Thursday, February 16, 2012

Afghanistan

Afghanistan Set To Launch New Drug War Strategy

An opium seizure in Afghanistan in May 2005 (AFP)

1 February 2006 -- Afghanistan's Counternarcotics Ministry today said that a new antidrug strategy is to be implemented in the country.

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February 01, 2006

The ministry released a statement saying that the strategy was prepared by the Afghan government and the UN's Office on Drugs and Crime.

Habibullah Qaderi, the Afghan minister for counternarcotics, says the new strategy is aimed at curbing the cultivation, production, trafficking, and consumption of illegal drugs with a view to their complete eradication.

(dpa)

Afghanistan's Musical Revival

BACK IN THE GROOVE Decades of war and the Taliban's five-year ban on music took their toll on Afghan classical music. Musicians have been trying to resuscitate the art since the end of Taliban rule. But they face serious economic and artistic challenges -- including the threat of possible attack by Taliban fighters if they perform in provincial areas...(more)

WATCH

View slideshow of Afghan musicians. RealVideo

A vendor in the central Bosnian town of Zenica sells heart-shaped cushions with proclamations of love for 1 euro each.

Love It (Or Hate It), It's Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day, the Western holiday celebrating love, has become a global phenomenon over the past two decades. The fall of communism and the emergence of the Internet have helped February 14 become something of an unofficial international day of romance. However, not all the passions the holiday stirs are related to love. While some countries have openly embraced the holiday, others are attempting to ban it or replace it with local customs. More

Gasoline prices have risen dramatically in Pakistan in recent years

In Pakistan, Cleaner Fuel Powers Supply, Safety Issues

Rising fuel prices have pushed Pakistan to become a global leader in using compressed natural gas (CNG) to fuel vehicles. More

Family members of missing Baluchs, mostly political activists, rally in protest on the eve of international Human Rights Day in Quetta, Balochistan, on December 10, 2011.

U.S. Hearing On Balochistan Raises Hackles, Awareness

The U.S. Congressional hearing last week on Balochistan, the largest of Pakistan's four provinces, though it was firmly rejected by Islamabad, is being seen in Pakistan as any eye-opener for the state and its security agencies. More