Ayaz Gul VOA News January 21, 2017 ISLAMABAD — The United Nations appealed Saturday for $550 million in humanitarian assistance in 2017 to meet the needs of Afghans affected by conflict, or natural disasters, and for those returning home from neighboring countries. The assistance will reach an estimated 5.7 million “most vulnerable and marginalized” people in
Tolo News: Research by the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation has found that the migrant phenomenon has injected at least $7 billion USD into the country’s economy since March. The money has come into Afghanistan through international aid for migrants and from contributions sent home by almost six million Afghans living outside the country. Click here
Reuters: More than 9,400 undocumented Afghans have returned home from Iran and Pakistan in the first week of 2017, raising concerns over how the war-torn Asian nation will cope with the rising influx, the United Nations said on Wednesday. The vast majority were young men crossing the border from Iran. Click here to read more (external
AFP: Afghan officials are pushing to create a “safe zone” for Taliban insurgents in a bid to wean them away from traditional sanctuaries inside Pakistan, in a radical and contentious strategy to de-escalate the conflict. Click here to read more (external link). Related Afghanistan, Pakistan Trade Value Takes A Dive
Reuters: A new tax regime aimed at weaning Afghanistan off international aid has boosted government revenues but drawn complaints from some private businesses that it hits them unfairly, dampening hopes of economic recovery after decades of war. Click here to read more (external link).
The New York Times: In early December Afghan fashion found a place in the Middle Eastern edition of Vogue magazine, lithe models posed in colorful, high-end gowns and accessories made by craftsmen from Afghanistan. Click here to read more (external link).
Asia Times: Pakistan’s interest in Central Asia sharply increased after the Soviet Union collapse. General Naseerullah Babar, who was central to Pakistan’s attempts to navigate these newly available potential economic opportunities, while negating the military dimension of ‘strategic depth’, said in an interview, that “the talk about strategic depth is nonsense … We realized that Afghanistan
Afghan displaced children in capital of Afghanistan Afghan labors work at coal market
Scroll.in: A recent investigation by Global Witness, an international non-governmental organisation working on corruption, conflict and natural resources, claimed mining of the precious stone in this remote region is funding illegal armed groups and driving extremism and corruption. But mining has now come to a virtual standstill. The Afghan government has cut off transport of what
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty December 7, 2016 Afghans are increasingly uncertain about their future because of insecurity, corruption, and rising unemployment, according to a new poll. According to the annual survey released on December 7 by the Asia Foundation, 29.3 percent of Afghans polled said they believe the country is moving in the right direction