Friday, August 31, 2007

'Tough but worth it' -- Refugees see bright future for their children in Afghanistan

Prince Harry leads Diana tributes -- BBC

Prince Harry has told a service to mark the 10th anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, that she was "the best mother in the world". --- Family and friends joined Princes William and Harry for the service at Guards' Chapel near Buckingham Palace. --- "We both think of her every day. We speak about her and laugh together at all the memories."

Bush to announce sub-prime plan

US President George W Bush is expected to set out plans to help millions of homeowners with sub-prime mortgages avoid defaulting. --- Sub-prime mortgages are higher risk loans offered to people with poor credit ratings or on low incomes.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

U.S. Relations with Iran Remain Cool

Rumi's Time Has Come (Again) -- By Rachel Beckman

The United Nations declared 2007, the 800th anniversary of the poet's birth, the International Year of Rumi. --- Mr. Popularity was born Sept. 30, 1207, near Balkh in what is now Afghanistan. He became an Islamic scholar and embraced Islam's mystic tradition of Sufism. Along the way, he wrote thousands of poems. An untitled snippet: --- Rumi -- like Shakespeare and Mozart-- travels well, says Akbar Ahmed, chairman of the Islamic studies department at American University. Rumi's message of unity and peace is needed in America right now, he says.

Musharraf Agrees to Resign as Army Chief

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 29 -- Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has agreed to step down as army chief as part of a broad and once-unthinkable agreement being finalized with his chief political rival, Benazir Bhutto, officials on both sides said Wednesday.

U.S. stocks rally, Dow up nearly 250 points

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stocks rallied across the board Wednesday, in sharp contrast to the steep decline in the previous session, boosted by strong gains in technology and energy shares as well as particularly light trading volume.

Senlis finds starving kids but little evidence of Canadian aid in Afghanistan

Afghan president says international community must cooperate in drug fight

"There is not enough cooperation among the members of the international community in the fight against drugs in Afghanistan," Karzai told a gathering of government, tribal and religious leaders as well as international representatives. "We will not be successful if the international community does not respect our thoughts and ideas."

Karzai blasts west over opium policy

Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, on Wednesday launch­ed a powerful attack on the international community’s failure to come up with a coherent counter-narcotics strategy for his country, blaming the west for Afghanistan’s explosion in opium poppy cultivation. --- The president told journalists in Kabul that part of the problem facing Afghanistan was that the international community had not respected the Kabul government’s proposals to reduce poppy production.

What is Asthma?

Asthma is a serious, sometimes life-threatening respiratory disease that affects the quality of life for millions of Americans. Although there is no cure for asthma yet, asthma can be controlled through medical treatment and management of environmental triggers. EPA is committed to educating all Americans about asthma so that everyone knows what asthma is, how the environment can affect asthma patients and how to manage environmental.
Secondhand Smoke
Dust Mites
Molds
Cockroaches and Pests
Pets
Nitrogen Dioxide
Related Topics
Outdoor Air

Docs Pore Over New Asthma Guidelines

But, according to Dr. Alan Leff, professor of medicine at the University of Chicago, "Most physicians who treat asthma are unfamiliar with the guidelines, and those who know about them do not really read them."

NIH Updates Guidelines For Asthma Treatment, Management

WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- New federal guidelines to help doctors and patients manage asthma aim to take a more comprehensive approach in order to cut down on asthma attacks and hospitalizations that start rising each September.

Turkish leader approves cabinet

S Koreans rethink missionary work -- BBC

Bhutto 'close to Musharraf deal'

Ms Bhutto told the BBC that most issues had been resolved, but an agreement had not been finalised. She wants a clear statement he will resign as army chief. --- She also wants a pledge to remove legal obstacles currently preventing her from becoming prime minister for a third time, and the removal of corruption cases against her.

General warns of 'deadly' new Afghan phase

The head of the Army has warned that Britain could be facing a generation of conflict in a confidential speech that the Ministry of Defence tried to keep under wraps.

Despite public anger, the army still see Afghanistan as a cause worth dying for

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Deal may free S. Korean hostages

Afghanistan: Justice and rule of law key to Afghanistan's future prosperity

Amnesty International believes that long-term security and development in Afghanistan will only be achieved in a climate in which human rights and the rule of law are respected. This can only be assured if access to justice -- and the administration of justice in accordance with international human rights law and standards -- are guaranteed for all.

Eradication or legalisation? How to solve Afghanistan's opium crisis

A Test of Turkey's Maturity -- GÜL ELECTED PRESIDENT IN ANKARA

After months of acrimony and debate, Abdullah Gül was elected the new president of Turkey. Many suspect him of being a closet adherent of political Islam. Just how Turkey reacts to his election will say a lot about the country's maturity.

'شکنجه' در زندانهای امنیت ملی افغانستان -- BBC

کمیسیون مستقل حقوق بشر افغانستان می گوید وضعیت زندانها در افغانستان نسبت به دو سال گذشته بهبود یافته اما هنوز با استانداردهای بین المللی فاصله زیادی دارد.

BBC --احمدی نژاد: هاله اسفندیاری آزاد است هرجا خواست برود

هاله اسفندیاری، پژوهشگر ایرانی مقیم آمریکا یک هفته پیش پس از سه ماه حبس با وثیقه سیصد میلیون تومانی آزاد شده اما پرونده او به اتهام جاسوسی و اقدام علیه امنیت ملی ایران همچنان در دست رسیدگی است

Stand by for more activist French policy

In his first foreign policy speech, French President Nicolas Sarkozy adopted a more "mid-Atlantic" stance than his predecessor Jacques Chirac, less hostile to the United States and globalisation and more critical of Russia and China.

