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Showing posts from June, 2018

Breaking: Pakistan blacklisted by the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF)

A global anti-money laundering watchdog took the decision to add Pakistan to the grey list of countries involved in providing monetary assistance to terrorism and related causes. The Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF), met in Paris on Wednesday 27 June 2018 and confirmed the decision. FATF is an intergovernmental organization that maintains grey and black lists for identifying countries that have failed to stop money-laundering and who finance terrorism. Presenting Pakistan's case at the FATF talks in Paris, Shamshad Akhtar, the interim minister for finance and planning, detailed steps taken by Pakistan to stem money laundering and terror financing. However, these steps appeared not to have been enough as the 37-nation FATF plenary agreed to add Pakistan to the list.

Four Afghan ministers have resigned during last two weeks

Afghan Finance Minister Hakimi has resigned and his resignation has been approved. Without disclosing further information, the Minister said he has stepped down from his post due to family issues. This comes as the Minister of Trade and Commerce and the Minister of Information and Technology stepped down from their positions earlier. Two weeks ago, the Minister of Urban Development and Housing, Sayed Mansoor Sadat Naderi, resigned due to health issues.

The Emirates to hold Afghanistan Premier League of Cricket in the United Arab Emirates

The Emirates Cricket Board in a letter sent to the International Cricket Council has approved to hold Afghanistan Premier League of Cricket in United Arab Emirates.  The Emirates Cricket Board has said that the event will start in October in UAE after approval of the ICC, the Afghanistan Cricket Board said in a statement on Wednesday. Five teams, 80 Afghan and 20 foreign cricketers will compete in the T20 Premier League in the UAE. Afghanistan has come a long way since making their World T20 debut in 2010, having qualified for the last 50-over World Cup in Australia and recently beating Ireland across the three formats ODIs, T20 Internationals, and First-Class in a series played at their adopted home ground in Greater Noida in India.

Afghanistan and Uzbekistan officials discussed the establishment of a free trade zone in the border areas between the two countries

Over 40 representatives of public and private sectors of Afghanistan and Uzbekistan participated in a meeting which was organized by the European Union and the International Trade Center. On the sideline of the meeting, Afghan and Uzbek representatives of private sector signed an agreement on establishing a joint trade center in Uzbekistan’s Termez City. Trade volume between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan will increase significantly after creation of the trade zone. “The President Ashraf Ghani in his last meeting with President of Uzbekistan invited Uzbek investors to invest in Herat mines. It was interesting for Uzbek investors and we want Uzbekistan to invest in other mines too,” an Afghan official said. "It is a good platform to introduce to Afghan businessmen our products. Except that we are now thinking about and already discussed the possibility of the border trade,” said Jamshid Khodjaev, Minister of Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan. The European Union and the International Trade

Incontro del Ministro Moavero Milanesi con Abdullah Abdullah, Capo del Governo di Unità Nazionale afghano

Il Ministro degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale, Enzo Moavero Milanesi, ha ricevuto alla Farnesina il Chief Executive del Governo di Unità Nazionale afghano, Abdullah Abdullah, a Roma per partecipare al board del World Food Programme e per incontri bilaterali. Il Ministro Moavero Milanesi ed il Chief Executive Abdullah hanno discusso dei più recenti sviluppi del processo di pace in Afghanistan. Il Ministro degli Esteri italiano ha ribadito il pieno sostegno dell’Italia a favore della pace e della stabilità nel Paese.

An Afghan artist has spent eight months working on his collection, which is made from remnants of explosive devices

European Union officials have said the Afghan government has not been able to use the incentives provided by the EU to substantially increase exports to European countries

European Union (EU) officials have said that Afghanistan’s export climate over recent years has not been encouraging and that the trade deficit is one of the worst in the world. They said the Afghan government has not been able to use the incentives provided by the EU to substantially increase exports to European countries.  Speaking at an event in Kabul on Sunday, where a new export strategy was released, Arancha Gonzalez, Executive Director of the International Trade Center (ITC), said prosperity and peace would come from trade. “The national export strategy is called peace through prosperity, prosperity through trade, and this is precisely what we all in this room want to do, to use trade to generate growth and to generate jobs; this is what the young population is demanding from all of us in the room. Doing that contributes to peace and stability that is the logic behind this document,” Gonzalez said in reference to the strategy. Also speaking at the event was ambassador Pierre May

