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7^th Anniversary – 300th Edition
Kabul-e-News is 7 years old this week and, coincidently, this week’s edition
is the 300th.  The newsletter prides itself on publishing positive,
“good news” and development stories about Afghanistan.
It attempts to offer a more positive picture of Afghanistan
than the more general media picture of war, violence and bombs
which floods much of the news about the country.
The publication is non-profit and voluntarily produced.
Kabul-e-News circulates weekly by email to more than 17,000 readers.
Since entering the social media world on Facebook in 2012,
Kabul-e-News now has presence of 59,600 plus fans.
     

The Darul Aman Palace was built in the 1920s by King Amanullah Shah, as part of his ongoing project to refurbish and rebuild Afghanistan’s capital. During the civil war which raged before the Taliban took control of Kabul, the palace was severely damaged by mujahaddin fighting and rockets. This site shows some photographs of the inside of the bomb damaged building. See the Photos>>>

Maryam Safi writes about the role of women whom she says play a very important role in social, economic, political and cultural aspects of the life but this role is often unseen or not considered very important because women rarely appear in public. In Afghan communities, especially in rural areas people say women are not involved in economic aspects but in reality, women have a very important in the market and economic life. Women are involved in farming, storing, preparing and making products which are then sold in the market.  More>>>

On a sweltering hot afternoon people are jam-packed into a small auditorium in the arts department at Kabul University. They’ve come to watch a new production of An Enemy of the People, Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen’s story of a man struggling with the contradictions of modern society. In the hands of young director Haroon Noori this 19th Century classic takes on new resonance for an Afghan audience.  More>>>

A dead “body” lies on the ground. There are bloodstains spattered all around and a pistol on the gravel near the body. The Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) team arrives and the officer orders in a loud voice: “Cordon the area and do not let other people to enter the crime scene.” A member of the CSI team enters the crime scene and starts marking specific pieces of evidence. CSI workers are being trained in Kabul. (The “body” in the photograph is a plastic dummy.)  See the Photos>>>

The English Writer Kabul

 An English writer and editor is available for a wide variety of your English writing needs. The writer has extensive experience in Afghanistan and in writing proposals, applications, reports and media releases, etc., for both foreign and local organisations.  Training in these activities can also be offered to your staff members. Charges are low. Contact details:englishwriterkabul@gmail.com
or 079 943 1087

Cricket

Join Afghanistan Cricket Board on Facebook with 219,903 fans

Be a part of the biggest movement of young people in Afghanistan and the largest peaceful activity in the country.

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A cricket tournament for the special people from across the country began in Kabul on Tuesday. The T-20 tournament has been sponsored by the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA).   Teams from the five Cricket Regions of Afghanistan are competing in the tournament.  The first round and Final is being played at the Kabul International Stadium while other matches will be played at the Zarmolwal Stadium. More>>>

Recent years have seen a strengthening of the Strategic Partnership Agreement between India and Afghanistan. The latest example is a grant of $1 million for the construction of a new cricket stadium in Kandahar Province, in Afghanistan’s south. Afghanistan Cricket Board CEO, Dr. Noor Muhammad Murade, says the “facility will allow greater developments in terms of coaching and performance as well as regular competitions. The players and tens of thousands of fans in that region will benefit.” More>>>

Afghanistan Football Federation

 Come and join the Afghanistan Football Federations facebook page with more than
94,782 fans.
Football needs yours support.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT US ON FACEBOOK

[ACTED News] – Today, August 12th, 2014 Afghanistan joined other nations in celebrating International Youth Day. This year’s theme, Youth and Mental Health, is particularly apt in this country where an estimated 60% of the population is facing mental health issues; exposure to a spectrum of violence from armed insurgency to domestic disputes have resulted in traumatic memories for children and youth coming of age in this country. More>>>

(Reuters) – When the United States stops funding power generation in Afghanistan’s southern city of Kandahar next year, the lights are set to go out and factories will fall idle, playing into the hands of Taliban insurgents active in the area. Regular power in the city is still years away, and when the US  ends subsidies in September 2015, Kandahar could lose around half its severely limited electricity supplies.  More>>>

Kabul’s hospitals are seeing rising rates of teenage suicide – particularly among girls – which are attributed to factors including domestic violence, “family honour” and poverty.  Some suggest the glimpses of a different life which adolescents get from social media, television and films makes it harder for them to cope with the realities of living in an impoverished, post-conflict society. Various hospitals are experiencing increased rates dealing with suicide and attempted suicides – with one having had 113 cases this year.  More>>>

KABUL (Reuters) – Afghan presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani cast fresh doubt over a deal to share power with his rival Abdullah Abdullah on Tuesday, saying the accord was ambiguous and needed clarifying.  He appeared to back away from the idea of sharing power, telling journalists the language of the document signed during Kerry’s visit was unclear.More>>>

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has received a US Department of Treasury award for a pioneering rail project in Afghanistan that is providing a cross-border trade link crucial to the country’s post-conflict economy. The 75-km railway, funded with a $165 million ADB grant, links the Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif to Hairatan on the northern border with Uzbekistan. Hairatan is the gateway for about half of Afghanistan’s imports. The photograph shows the railway lines on the Freedom Bridge crossing the Amu Darya River – the border between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. More>>>

Why have women not generally used their newfound political influence to promote their gendered interests in Afghanistan? This paper contends that, in spite of women’s sizable presence in Afghanistan’s Wolesi Jirga (lower house, WJ), the representation of women’s gender interests remains minimal. The author assesses why this might be the case, and suggests ways in which these interests might be more substantively raised in the future.

Like so much else in Afghanistan, the direction that the opium economy takes after 2014 will depend on a complex matrix of factors. Those who despair point to the more than one-third increase in cultivation, with a new high in 2013. They observe that with a contracting economy, increasing insecurity in rural areas, reduced international spending (and leverage) and a search for alternative sources of patronage among local power-holders, there are no obvious factors that would discourage expansion even beyond the current “unprecedented” levels. More>>>

The Afghan Minister of Commerce and Industry recently travelled to Turkmenistan to sign the permanent gas purchase agreement. According to the agreement, Turkmenistan will be required to sell gas to Afghanistan all year round. The Ministry believes that this will prevent abuses of sales of gas in the market.  More>>>