Turks elect ex-Islamist president

He is the first politician with an Islamist background to become head of state since the creation of the deeply secular Turkish Republic in 1923. --- His swearing-in follows a third round of voting in parliament, which he won by a clear majority. --- Mr Gul took his oath at a ceremony in parliament, pledging loyalty to democracy and to the secular Republic.

Taleban 'agree to free Koreans' -- BBC

Seoul said the agreement was reached on condition its troops were withdrawn as scheduled by the year's end. --- South Korea also agreed to end all missionary work in Afghanistan and stop its citizens from travelling there.

Wildfires rage on across Greece

Several EU countries have sent their own firefighters, backed by planes and helicopters, to help tackle the blazes.

Monday, August 27, 2007

Let's not tear down Afghan gains

Abandoning Afghanistan prematurely, on some arbitrary deadline, really will mean that those Canadians died in vain.

Don't fail Afghanistan -- (Iraq may be hopeless, but Afghanistan is worth defending. Here's why and how.)

The collapse of the noble nation-building experiment in Afghanistan would destroy U.S. credibility in the eyes of the world, shake global security and condemn millions of people to another generation of warfare and terrorism. And it would be all the more devastating if accompanied by U.S. defeat in Iraq. Yet the effort to build a stable nation atop the wreckage of Afghanistan can still, with great effort, be salvaged.

Sarkozy sees key role for Europe

Greeks step up fire investigation -- BBC

Bush ally Gonzales resigns post

Paying tribute to Mr Gonzales, Mr Bush said on Monday that he had been subjected to "months of unfair treatment" and that "his good name was dragged through the mud for political reasons".

Failings in war on Afghan drugs -- BBC

The United Nations says opium production in Afghanistan has "soared to frightening record levels" with an increase on last year of more than a third.

FACTBOX-Afghan opium production at record levels

Aug. 27 (Reuters) - Afghanistan produced 93 percent of the world's opium in 2007, up from 92 percent last year, the annual United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report released on Monday said. Here are some key facts from the report and the opium cultivation cycle in Afghanistan.

Sunday, August 26, 2007

New Tajik-Afghan bridge sparks hope

Debating the future of Afghan Buddhas

Princes to read at Diana service -- BBC

Princes William and Harry are to give readings at a memorial service for their mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, on the 10th anniversary of her death.

Prayers to mark Diana anniversary

The prayers will be read at a memorial service in London attended by Princes William and Harry on 31 August. -- Diana and Dodi

Exporting Instability -- By, William D. Hartung

Why pour more weapons into the region now? The principal rationale appears to be to send a message to Iran that it must bend to US pressure to end its nuclear program, stop the flow of Iranian weapons to Iraqi insurgents and cease its support for Hamas and Hezbollah. Otherwise, the argument goes, not only will Tehran face the prospect of US military action but it will also be surrounded by neighbors armed with top-of-the-line US weaponry.

Afghan forces strike Taliban inside Pakistan

Road bridge opens between Tajikistan and Afghanistan

Greek fires reach ancient Olympics site

ANCIENT OLYMPIA, Greece - Massive fires consuming large areas of southern Greece for a third day raced toward the site of the ancient Olympics on Sunday, engulfing villages and forests as the flames reached one of the most revered sites of antiquity.

Europe may cut military role in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States is worried about weakening Italian and German military commitments in Afghanistan as casualties increase in the fight to stem the bloody Taliban insurgency, officials said.

Record-breaking opium crop destabilizes Afghanistan

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan's poppy harvest is expected to top all records this year as the country spirals deeper into a vicious circle of drugs, corruption and insecurity. --- "It is a very bad situation definitely, and the government has not been able to deal with it in the right way, otherwise it should have at least been stabilized or contained," said Christina Oguz, the head of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Afghanistan. --- "The same goes for the international community."

Saturday, August 25, 2007

U.S. Struggles to Win Hearts, Minds in the Muslim World

The Sept. 11 commission last month called for a vigorous strategy for promoting the image and democratic values of the United States around the world, and national security adviser Condoleezza Rice said yesterday that the administration is working hard on those efforts. --- The basic goals in the war of ideas are to dispel destructive myths about both U.S. culture and policy and to encourage voices advocating moderation, tolerance and pluralism in the Muslim world, Rice said.

Strategy that fails to win hearts and minds

Airpower allowed Nato to move into Taliban areas but at high cost for the alliance

Rocket hits hospital in Afghan capital

French ex-PM Raymond Barre dies

Raymond Barre, the centrist technocrat who served as French prime minister for five years from 1976 to 1981, has died in Paris at the age of 83. --- He succeeded Jacques Chirac in the post, serving under President Valery Giscard d'Estaing who called him "France's best economist".

Fires prompt Greek national alert

A nationwide state of emergency has been declared in Greece, amid a rising death toll from raging forest fires.

Greek forest fires kill 47 as blaze nears Athens

Forest fires have ripped through southern Greece, killing 47 people, injuring 40 and leaving hundreds homeless.

Friday, August 24, 2007

ABC News: Who Gives More -- The Rich or The Poor?

Are Americans Cheap? Or Charitable?

ABC News: Cheap in America? Do you give? Or are you cheap? I keep hearing that "Americans are cheap." --- The New York Times asks in an editorial, "Are we cheap?"

