Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Afghanistan

Karzai Calls For International Help Against Drug Trade

Afghan officials destroy a haul of illegal opiates (AFP)

August 29, 2007 -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai today criticized leading Western nations for not doing enough to aid Afghanistan in its fight against drugs.

TEXT SIZE - +

August 29, 2007

Speaking in Kabul, Karzai also asked local leaders to use their influence to try to end opium-poppy farming.

Meanwhile, the United States said it will double efforts against Afghanistan's drug output, focusing on both crop eradication and curbing the drug trade.

The comments come after a UN report showed this year's opium-poppy harvest to be Afghanistan's biggest ever.

The report by the UN Office On Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said Afghanistan is now producing nearly 95 percent of the world's opiates.

The UNODC also warned that opiate use in the countries neighboring Afghanistan has grown along with Afghan drug production.

(AP, AFP, Reuters)

Afghanistan's Opium Problem

An antidrug billboard in Kabul shows a skeleton hanging from an opium bulb (AFP)

OPIUM FARMING ON THE RISE Despite a nationwide program by the Afghan government to eradicate opium-poppy fields and offer farmers alternative crops, international experts say that the 2006 opium crop was as much as 50 percent larger than the previous year's record crop. Afghanistan also accounted for practically all of the world's illegal opium production.(more)

NATO Struggles With Security, Rebuilding In Southern Province

UN Antidrug Chief Wants NATO To Destroy Opium

Saffron Could Help Wean Farmers Off Opium Poppies

Poppy-Eradication Drive Launched In Western Province

Insurgency Gains Ground As Poppy-Eradication Efforts Struggle

For weekly news and analysis on Afghanistan by e-mail, subscribe to "RFE/RL Afghanistan Report."

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