Tolo News: The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Sunday announced a 15-man squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe that will be played in Abu Dhabi. The first match of the series will be played on March 17. Click here to read more (external link).
4 Good Reasons to Go Vegan
Nowadays, there are a lot of conversations when it comes to health and lifestyles. Several people are trying out different diets and food options. Some are just for experimenting, but others are serious about changing their eating practices.
Arguably, the most controversial topic for food choices is the debate between vegans and meat lovers. Most of the population are eating animal products, but the vegans are slowly rising in numbers because of its benefit.
Benefits Your Health
Everyone’s been told that eating fruits and vegetables is good for your body. You would hear medical professionals advocating more of these into your diet. So imagine if your whole diet is made out of these. That would be fantastic!
Going vegan can reverse the bad condition of the body. It is an effective diet to help people stay fit and energetic. Vegans also have a lower risk of having cardiovascular illnesses and type II diabetes.
Image Source: https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2016/02/19/10/56/food-1209503__340.jpg
Aside from these, eating more vegetables and fruits will improve your skin complexion. You will naturally have that glow. You also would not have problems with your digestion because these types of foods are rich in fiber.
There are also researches that state plant-based foods can boost your mood. These so-called stress hormones from meats getting slaughtered can be passed on to you when you eat them. On the other hand, plant-based foods are rich in antioxidants which will improve your psychological state.
Cheaper Lifestyle
Meat and poultry can be pretty expensive. A vegan lifestyle is a sustainable option for you. By just buying fruits and vegetables, your usual monthly expenses on food will be less. You get to save a lot of money!
Aside from this, it takes discipline to be a vegan. You need to plan and prepare your meals beforehand. This practice will prevent you from impromptu take-outs and deliveries. You would also save money by not eating outside.
To Lessen Carbon Footprint
Switching to a zero-meat diet will benefit not only you but also the environment and society. The meat industry is one of the significant contributors to greenhouse gasses. Cows themselves produce methane. Compared to the agricultural sector, the meat industry requires more energy use and has more wastes. If more people are going vegan, fewer chicken, pig, and cow farms are needed. There is also less pressure for that industry to meet demands.
Protect Animals
Image Source: https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2016/03/05/19/09/animal-1238273__340.jpg
A lot of animals suffer to meet society’s high-demands. There are instances where chemicals are being fed to animals to accelerate their growth. This type of animal cruelty is something vegans do not support. Several vegans’ main reason for switching is to adhere to their morals. Vegans do not eat any type of animal products to protect animals. This is a way for them to lessen the animals that are killed.
A vegan diet will benefit your health in various ways – by treating and preventing diseases, improving overall health, and boosting energy and mood. It also an excellent way to fight for animal rights and stop global warming.
Forgetting and saying goodbye to meat can seem unpleasant and challenging. However, these four reasons create an excellent argument to go vegan.
Palace’s Recent Courting of Dostum Raises Questions
File Photo – Dostum (left) with Ghani (right)
Tolo News: The appearance of Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum, the former vice president, at a special security meeting at the Presidential Palace on Saturday, caused politicians and analysts to speculate that President Ashraf Ghani is using Dostum opportunistically amid new developments in the peace process. Dostum has not attended any such event for the last four years. Click here to read more (external link).
1TV Afghanistan Dari News – March 14, 2021
US troops in Afghanistan number 1,000 more than disclosed
A file photo of American soldiers at an unknown location in Afghanistan.
Ariana: As US President Joe Biden’s administration wrestles with whether to extend troop presence in Afghanistan or withdraw by May 1 as per the deal with the Taliban, officials have said there are in fact more American troops on the ground than the reported 2,500. According to the New York Times, officials, both American and Afghan, have said the number is actually around 3,500. That’s 1,000 more than Washington has disclosed. Click here to read more (external link).
54 New Ethnic Options on Afghan ID Cards Spark Debate
Tolo News: A decision by the National Statistics and Information Authority (NSIA) to add 54 new ethnic designations to the already existing 14 ethnic groups used on the electronic national identity cards has sparked a controversy, with critics saying the additions will fuel division among Afghans at this critical juncture in the nation’s history. Click here to read more (external link).
2 Afghan MMA Fighters Win Matches in Bahrain, US
Tolo News: Abdul Azim Badakhshi and Nusrat Haqparast, two Afghan mixed martial arts fighters, defeated rivals from Azerbaijan and Mexico at the Brave Combat competition and Ultimate Fighting Championship, which are MMA events. Badakhshi defeated his Azerbaijani rival Agshin Babaev with a knockout out in the Brave Combat Federation, which was held in Bahrain on Thursday evening. It was his twelfth win. Click here to read more (external link).