Merkel Calls For Prosperity for All,

BERLIN BRAINSTORMS IN THE BOONDOCKS

Musharraf - beginning of the end? -- BBC News, Karachi

Musharraf seeks 'reconciliation' -- BBC

مجموعه قوانین افغانستان , -- د افغانستان د قوانینو مجموعه

برای دیدن فهرست قوانین به زبان دری اینجا را کلیک کنید , -- په پښتو ژبه د قوانینو د فهرست د لېدو لپاره دا ځای کېکاږﺉ

عکسهایی از گرامیداشت روز استقلال افغانستان -- BBC

Closing Pakistan refugee camp may cause crisis-UN

GENEVA, Aug 22 (Reuters) - The United Nations asked Pakistan on Wednesday to delay closing a refugee camp for 100,000 Afghans because it could trigger a humanitarian crisis over the winter.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

US steps closer to war with Iran

Chinese Vice-premier Meets Afghan Foreign Minister

British Presence Mars Independence Celebration

History runs deep as Afghans commemorate victory over the British 88 years ago, and Helmand residents ponder the irony of British troops patrolling their province again. ---- "Afghans will never tolerate invaders," he said. "Defend your nation, and keep your country the way your grandfathers did."

How Can We Best Help Afghanistan? (5 Letters)

Afghanistan is the good war. It has an achievable, measurable, sustainable and honorable objective clearly in the interest of the United States: defeat a proven dangerous global enemy, Al Qaeda.

U.S. report cites deep concerns about Iraq's government

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Islamic Spain -- (The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain)

Over a thousand years ago, Europe experienced one of its greatest periods of cultural enlightenment. --- For more than three centuries in Medieval Spain, Muslims, Jews and Christians lived together and prospered in a thriving multicultural civilization. Here, remarkable individuals of different faiths made lasting contributions in such areas as poetry, art, architecture, music, dining etiquette, science, agriculture, medicine, engineering, navigation, textiles, and even hydraulic technology.

Cities of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain

A journey back into one of the most captivating periods of world history - a centuries-long period when Muslims, Christians, and Jews inhabited the same area of Western Europe and thrived. ---- The history of Islamic Spain, as told in Cities of Light, demonstrates that when religious diversity is accommodated within a social and political system, problems and tensions may still exist, but society is able to successfully manage them, generally to the benefit of all. But when governing powers and religious movements reject complexity and insist on a single cultural and religiously centered point of view, then society is likely to grieve widespread loss for everyone.

Deutsche Bank taps Fed discount window

NEW YORK, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Wednesday it borrowed money directly from the U.S. Federal Reserve, making it one of at least five banks that borrowed from the Fed.

Afghanistan: Health Minister Calls AIDS Epidemic 'Serious And Alarming' Challenge

August 22, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Afghanistan's Health Ministry announced on August 2 that HIV infections have increased fourfold in that country in the past six months. Official figures show 75 cases recorded this year, but international groups estimate that the real HIV-positive rate is higher.

Afghanistan’s Aid Challenge -- by: Greg Bruno

سراج وهاج -- ظاهرشاه، در ترازوی عدالت

روت چیزینگر ــ ترجمه از انجنیر معروفی

حامد کرزی کیست؟

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

US government urged to bail out homeowners

Political pressure is building in the US for a government-supported bail-out of low-income homeowners, whose rising mortgage arrears have sparked a full-blown global financial crisis.

افغانستان چگونه به استقلال رسید؟ -- BBC

در اواخر سال ۱۲۹۷ خورشیدی بود که امان الله، شاه جوان پس از مرگ مرموز پدر به جای او بر اریکه قدرت تکیه زد و در حالی که شمشیر برهنه ای به کمر بسته بود در مسجد عیدگاه کابل در محضر شهروندان پایتخت، ارکان دولت و لشکریان، افغانستان را کشوری مستقل اعلام کرد و از بریتانیا خواست استقلال افغانستان را به رسمیت بشناسد

هشدار سازمان ملل درباره بیجاشدگان افغان -- BBC

یک مقام سازمان ملل متحد نسبت به افزایش شمار بیجاشدگان افغانستان ابراز نگرانی کرده و خواستار رسیدگی به وضع آنان شده است

طراحی پوشش جدید برای همسر عبدالله گل -- BBC

آقای کوتوگلو، طراح ترک مقیم وین، گفته است با طرح هایش "انقلاب کوچکی" در نحوه پوشش ایجاد خواهد کرد

نس ناستى هر کال ٥٠ زره افغان ماشومان وژني -- BBC

Afghan refugees flood back home -- BBC

Hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees are returning from neighbouring Pakistan and Iran, some after more than 25 years. The BBC's Alastair Leithead reports from a refugee centre north of the capital, Kabul.

حامد کرزی سنگ تهداب تعمیر جدید لیسه غازی را گذاشت

بودجه تعمیر جدید لیسه غازی به ملیونها دالر میرسد، که از کمکهای سخاوتمندانه و برادرانه دولت امریکا به مردم افغانستان تمویل می گردد. کمک های تخنیکی این پروژه از طرف موسسه یو- ان- او- پی- اس به پیش برده میشود. توقع میرود که کار اعمار تمام تاسیسات لیسه تاماه جوزای 1388 تکمیل گردد

July foreclosures up 93 percent vs year ago: survey

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Home foreclosures rose 9 percent in July from June and soared 93 percent from a year ago as states that once enjoyed a white-hot housing market are now seeing the greatest number of loan failures, a real estate survey reported on Tuesday.

