Page 27 - Afghanistan

Widespread locust infestation in Afghan provinces is huge concern: FAO

The UN food agency is warning that a widespread locust infestation in several Afghan provinces is of huge concern and could possibly decimate a quarter of the wheat crop. A statement from the Food and Agriculture Organisation, dated Wednesday, said that at least eight of Afghanistan's 34 provinces have been affected by the Moroccan Locust, ranked among the most economically damaging plant pests in the world. The reports of Moroccan Locust outbreak in Afghanistan's breadbasket is a huge concern," said Richard Trenchard, FAO's representative in Afghanistan. "It represents an enormous threat to farmers, communities, and the entire country. He added that the last two big outbreaks, 20 and 40 years ago, cost Afghanistan an estimated 8 per cent and 25 per cent of its annual wheat production respectively. Afghanistan's Taliban-appointed spokesman for the agriculture, irrigation, and livestock ministry said the authorities were aware of the dangers. We are aware of the situation and are .

Earthquake of magnitude 4.5 jolts southwest Fayzabad in Afghanistan

An earthquake of magnitude 4.5 on the Richter scale jolted 99 kilometres south-southwest of Fayzabad, Afghanistan on Thursday, the National Center for Seismology (NCS) said.The NCS said that the earthquake occurred at 5:51 am IST on Thursday and at a depth of 172 Kilometers. NCS tweeted, "Earthquake of Magnitude:4.5, Occurred on 11-05-2023, 05:51:03 IST, Lat: 36.33 & Long: 69.98, Depth: 172 Km, Location: 99km SSW of Fayzabad, Afghanistan."No casualty has been reported yet. Further details are awaited.Earlier on Tuesday, an earthquake of magnitude 4.3 on the Richter scale jolted 116 kilometres South East of Fayzabad in Afghanistan, the National Center for Seismology (NCS) informed in a tweet.The earthquake occurred at 3:32 am IST on Tuesday and hit at a depth of 120 kilometres. The NCS tweeted, "Earthquake of Magnitude:4.3, Occurred on 09-05-2023, 03:32:23 IST, Lat: 36.47 & Long: 71.59, Depth: 120 Km, Location: 116km SE of Fayzabad, Afghanistan.

China pulls off its Afghan investment gambit after a delayed start

China is ready to help Afghanistan realise self-reliance, peace, stability, development and prosperity at an early date, said Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang

Pakistan, China to extend CPEC to Afghanistan, stress on fighting terrorism

Pakistan, China and Afghanistan have agreed to forge closer economic ties by extending the Beijing-backed China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan to fully harness the country's potential as a hub for regional connectivity. Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang and Afghanistan's Taliban-appointed acting Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi held the 5th China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Dialogue, where they also underlined the need to prevent any group from using their territories for terror activities against any nation. The three countries reiterated their resolve to fully harness Afghanistan's potential as a hub for regional connectivity and reaffirmed "their commitment to further the trilateral cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and to jointly extend the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to Afghanistan, according to a joint statement issued on Monday, two days after the meeting here on .

Pak, Chinese, Afghan diplomats agree to extend CPEC to Afghanistan

Foreign Ministers of Pakistan, China and Afghanistan have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen trilateral cooperation under BRI and jointly extend the CPEC to Afghanistan

Blinken threatened to be held in contempt over US' Afghanistan withdrawal

"Chairman McCaul threatened to hold Secretary Blinken in contempt of Congress and/or initiate a civil enforcement process if the department fails to produce the subpoenaed documents"

China's Belt and Road initiative to enter Afghanistan in Taliban victory

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari met in Islamabad on Saturday and pledged to work together on Afghanistan's reconstruction process

UN assistance mission repeats commitment to stay in Afghanistan amid crisis

As the humanitarian crisis continues to persist in war-torn Afghanistan under Taliban rule, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has reaffirmed its commitment to stay TOLOnews reported

Nations conveyed 'concerns' over presence of terrorists in Afghan: UN chief

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who convened a meeting on Afghanistan in Doha that was attended by India, Tuesday said that participating nations have expressed "serious concerns" over persistent presence of terrorist groups in the war-torn country that pose a risk for the region and beyond. Guterres arrived in the Qatari capital on Monday to host the two-day meeting of Special Envoys on Afghanistan to reach points of commonality on key issues, such as human rights, in particular women's and girls' rights, inclusive governance, countering terrorism and drug trafficking. The meeting is intended to achieve a common understanding within the international community on how to engage with the Taliban on these issues. India is among the countries and organisations participating in the meeting, according to a note issued by Guterres' office here. "The meeting was about developing a common international approach, not about recognition of the de facto Taliban authorities," Guterres sa

India participating in Doha meeting convened by UN chief on Afghanistan

India is participating in the meeting convened in Doha by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Afghanistan that is bringing together special envoys from various countries and is aimed at achieving a common understanding on how to engage with the Taliban. Guterres arrived in Doha Monday to host the two-day meeting of special envoys on Afghanistan to reach points of commonality on key issues, such as human rights, in particular women's and girls' rights, inclusive governance, countering terrorism and drug trafficking. The meeting is intended to achieve a common understanding within the international community on how to engage with the Taliban on these issues, a note issued from the Secretary General's office said here. The note added that India is among the countries and organisations participating in the meeting. The other participants in the meeting are from China, France, Germany, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Norway, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, ..

