghan war before becoming the US president, his mind seems to have changed since then. While the Washington has not yet officially declared its Afghan policy, there have been reports that Trump is eyeing for the massive and untouched wealth of mineral resources of Afghanistan. According to reports of western media, the one trillion dollars worth natural deposits of Afghanistan have grabbed the attention of the White House, and Trump has been trying to prevent China from securing the mineral riches. Even though analysts view investment in Afghanistan’s mines as a need, they cast doubts on any possible deal with the United States about the country’s national wealth, believing that such deal cannot protect the interests of Afghanistan given the current US-Afghan ties. Sayed Akr