Other Sports News
Kabul To Attend Both U.S., Russia-Sponsored Peace Conferences
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
March 13, 2021
The Afghan government has said it will take part in two separate peace conferences sponsored by the United States and Russia in the coming weeks.
Russia has invited several regional players for the March 18 conference in Moscow. Separately, a U.S.-backed conference will be held in Turkey next month.
The Afghan government and the Taliban, the two warring factions in the 20-year conflict, have been invited to both events.
The conferences are meant to bring new life into stuttering peace talks held in Qatar between the Taliban and Kabul.
“The Afghan government will take part in both the Moscow and Turkey conferences,” Afghan national-security adviser Hamdullah Mohib told reporters in Kabul on March 13.
Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem said the militant group had yet to decide if it would participate in either event.
The conferences come as a May 1 deadline looms for the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Afghanistan, a key component of the U.S.-Taliban deal signed by the Trump administration in February 2020.
U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration is currently reviewing the agreement.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a letter to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani earlier this month made a new push for a United Nations-led peace effort in Afghanistan and asked Turkey to host a senior-level meeting of “both sides in the coming weeks to finalize a peace agreement.”
Blinken wrote to Afghan leaders that the United States is “considering the full withdrawal of forces by May 1 as we consider other options.”
Based on reporting by Reuters and dpa
Copyright (c) 2021. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036
Related
MoE Retreats from Decision to Ban Schoolgirls’ Public Singing
Tolo News: The Ministry of Education on Saturday retreated from its decision to ban public singing by schoolgirls above 12 years of age at public and private schools across the country. The move was first announced by the ministry on March 10. In a statement, the ministry announced to ban girls 12 years old and up from singing the national anthem or other group songs in mixed company. Click here to read more (external link).
Bombings, Taliban Raids Kill 22 Afghans, Injure Dozens
Ayaz Gul
VOA News
March 13, 2021
ISLAMABAD – A car bombing, a roadside blast and insurgent raids killed at least 22 people, including security forces and civilians, officials in Afghanistan said Saturday. The violence injured nearly 70 people, most of them civilians.
Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said Saturday the car bomb blast targeted a police base in the province of Herat, which borders Iran.
Arian said the explosion damaged at least 14 houses in a nearby residential area. Local officials said about 60 people, including 20 women and 12 children, were among the injured. At least five of the wounded people were in critical condition, hospital sources in Herat said.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. A spokesman for the Taliban insurgency said it had nothing to do with the bombing.
But Afghan President Ashraf Ghani blamed the Taliban, saying the insurgents “continued their illegitimate war and violence against our people” and “demonstrated once again they have no intention” for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
Separately, a roadside bomb went off Saturday morning in Tarinkot, capital of the southern Uruzgan province, killing three civilians and injuring four others, local officials said.
No group claimed responsibility for that attack.
Meanwhile, Taliban insurgents carried out pre-dawn raids in northern Kunduz and Balkh provinces, killing 11 Afghan National Army soldiers and injuring six others.
The assailants also captured five Afghan soldiers during Kunduz clashes, a local security official told VOA on condition of anonymity.
The Taliban spokesman confirmed insurgents staged both the attacks.
Violence has increased in Afghanistan in recent months, including a wave of targeted killings of civil society activists, journalists, and government officials.
Stalled peace process
The United States has renewed diplomatic efforts to help find a negotiated settlement to nearly two decades of Afghan hostilities and close what has been the longest overseas military intervention in U.S. history.
President Joe Biden’s administration recently submitted a draft peace plan to leaders of the Afghan government and the Taliban in a bid to revive a troubled peace process initiated by former U.S. president Donald Trump.
Biden’s proposed plan seeks formation of an “inclusive” interim government in Kabul to oversee talks between the Taliban and other Afghan groups. It suggests a United Nations-supervised effort to forge a regional consensus on Afghanistan to push Afghan rivals to stop fighting and agree on a power-sharing deal.
Meanwhile, Russia is preparing to host delegates next week in Moscow from the United States, China and Pakistan, saying the meeting is being held to discuss “ways to promote” a peaceful settlement to the Afghan conflict.
International diplomatic efforts to promote peace apparently stem from concerns the warring sides in Afghanistan are preparing to intensify the conflict in the coming spring fighting season.
The United Nations estimates the war, now in its 20th year, has killed or injured more than 100,000 Afghan civilians since 2009.
Russian officials say the Taliban and representatives of the Afghan government also have been invited to the March 18 meeting in Moscow.
On Saturday, Afghan national security adviser Hamdullah Mohib told reporters Kabul will send its delegation to the event in the Russian capital. The Taliban, which maintains close contacts with Russia, have not announced a decision about attending the Moscow meeting.