Security Council unanimously slams Taliban ban on UN women workers

Ahead of an international meeting convened by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on dealing with the Taliban, the UNSC in a rare show of unanimity has voted unanimously to condemn Taliban

India invited to join regional group on Afghanistan: Russian FM Lavrov

"We want this Quintet to be constituted as something of a core for the format of neighbouring states," he said

Afghanistan already has a lot on its plate, but not enough food

Following the August 2021 Taliban takeover, a severe economic crisis gripped Afghanistan, exacerbated by droughts, floods, and earthquakes

Watchdog for US aid to Afghanistan warns money could be flowing to Taliban

The watchdog for US assistance to Afghanistan warned lawmakers Wednesday that American aid to the country could be diverted to the Taliban as he accused the Biden administration of stonewalling his efforts to investigate. Unfortunately, as I sit here today I cannot assure this committee or the American taxpayer, we are not currently funding the Taliban, John Sopko, the Special Inspector for Afghanistan Reconstruction, testified to the House Oversight Committee. Nor can I assure you that the Taliban are not diverting the money we are sending for the intended recipients, which are the poor Afghan people. The stunning disclosure by Sopko comes as House Republicans are using the power of their new majority to hold the Biden administration accountable over its handling of the chaotic US withdrawal in August 2021. It also comes a week after the White House publicly released a 12-page summary of the results of the so-called hotwash of US policies around the ending of the nation's longest .

International community should address challenges in Afghanistan: US Envoy

The US Special envoy took to Twitter and stated that he attended the Afghan Future Thought Forum's gathering in Doha with heads of mission of key allies and partners on Friday

Taliban bans video games, music, foreign films in Afghanistan's Herat

Earlier this month, also in Herat, the Taliban closed restaurant gardens for women and families

No obstacles for United Nations to function in Afghanistan: Taliban

The Taliban's chief spokesman said on Wednesday there are no obstacles for the UN to function in Afghanistan, after they barred Afghan women from working at the global body. Last week, the country's Taliban rulers took a step further in the restrictive measures they have imposed on women and said that female Afghan staffers employed with the UN mission can no longer report for work. The ban is being actively enforced by the country's intelligence agency, which reports to the Taliban's leadership in Kandahar. The UN says it cannot accept the decision, calling it unlawful and an unparalleled violation of women's rights. It says women are crucial for the delivery of life-saving aid to millions of Afghans, and has instructed its national staff, male and female, to stay at home. Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban-led government's chief spokesman and part of the supreme leader's inner circle, denied authorities were to blame for Afghanistan's many crises. The decision to bar Afghan women f

Taliban bans women from entering restaurants with gardens in Herat

The Taliban on Monday barred entry of families and women into restaurants with gardens or green spaces in Herat province, Afghanistan, reported Fox News.The decision came after religious clerics complained of mixing genders in such places. Afghan officials said that the curbs have been brought in place because of gender mixing or because women allegedly are not wearing the hijab. So far, the ban is applicable to restaurants with green spaces in the Herat province only.The outdoor dining ban only applies to establishments in Herat, where such premises remain open to men. Baz Mohammad Nazir, a deputy official from the Ministry of Vice and Virtue's directorate in Herat, denied media reports that all restaurants were off limits to families and women, dismissing them as propaganda, reported Fox News.He said it applied only to restaurants with green areas, such as a park, where men and women could meet. "After repeated complaints from scholars and ordinary people, we set limits and closed ..

Taliban ban restaurant gardens for families, women in Herat, says official

The Taliban have banned families and women from restaurants with gardens or green spaces in Afghanistan's northwestern Herat province, an official said Monday. The moves followed complaints from religious scholars and members of the public about mixing of genders in such places, he said. It was the latest in a slew of restrictions imposed by the Taliban since they took power in August 2021. They have shut girls out of classrooms beyond sixth grade and women from universities, most types of employment, including jobs at the United Nations. They are also banned from public spaces such as parks and gyms. Authorities say the curbs are in place because of gender mixing or because women allegedly are not wearing the hijab, or Islamic headscarf, correctly. The outdoor dining ban only applies to establishments in Herat, where such premises remain open to men. Baz Mohammad Nazir, a deputy official from the Ministry of Vice and Virtue's directorate in Herat, denied media reports that all .

Biden review blames Trump for 'chaotic' 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal

A U.S. review led by the National Security Council of the chaotic 2021 withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan largely lays the blame on former President Donald Trump, saying President Joe Biden was severely constrained" by the decisions of his predecessor. The White House on Thursday publicly released a 12-page summary of the results of the so-called hotwash of U.S. policies around the ending of the nation's longest war, taking little responsibility for its own actions during some of the darkest moments of Biden's presidency. The administration said most of the after-action reviews, which were transmitted privately to Congress on Thursday, were highly classified and would not be released publicly. President Biden's choices for how to execute a withdrawal from Afghanistan were severely constrained by conditions created by his predecessor, the White House summary states, noting that when Biden entered office, the Taliban were in the strongest military position that they had been