Afghan women have the right to feel safe in public spaces and transportation

Today, I got in a taxi and the driver asked me to move on the other side of the backseat because his car’s tire pressure was low on my side. I usually sit behind the driver’s seat to minimize him watching me through the mirror and other harassment. From this seat, I can keep an eye on where his hands are and what he is doing. It gives me a small sense of control. Despite my anxiety about harassment, I abided. The driver had set his mirror to show the chest of the passenger in the back seat. This can be extremely uncomfortable while moving through Kabul’s bumpy streets. I asked him if he can fix his mirror. He closed the window, perhaps he was pretending to not know what I was asking for he genuinely thought I was cold. I noticed he wasn’t driving normally and wasn’t looking for a mechanic to fix the tire he claimed was out of air. I reminded him that the first thing he should do is fix the air pressure in the tire or the it will puncture itself. He made an excuse that he will do it e

China hopes to include Afghanistan in the Belt and Road Initiative

Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan Liu Jinsong says his country hopes to include Afghanistan in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).  This came after high-level delegates, including President Ashraf Ghani, took part in this weekend’s Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in China. “Afghanistan expects to have more benefit from the Belt and Road project. This country has great expectations from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization,” the ambassador said. He said there were positive signs coming from different social sectors in Afghanistan. The Ministry of Economy, meanwhile, said Afghanistan is part of the Belt and Road project due to its strategic location in the region. Ministry officials also said the project can help boost economic stability in the country. “We should focus on issues inside the country. Our railway system should be established,” said Suhrab Bahman, a spokesman for the Ministry of Economy. Analysts said the project is crucial for the region therefore Afghanistan s

Afghanistan - Dall’Italia 2 milioni di euro per sostenere i piccoli produttori agricoli di Herat e Bamyan

Due milioni di euro per sostenere il settore agricolo afghano. Li ha stanziati il governo italiano, per il tramite della Cooperazione allo sviluppo, a supporto delle comunità rurali di Herat e Bamyan. I beneficiari del progetto sono circa 5mila piccoli produttori di zafferano, miele, uva passa, ortaggi e latticini, tutti prodotti provenienti da filiere di alto valore. L’accordo tecnico per l’iniziativa è stato firmato dall’Ambasciatore italiano in Afghanistan, Roberto Cantone, e dal Ministro delle Finanze afghano, Eklil Ahmad Hakimi.“La sfida dello sviluppo agricolo risiede nella crescita economica delle comunità rurali e nella diminuzione dell’insicurezza alimentare e della povertà. Ciò che intendiamo sostenere con questo programma è lo sviluppo di alcune filiere agricole di alto valore attraverso cui contrastare lo stato di impoverimento delle aree rurali e incoraggiare le coltivazioni alternative all’oppio”, ha dichiarato l’Ambasciatore Cantone. >>> READ MORE @ https://a

Pakistan announced waiving off the regulatory duty on Afghanistan exports in a gesture to help Afghan economy

Pakistan on Saturday announced waiving off the regulatory duty on Afghan exports – in a gesture to help boost the war-torn country’s economy. During his visit to Kabul, Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had decided to waive off the regulatory duty, which was imposed in October last year on Afghan exports. The exports include grapes (fresh and dried), apples, pomegranates, apricots, watermelons, melons, cucumbers, gherkins, prunes dried and figs. In a statement, the Pakistan embassy said the waiver went into effect from June 8, 2018. In the meantime, Pakistan’s export to Afghanistan has reached to a two-year high during the first 10 months of the current fiscal year despite relations remain strained on political level between the two neighboring countries, it has been reported. The latest report from the State Bank of Pakistan shows the country’s exports to Afghanistan reached $1.282 billion during July-April 2917-18. This was higher than the figure of $956 million in the same

Afghanistan - € 2,000,000 from Italy to support small producers of saffron, honey, raisin, vegetables and dairy products

Two million euros to support the Afghan agricultural sector. The amount was allocated by the Italian government, through the Agency for Development Cooperation, in order to support the rural communities of Herat and Bamyan. The beneficiaries of the project are about 5 thousand small producers of saffron, honey, raisin, vegetables and dairy products, all produced from high value chains. The Implementing Agreement for the initiative was signed by the Italian Ambassador to Afghanistan, Roberto Cantone, and the Afghan Minister of Finance, Eklil Ahmad Hakimi. "The challenge of agricultural development lies in the economic growth of rural communities and in the reduction of food insecurity and poverty. What we intend to support with this program is the development of some agricultural high-value chains through which to counter the state of impoverishment of rural areas and encourage alternative crops to opium”, said Italian Ambassador Roberto Cantone. >>> READ THE FULL ART

بازار: هزینه‌شدن ۲۰درصد از بودجه‌های توسعه‌یی سال مالی ۱۳۹۷

AFGHANISTAN - Six months into the 1397 fiscal year (Dec 2017-Dec 2018), only 20 percent of the development budget has been spent by government departments. According to the Ministry of Finance of Afghanistan, six government departments have spent most of their budgets while 14 departments have spent less than 10 percent of their budgets, and six other departments have not spent anything. However the finance ministry is optimistic about the overall increase of development budget spending.