California leads nation in foreclosures

Wave of violence in Afghanistan kills 24

GHAZNI, Afghanistan (AFP) - At least 24 people including two police officers were killed in clashes as fresh violence swept through insurgency-hit Afghanistan, officials said Tuesday.

The Kidnappers of Kabul -- TIME

Feature: Living in the shadow of terror, -- MARILYN ANGELUCCI

Bush praises Nafta at summit meeting in Canada

MONTEBELLO, Quebec: President George W. Bush said Tuesday that the 12-year-old trade agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico had boosted the economies of all three countries and that cooperation on border security would keep commerce flowing.

Secret Negotiations with the Islamists Proved Fruitless

By Matthias Gebauer and Holger Stark, SPIEGEL

Pentagon ditches controversial security database

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon said on Tuesday it would close a controversial database tracking suspicious activity around U.S. military bases which critics complained had been used to spy on peaceful antiwar activists.

Fed keeps tools handy and calms Wall Street

WASHINGTON/LONDON (Reuters) - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke signaled a willingness to consider an early cut in the benchmark interest rate to quell market unrest, a key U.S. lawmaker said on Tuesday after meeting with the Fed chief, sending Wall Street higher.

Wall Street finds stability -- CNNMoney

Nasdaq, S&P 500 post gains, Dow cuts losses as investors take comfort in meeting among Fed's Bernanke, Sen. Dodd and Treasury Secretary Paulson; oil prices dip.

Monday, August 20, 2007

Tourists flee in Mexico from huge hurricane

With winds near 150 mph (240 kph), Dean was likely to become a rare Category 5 -- the strongest type of hurricane -- before making landfall near Mexico's border with Belize early on Tuesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Americans Using Painkillers More Than Ever

According to a recent analysis by the Associated Press (AP) news agency of figures from the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Americans are using painkillers more than ever before. Between 1997 and 2007 the volume of five major painkillers sold and distributed in the United States by hospitals, retail pharmacies, doctors and teaching centres has risen by 90 per cent.

The good war, still to be won

We will never know just how much better the fight in Afghanistan might be going if it had been managed more competently over the past six years. But there can be little doubt that U.S. forces - and the Kabul government - would be in far stronger positions than they are today.

DynCorp wins portion of $1.8B contract for work in Afghanistan

DynCorp International Inc. was one of five winners of a contract worth up to $1.8 billion from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to do construction in Afghanistan. --- The one-year contact with two option years has a ceiling of $600 million per year. --- The Falls Church-based government contractor DynCorp (NYSE: DCP) will now compete with the other four winners for individual task orders with values ranging from $5 million to $25 million.

Documents spotlight U.S.-Pakistan ties

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Newly declassified intelligence documents reveal the depth of U.S. officials' concern that Pakistan was providing funds, arms — and even combat troops — to the Taliban regime in Afghanistan for years before the Sept. 11 attacks.

Afghanistan: bleeding wound of Geneva Accord

Diego Cordovez, the United Nations mediator who negotiated the Soviet pullout for six years, writes in his highly controversial book ‘Out of Afghanistan’ that the Red Army was securely entrenched when the Soviet Union agreed to withdraw: American weaponry and Afghan bravery raised the cost for Moscow, but it was six-year diplomacy that gave the Russians a way out. Despite being cynical about the role the Akhtar and his ISI, he simply could not ignore the ground realities. He had to confess at many places that Afghanistan had become “bleeding wound for the Soviets”. Some excerpts from his work are appended below:

Jirga sidesteps Pashtun radicalization -- Haroun Mir

But they failed to highlight the main threat to the stability of the countries - the intensive radicalization of Pashtun tribes at the hands of al-Qaeda. --- But the assembly was picked by the Afghan and Pakistani governments and lacked representatives from the Pashtuns who fight Afghan and coalition forces, and support the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

US behind Afghan warlord's rise, fall, -- Globe Staff

Sunday, August 19, 2007

به مناسبت تجلیل از هشتاد و هشتمین سالگرد استقلال کشور -- داکتر سید عبدالله کاظم

به نام نامی قهرمان و محصل استقلال ــ اعلیحضرت غازی امان الله خان

Kidnapped German woman freed in Afghanistan

KABUL/BERLIN (Reuters) - A German woman abducted by gunmen in Afghanistan has been freed, the German Foreign Ministry said on Sunday hours after she appeared in a video asking Berlin to use every effort to gain her freedom.

Afghanistan celebrates independence from Britain

Although Afghanistan was never a full colony of Britain, London under a treaty controlled its foreign affairs until agreeing to allow full independence on August 19, 1919. --- Afghans had earlier fought three wars against the British, the first starting in 1838 and the last ending months before the 1919 agreement.

How a ‘Good War’ in Afghanistan Went Bad --NYTimes

In Afghanistan, a War Gone Sour ... (3 Letters)

Re “How the ‘Good War’ in Afghanistan Went Bad” (front page, Aug. 12):

US documents show Pakistan gave Taliban military aid --Julian Borger, diplomatic editor

Among the documents acquired by the National Security Archive, an independent group pressing for government transparency, is a confidential memo sent in November 1996, from intelligence report from Islamabad to the Defence Intelligence Agency in Washington, describing how Pakistan's paramilitary Frontier Corps was operating across the border.

