Afghan Official Banned For Failing To Report Sexual Abuse

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soccerballBy RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan
December 3, 2019

Former Afghan football official Mohammad Hanif Sediqi Rustam has been banned from the sport for five years and fined 10,000 Swiss francs after being found guilty by FIFA’s ethics committee of violations relating to the abuse of female players.

FIFA said Sediqi Rustam was a former assistant to former Afghanistan Football Federation president Keramuudin Karim who was banned for life in June and fined about $1 million following complaints lodged by several Afghan female players.

FIFA said that Sediqi Rustam “was aware of such abuse” and had the duty to report it and prevent it.

At least five Afghan players accused Karim of repeated sexual abuse in 2013-2018.

Afghan authorities in June issued an arrest warrant for Karim in connection with the allegations. Karim’s whereabouts weren’t immediately known.

With reporting by Reuters

Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.

New Law Grants Pension Right to Private Sector Employees

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afghanistanAriana:  The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, on Monday, announced that a new regulation of pension for the employees of private sector and non-governmental organizations has been approved by the Presidential Palace.  Labor condition in Afghanistan is said to be one of the poorest in the world. Apart from non employment, adverse working conditions and the predominance of informal work, as well as lacking social protection are the problems that dominate the Afghan job market. Click here to read more (external link).

MPs Slam Ghani’s Top Advisor for Skipping Hearing

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Qayoumi (left) and Ghani (right)

Qayoumi (left) and Ghani (right)

Tolo News: Lawmakers in Afghanistan’s parliament on Sunday blasted the acting minister of finance–and adviser to President Ashraf Ghani– Mohammad Humayon Qayoumi, for defying the lawmakers’ call to appear before the House of Representatives to answer questions. Qayoumi was scheduled to answer questions about reports of the embezzlement of six billion afs from 1397 (2018) Qatia accounts (financial statements). But Qayoumi has said that he couldn’t manage to attend the parliament’s session because of his “work burden.” Click here to read more (external link).

Some candidates call for coalition government in Afghanistan

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afghanistan1TV: A number of presidential candidates on Monday called for formation of National Partnership government to resolve election crisis. The call comes as supporters of some candidates have blocked recounting process in seven provinces of the country citing fraud and results from the election have not been announced more than two months after the polling. Click here to read more (external link).

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peaceTolo News: Amid reports of disagreements over the list of the participants for the Beijing peace meeting on Afghanistan, the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday said that it expects the plan for such a meeting to be implemented in the near future. When asked whether the meeting was cancelled, Geran Hewad, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that Kabul was not aware of such reports. Click here to read more (external link).

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Donald Trump

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