Afghanistan revives raisin industry

Afghanistan’s raisin farmers used to supply snacks for people around the world. For many decades through the 1970s, the country claimed about 20 percent of the global market for raisins.

A Kabul la Festa della Repubblica tra impegno e memoria

L’impegno italiano per la ricostruzione e la stabilizzazione dell’Afghanistan è stato al centro delle celebrazioni del 2 giugno a Kabul, nel quadro di rafforzate misure di sicurezza. Due le cerimonie a Kabul nel 72esimo anniversario del referendum che sancì la nascita della Repubblica italiana: una prima manifestazione alla missione NATO “Resolute Support” alla quale ha partecipato il Comandante Gen. John Nicholson e nel corso della quale è stata deposta una corona d'alloro in memoria dei soldati italiani caduti in Afghanistan, una seconda all’Ambasciata d’Italia alla presenza del Vice Ministro degli Affari Esteri Hekmat Karzai. Un’altra cerimonia si è svolta ad Herat dove è dispiegata la brigata "Sassari", comandata dal Gen. Gianluca Carai. Nei suoi interventi, l’Ambasciatore Roberto Cantone ha sottolineato l’importante contributo italiano, sia sul fronte civile che su quello militare, alla crescita e alla pacificazione del Paese caratterizzato da complesse problematich

The Italian commitment in Afghanistan at the core of the celebrations of the National Day in Kabul

The Italian commitment to the reconstruction and stabilization of Afghanistan was at the center of the June 2nd celebrations in Kabul, amidst reinforced security measures. Two ceremonies were held in Kabul on the 72nd anniversary of the referendum that brought the birth of the Italian Republic: a first ceremony at the NATO "Resolute Support" mission during which a laurel wreath was laid in memory of the Italian soldiers who fell in Afghanistan, a second at the Italian Embassy in the presence of the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Hekmat Karzai.  In his speech, Ambassador Roberto Cantone underlined the important Italian contribution, both on the civilian and military fronts, to the growth and pacification of a country that is characterized by complex political and security problems. He recalled the role Italy is playing at the side of Afghanistan in the goal of achieving peace and internal reconciliation. He also highlighted the ongoing commitment to support the most vul

If you are a US citizen, please tell your Government that the Afghans are tired of war and want peace

Why Americans do not talk to the Taliban? While violence in the country has reached a shocking level and as a result, scores of Afghans lose their lives on daily basis, peace has again become a hot topic. Gen. John Nicholson, the commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, even claimed that senior Taliban leaders were engaged in secretive ceasefire talks with Afghan officials. However, Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, rejected the claim as baseless in a statement, accusing the United States of trying to hide its failures in Afghanistan by making such unfounded allegations. For years, all efforts aimed at bringing a negotiated end to the Afghan conflict have failed. Among other culprits is Taliban’s insistence on direct talks with the United States and the refusal of Washington to do so. Since the peaceful settlement of the Afghan war has come into play, the Taliban have persisted that they are willing to talk but first with Americans and then the Afghan government. The U

Herat: heart of Afghan business

Herat city is the business hub of Afghanistan with its well-established links to Iran, Turkmenistan and through them to the rest of the world. But Herat's economic success as well as improvements in security has attracted criminal gangs to target businessmen for kidnap.

Indian movie director Deb Medhekar said that he would like to screen Bioscopewala in Afghanistan

Indian movie director Deb Medhekar said in a letter to the Afghanistan Embassy to India, that he would like to screen Bioscopewala in Afghanistan. While he is uncertain about getting permission for a theatrical release, he hopes his film will be screened in schools, colleges or on other public platforms. The director said, "While making the film, I hoped that, someday, it would screen in Afghanistan.” The story follows a Pashtun merchant from Kabul, who travels to Calcutta to sell dry fruit every year. While in India he becomes friends with a five-year-old girl Mini as she reminds him of his own daughter who lives in Kabul. Even though Bollywood ventures are a big draw in Afghanistan - with many residents having picked up the language by bingeing on Hindi films aired on their TV sets - tense political climates have led to the closure of several theaters in the country. Inevitably, Hindi movies are only infrequently aired in Afghanistan theaters. Medhekar said: “The film traces the