Billions In U.S. Aid Wasted In Afghanistan

(CBS) American doctor Dave Warner is on a mission in eastern Afghanistan to show people back home how billions of taxpayer dollars sent here are being wasted. “When I was here in December,” Warner told CBS News chief forign correspondent Lara Logan. “This was full so you can see they've dug another pit over here.” --- Warner is a public health expert from San Diego who's taken it upon himself to do what no one else in Afghanistan seems to be doing — documenting the failures in reconstruction. He says the system can't be fixed unless those responsible first admit that it's broken.

Friday, August 17, 2007

Fed brings relief to the markets -- FT

The Fed acted by cutting its so-called discount rate – under which banks can borrow from the central bank against a wide range of collateral, including subprime mortgages – from 6.25 per cent to 5.75 per cent. That is only 50 basis points above its main interest rate, the federal funds rate.

Afghanistan's ball back in Pakistan's court, By M K Bhadrakumar

UK's Afghan mission at turning point, says Browne

Des Browne, the defence secretary, said yesterday that British forces could be at a "turning point" in bringing stability to Afghanistan, but suggested that there would still be a substantial UK military presence in the country for many years.

Afghanistan and Pakistan: Looking for peace on troubled borders

Economy: Fed Lowers Discount Rate to Calm Markets

Many economists believe if the financial market crisis worsens, the Fed will soon move to cut the federal funds rate as well.

What's behind the market turmoil

It's taken for granted in most of the coverage of the current market troubles that sub-prime problems in the US mortgage market are causing declines in world share prices. But why are they having such a widespread effect?

US rate cut boosts global markets -- BBC

Tighter credit conditions and increased uncertainty have the potential to restrain economic growth, US Federal Reserve Open Markets Committee

Quake aftermath -- BBC

Thursday, August 16, 2007

U.S. Wants Moderate Rule in Pakistan

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher, speaking at a news conference during a visit to the Pakistani capital, would not comment on the possibility of a power-sharing deal between President Gen. Pervez Musharraf and exiled former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. He spoke a day after holding talks with Musharraf and other top officials.

U.S. Attack in Tora Bora Seeks Taliban

Analysis: Clinton's Double - Edged Fight

Bush, First Lady Announce Daughter Jenna's Engagement (Update1)

U.S. and Israel Sign Military Aid Deal

JERUSALEM, Aug. 16 — Israel and the United States signed an agreement today that will give Israel $30 billion in military aid over the next decade. Officials called the aid a long-term investment in peace.

Russia, China, Iran Warn U.S. at Summit

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan -- The leaders of Russia, China and Iran said Thursday that Central Asia should be left alone to manage its stability and security _ an apparent warning to the United States to avoid interfering in the strategic, resource-rich region.

POWERFUL QUAKE ROCKS PERU

ICA, Peru (AP) — The death toll rose to 450 on Thursday in the magnitude-8 earthquake that devastated cities of adobe and brick in Peru's southern desert. Survivors wearing blankets against the winter cold walked like ghosts through the ruins.

Bush's daughter, Jenna, engaged to be married

CRAWFORD, Texas (AP) — Jenna Bush, one of President Bush's twin daughters, is engaged to be married to her long-time boyfriend, Henry Hager, the White House announced Thursday.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Obama Says He Can Unite U.S. 'More Effectively' Than Clinton

MANCHESTER, N.H., Aug. 14 -- Drawing a sharp contrast with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, his main rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, Sen. Barack Obama said in an interview that he has the capacity she may lack to unify the country and move it out of what he called "ideological gridlock."

Rove to Leave White House Post

New US-led offensive in Tora Bora

Tora Bora was the scene of a failed major US operation to capture Osama Bin Laden in 2001.

Fed Could Cut Rates if Markets Worsen

''With financial markets in disarray and the potential for a credit crunch, the Fed will have little choice but to ease policy,'' said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Economy.com.

Passport Headaches Costing Nearly $1B

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The nation's passport headaches may be easing a bit, but now comes the bill: almost $1 billion.

Former Pakistani Leader Urges Elections

NEW YORK (AP) -- Exiled Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto urged her country's military leader Wednesday to fulfill election-related promises before the end of the month, when her party will consider whether to enter a political alliance that would restore democracy.

Rumsfeld's Letter of Resignation

Afghan empire's last symbols under threat

GHAZNI, Afghanistan (Reuters) - For more than eight centuries the "Towers of Victory" -- monuments to Afghanistan's greatest empire -- have survived wars and invasions, but now weather and neglect could cause them to come crashing down.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Much Talk But Little Substance at Afghan Assembly

Critics say the jirga or assembly was flawed from the start, with delegates hand-picked to follow the line of whichever government selected them, so that apart from the Afghan and Pakistani presidents, none of the real actors in the conflict was even represented.

U.S. public wakens to forgotten war

Almost no debate on merits of involvement in Afghanistan except to beat up on Bush --- Some U.S. commentators have called Afghanistan the first and most unfortunate orphan of the Iraq war. They have also dubbed it the United States' forgotten war.

Inside Europe -- BBC

News, analysis and comment on events in the European Union

قطعنامه اجلاس صلح کابل -- BBC

این قطعنامه در شش ماده از سوی حدود هفتصد شرکت کننده اجلاس به تصویب رسید و از سوی هیات رییسه در اختیار خبرنگاران قرار گرفت.

اهمیت منطقه ای سفر احمدی نژاد به کابل -- BBC

احمدي نژاد : موږ طالبانو ته وسلې نه ورکوو -- BBC

Pakistan marks 60th anniversary

Sunday, August 12, 2007

داکتر روان فـرهادی

محمد ظاهـر شاه (1914 – 2007) ــ پادشاهی که بسی آرزوهایش در بارۀ وطن به ثمر نرسید

افغانستان او پاکستان د امن گډه جرگه -- BBC

Pictures

مشرف: شورشیان افغان در پاکستان حمایت می شوند -- BBCNEWS

د امن جرگه پاى ته ورسېده -- BBCNEWS

Musharraf in anti-Taleban pledge

Afghan Mass Graves Spur Calls for Justice

"There were 60,000 civilians killed in Kabul alone during the civil war, and some of those responsible are sitting in parliament," said Nader Nadery, an official of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission. "If we don't see the minimum political will to deal with the issue of justice, people will just become more frustrated. These graves are stirring up terrible memories, and we cannot afford to ignore them." --- Yet both the United Nations and the Western governments that back Karzai have stopped short of calling for prosecutions of wartime abuses and investigations of mass graves, suggesting that preserving political stability is a more urgent priority. In recent weeks, a team of U.N. experts has been visiting some of the grave sites, but their mandate is only to teach Afghan police how to preserve the contents for any future investigation.

Afghan Rebels Find Aid in Pakistan, Musharraf Admits

KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 12 — Gen. Pervez Musharraf, the president of Pakistan, made a rare admission on Sunday before hundreds of Pakistani and Afghan delegates at a grand tribal assembly here, saying that support for militants emanating from Pakistan has caused problems for Afghanistan, and that his country should work to secure peace on its side of their mutual border.

Bush and Karzai Show Signs of Divergence on Key Issues

Because Karzai has no power base of his own, and his authority is rooted in the public's perception that he is a rainmaker among foreign patrons, the president understands the importance of demonstrating that he enjoys the administration's full support. Nevertheless, on important issues of policy, rifts are becoming evident between Afghanistan and the United States. Karzai and Bush part ways on several issues in particular:

Friday, August 10, 2007

Embattled Musharraf to address Kabul anti-terror meet

ISLAMABAD (AFP) - Bowing to international pressure, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on Friday agreed "in principle" to address a key joint Afghan-Pakistani tribal council in Kabul, the foreign ministry said.

Day of bloodshed in Afghanistan mars 'peace jirga'

KABUL (AFP) - Fresh fighting across Afghanistan left at least 45 people dead Friday, including a British soldier, as a council of Pakistani and Afghan tribal leaders debated ways to end extremist violence in the region.

Top things to know -- CNN Money

Investing in stocks

Money for life without a 401(k)

It's never too late to get a jump on retirement savings, even if your job doesn't provide a plan, says Walter Updegrave, and the Roth IRA is a great way to do it.

MARKET SNAPSHOT: Dow Ends With 0.4% Weekly Gain As Fed Intervenes

Government Offers Simpler Flight Screening

The new plan would require passengers to give their full name when they make their reservations either in person, by phone or online. They also will be asked if they are willing to provide their date of birth and gender at that time to reduce the chance of false positive matches with names on the watch lists.

Afghanistan at Odds With U.S. on Plan to Curb Opium

``We think it's better to put more resources on preventing cultivation because once it's cultivated, it's too late,'' Said Jawad, Afghanistan's ambassador to the U.S., said in an interview yesterday. ``You eradicate it, you lose the support of the people.'' --- Jawad stressed that rather than ``punishing extensively the farmers, we have to go after traffickers.''

AFGHANISTAN: A last chance, By Karl F. Inderfurth

The battle for Afghan "hearts and minds" is in danger of being lost because of rising civilian casualties and war damage. The Karzai government is losing the support of Afghans due to widespread corruption, the failure to provide needed social services, and its inability to control large parts of its own territory. A U.S. National Intelligence Estimate says Al Qaeda has established a new safe haven on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Meanwhile, international support for "staying the course" in Afghanistan is slipping. The Taliban surge in suicide bombings, hostage taking and killing of foreigners is taking its toll.

Mujaddedi launches blistering attack on Pakistan

Terrorists arent sneaking into Afghanistan from China, Iran, Tajikistan or Uzbekistan. We shouldnt close our eyes to the fact that they have been entering our country from Pakistan, said the elderly NRC chief, who made an impassioned appeal for joint efforts to stop militants in their tracks.

KABUL, Aug 9 (Pajhwok Afghan News):

Azizullah Wasefi, agriculture minister in the cabinet of Sardar Daud Khan, acknowledged diplomacy was the best way to defuse tensions but the Pakistani intelligence organisation did not allow that option to be exercised meaningfully. --- Wasefi saw a sinister conspiracy behind the flames of war devouring Pakhtun-inhabited areas in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He called upon the participants to devise an effective strategy for stopping the wholesale massacre of Pakhtuns.

Thursday, August 09, 2007

British Criticize Air Attacks in Afghan Region

SANGIN, Afghanistan — A senior British commander in southern Afghanistan said in recent weeks that he had asked that American Special Forces leave his area of operations because the high level of civilian casualties they had caused was making it difficult to win over local people.

First Father: Tough Times on Sidelines

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8 — There are times in the life of George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st president of the United States and father of the 43rd, that people, perfect strangers, come up to him and say the harshest things — words intended to comfort but words that wind up only causing pain.

Extreme Floods Hit 500 Million People A Year: U.N.

It takes inane optimism to see victory in Afghanistan

کرزى: په گډه سره ترهگرۍ په يوه ورځ ختمولى شو

Doubts and hopes -- BBC

Click here: BBC News In pictures: Afghans react to the ,

Unity call as Afghan jirga opens

Mortgage concerns hit US markets

US shares have tumbled amid fears that problems in the mortgage market may prompt a global credit crunch. --- The main Dow Jones index fell 387.18 points, or 2.8%, to 13,270.68. The S&P shed 3% and the Nasdaq lost 2.2%.

Gov't to Step Up Immigration Enforcement

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration plans to step up immigration enforcement by raising fines on employers who hire undocumented workers, overhauling temporary worker programs and speeding up deployment of border agents, according to a summary of the plans.

AstraZeneca Ulcer Drugs Get U.S. Review on Heart Risk (Update5)

US, Canada reviewing Nexium, see no heart risk -- SCIENCE NEWS

US Unveils New Counter-Drug Strategy for Afghanistan

ECB in €95bn move on market turmoil

The European Central Bank scrambled to head off a potential financial crisis on Thursday by making an emergency injection of €94.8bn ($131bn) worth of funds into the region’s money markets, after signs that liquidity was drying up.

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Giving peace a chance in Afghanistan

"It is a traditional tool that will be used to ban support and hideouts for terrorists in their regions," said an Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman. --- "The jirga will find the roots of terrorism, the elements of insecurity and the sanctuaries for terrorists, their means of financial and other support. It will seek ways to tackle the problems," the spokesman said.

Pakistan May Declare State of Emergency

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - The government of embattled Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf said Thursday it may impose a state of emergency because of ``external and internal threats'' and deteriorating law and order in the volatile northwest near the Afghan border.

Pakistan leader forgoes Afghan summit

General Pervez Musharraf on Wednesday pulled out of a long-planned grand assembly of Pakistani and Afghan tribal leaders, snubbing an initiative that had the ­personal backing of US President George W. Bush.

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

شهر فلورانس جایزه سالانه حقوق بشر را به ملالی جویا داد

Bush satisfied with overall progress in Afghanistan

(Pajhwok Afghan News): Besides Karzai, Afghan delegation members present at dinner were Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta, National Security Adviser Zalmay Rasoul, Chief of Staff Umer Daudzai, presidential spokesman Humayun Hamidzada and Afghan Ambassador to the US Sayed Tayeb Jawad. --- The wife of the ambassador, Shamim Jawad, was a special attendee at the dinner as she was personally invited by First Lady Laura Bush.

Bush Urges Karzai to Be More Wary Of Iran

President Bush warned Afghan President Hamid Karzai yesterday to be more suspicious of neighboring Iran, calling the Islamic republic a "destabilizing force" that should be isolated until it drops any nuclear aspirations and proves it can be a positive influence.

Alexander's Gulf outpost uncovered

Alexander the Great's awe-inspiring conquest of Asia is drawing archaeologists to a desert island off the shores of Iraq.

اعلیحضرت پادشاه افغانستان بابای ملت به رحمت حق پیوست -- دپلوم انجنیر احسان الله مایار

نامه یی به گردانندۀ محترم تلویزیون آریانا افغانستان به ارتباط شورای نجات از بحران --اکادمیسین ا. سیستانی

Monday, August 06, 2007

New scourge of Afghan society --- BBC News, Kabul

Corruption is the new scourge of Afghan society - and it is driving a lot of people into the hands of the Taleban. --- "There is more corruption than ever before, I pay traffic police all the time in Kabul. Nothing gets done without bribes." --- In fact, corruption now goes beyond the streets and deep into government offices and ministries.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FORMER ARIANA AFGHAN AIRLINES PRESIDENT DEFENDS HIMSELF AGAINST DANGEROUS CORRUPTION IN AFGHANISTAN

FORMER ARIANA AFGHAN AIRLINES PRESIDENT DEFENDS HIMSELF AGAINST DANGEROUS CORRUPTION IN AFGHANISTAN

The shocking story of his struggles to modernize the airlines exposes a tangled web of deceit, betrayal, and corruption within the Afghan government, who abused their powers and ignored rules of law. --- please visit: www.drnadiratash.com, or Click here: Dr. Nadir Atash

Who's the Bigger Threat to Afghanistan: Warlords or Taliban?

Bush, Karzai Focus on Al-Qaeda in Pakistan

Bush, Karzai Press Conference, --- We've committed more than $23 billion since 2001 to help rebuild the country. I think our citizens will be interested to know, for example, that 7,000 community health care workers have been trained, that provide about 340,000 Afghan men, women and children a month with good health care. --- BUSH: Let me comment on the civilian casualties, if I might. --- First, I fully understand the angst, the agony and the sorrow that Afghan citizens feel when an innocent life is lost. I know that must cause grief in villages and heartbreak in homes. --- Secondly, I can assure the Afghan people, like I assured the president, that we do everything that we can to protect the innocent, that our military operations are mindful that innocent life might be exposed to danger.

Bush and Afghan President Differ Over Iran’s Role

Text of Bush and Karzai Conference

BUSH: I appreciate your stewardship. I appreciate your commitment to empowering your people. I appreciate your strong stance for freedom and justice. And I'm proud to call you an ally in this war against those who would wreak havoc in order to deny people a chance to live in peace. --- We're working closely together to help the people of Afghanistan prosper. We work together to give the people of Afghanistan a chance to raise their children in a hopeful world. And we're working together to defeat those who would try to stop the advance of a free Afghan society.

Sunday, August 05, 2007

The perils of carving a path to the Taliban's front door -- USATODAY

Afghan roads: The road to Tora Bora

Bush Looks to Assure, Yet Prod, Karzai

Karzai was greeted by Bush and first lady Laura Bush, and he chatted briefly with a few of Bush's top aides, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates.

Bush Signs Law Widening Reach for Wiretapping

Today, most international telephone conversations to and from the United States are conducted over fiber-optic cables, and the most efficient way for the government to eavesdrop on them is to latch on to giant telecommunications switches located in the United States.

Afghan President Bringing Bush a Gloomy Report on Security

“The Afghan people have suffered,” Mr. Karzai said. “Terrorists have killed our schoolchildren. They have burned our schools. They have killed international helpers.” --- Mr. Karzai, though, spotlighted the remaining work more than the progress, in what amounted to a cry for help. He is trying to rebuild his war-torn country and strengthen his fragile government while confronting a resurgent Taliban, a booming opium trade, government corruption and mounting civilian deaths.

War widows call for justice in Afghanistan

Interview with UN Special Representative for Afghanistan: 'Afghanistan Needs more Western Troops'

German politicians are growing increasingly uncomfortable with the presence of Bundeswehr troops in Afghanistan. UN Special Representative for Afghanistan Tom Koenigs spoke to SPIEGEL ONLINE about the need for Germany and its troops to persist in Afghanistan and to keep the promise the West made to the war-torn country.

Bush, Karzai Look To Stabilize Afghanistan -- CBS/AP

Bush, Karzai target Afghan security woes -- USATODAY

Despite its progress since U.S.-led forces toppled the militant Taliban regime in 2001, Afghanistan still is dominated by poverty and lawlessness. Stability has been hindered by the lack of government order, particularly in the southern part of the country.

Bush, Karzai target Afghan security woes

CAMP DAVID, Md. - President Bush and Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Sunday began a search for answers to the deteriorating security and sporadic rule of law in Afghanistan.

Bush, Karzai hold strategy talks on Afghanistan

CAMP DAVID, Maryland (Reuters) - The struggling, six-year effort to rebuild war-ravaged Afghanistan and defuse the threat from Taliban and al Qaeda militants hiding over the border in Pakistan will dominate talks this weekend between U.S. President George W. Bush and Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Besieged Karzai To Meet With Bush

Embassy of Afghanistan Expresses Condolences to the Afghan People upon the Passing of Father of the Nation Mohammad Zahir Shah

Thursday, August 02, 2007

Wall Street Continues Its Rebound

Stocks staged their second consecutive late-afternoon rally today, recovering even more losses from the sharp sell-off last week.

Bush, Karzai to discuss struggling Afghan effort

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The resurgence of al Qaeda and the Taliban looms over next week's talks between U.S. President George W. Bush and Afghan President Hamid Karzai on shoring up troubled efforts to stabilize the war-torn country.

Lessons in a king's death -- By Anne E. Brodsky

AFGHAN GERMAN ONLINE

نگاهی به نقش سیاسی محمد ظاهرشاه --- اکادمیسین سیستانی

Afghanistan: Amnesty International demands immediate release of all hostages

“Hostage-taking is a flagrant breach of international humanitarian law. There are no exceptions to this rule and no justifications for breaking it. Hostage taking and the killing of hostages are war crimes and their perpetrators must be brought to justice," said Amnesty International's Secretary General Irene Khan.

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Afghanistan Rejects Kidnappers' Demands

President Hamid Karzai's spokesman said that officials were doing "everything we can" to secure the hostages' release but that freeing militant prisoners was not an option.

Obama Pledges Aggressive War on Islamic Extremists

Afghan army prepares for military action

Pakistan ripe for regime change

KARACHI - A civilian president with the power to handle national security and foreign affairs and a prime minister as chief executive is the new Washington and London formula for regime change in Pakistan. --- This has been agreed to in principle by President General Pervez Musharraf and former premier Benazir Bhutto, Asia Times Online has confirmed. The arrangement for the United States' key ally in the "war on terror" is intended to lead to a jacking up of the fight

PASHTUNISTAN: The Pashtun time bomb

The alarming growth of Al Qaeda and the Taliban in the Pashtun tribal region of northwest Pakistan and southern Afghanistan is usually attributed to the popularity of their messianic brand of Islam and to covert help from Pakistani intelligence agencies.

Dow Jones, Murdoch Merge in $5.8B Deal

The boards of directors of Dow Jones & Co. and Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. agreed late last night to merge, allowing the mogul to add the Wall Street Journal to his global media and entertainment holdings. --- "Given the Bancrofts's long and distinguished history as custodians of Dow Jones, we appreciate how difficult this decision was for some family members," Murdoch said in a statement released at 2:30 a.m. today. "I want to offer the Bancrofts my thanks and an assurance that our company and my family will be equally strong custodians."

Murdoch Seizes Wall St. Journal In $5 Billion Coup

The deal places America's premier financial newspaper in the hands of a 76-year-old mogul who owns what may soon become the world's largest media company. News Corp.'s properties include the Times of London, "American Idol," "The Simpsons Movie," Fox News Channel, MySpace, National Geographic television and a British tabloid that prints photos of topless women.

Hostage-Taking is a War Crime -- Human Rights Watch

(New York, August 1, 2007) – The Taliban should immediately release all hostages in its custody, Human Rights Watch said today. The recent abduction and hostage-taking of at least five Afghan, two German, and 23 South Korean civilians, and the reported killing of several of them, are war crimes.