Blatter reveals �influences� behind Qatar 2022 World Cup

Germany and France applied pressure for a voting process to grant the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, FIFA president Sepp Blatter says. “There were two political interventions” from former French president Nicolas Sarkozy and German President Christian Wulff before the announcement of future...

Ata Mohd Noor proposes 11 nominees for the Ministry of Defense

The acting governor of northern Balkh province and chief executive of Jamiat-e-Islami party Ata Mohammad Noor has proposed eleven nominees for the Ministry of Defense. The proposal by Noor was followed a day after the Afghan lawmakers in the Lower House of the Parliament – Wolesi...

Islamic State Eying Afghanistan�s Natural Resources

An expansion of the group’s operations in Afghanistan could threaten the fledgling mining industry. According to a recent Pentagon report, the Islamic State’s (IS) activities in Afghanistan remain exploratory, with limited recruiting efforts. Although the capabilities of the Islamic State’s...

Daesh thriving with foreign intelligence help: MPs

Some members of Wolesi Jirga or lower house of parliament on Monday while expressing serious concerns over deteriorating security situation in the country said that the self-styled Islamic State (IS) or Daesh group was spreading in the country with the help of foreign intelligence agencies. Kamal...

Afghanistan�s Natural Resources under the sight of Islamic State

Pentagon in a new report says that Islamic State group is eyeing on the Natural Resources of Afghanistan. Citing the Pentagon report, The Diplomat an online international news magazine that also writes analysis says that even though it is unknown if Islamic State would be able to hold swaths of land...

19 Taliban Insurgents Killed in Kunduz Airstrike

At least 19 Taliban insurgents were killed in an Afghan air forces strike in northern Kunduz province on Friday night, local officials said. In addition, eight other insurgents were injured. The air strike took place in Chahar Dara district of the province to clear the insurgents in which 19 Taliban...

Afghanistan�s dried and fresh fruits export to reach 55,000 tons this year

Export Promotion Agency of Afghanistan (EPAA) predicts a 15,000 ton increase in export of dried and fresh fruits. Head of the dried and fresh fruits department of EPAA, Mohammad Mustafa Hashemi, said Afghanistan failed to export the set target of 50,000 tons of fruits last year due to political...

Iranian volleyballers edge past Poland in 2015 FIVB World League

The Iranian volleyball team has edged past world champion Poland in a Pool B match of the 2015 FIVB World League. On Friday night, the Iranian squad defeated its guests 3-2 at Tehran’s Azadi stadium, packed with more than 12,000 passionate fans. Iran won the first set of the match 25-21 but...

Foreign investment in Israel down by near 50%: UNCTAD

Foreign investment in Israel has dropped by nearly 50 percent, a new UN report says, with the 2014 Israeli war on Gaza and international boycott efforts against the regime cited as key factors for the sharp decline. According to the World Investment Report 2014 by the United Nations Conference on...

Bomb attack kills 16, injures several at Shia mosque in Kuwait City

At least 16 people have been killed and over two dozen others injured in a bomb attack at Imam Sadiq (PBUH) Mosque in Kuwait City, reports say. The bombing was carried out during the weekly Friday prayers at the mosque in the Sawabir district of the Kuwaiti capital. The Takfiri ISIL terrorist...

Forces Retake Nuristan's District That Fell to the Taliban

The security forces have been able to regain control of Want-Waygal district of eastern Nuristan province – hours after the Taliban captured the district following a massive attack.The district collapsed early Friday into the hands of the Taliban following the group's attack two days ago,...

NATO and US committed to long term support for Afghan forces: Carter

The US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said Thursday that the United States and NATO is committed to a long term support for the Afghan national security forces. Speaking during a press conference following the conclusion of the NATO defense ministerial, Carter said “The US does intend,...

Pakistan rejects allegations of involvement in attack on Afghan Parliament

Pakistan has rejected the allegations that its intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was involved in recent attack on Afghan Parliament in Kabul. Qazi Khalilullah, spokesman for Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said that Pakistan is a well-wisher of Afghanistan and committed to...

NATO agreed to help enhance the Afghan Air Force capabilities: Stanikzai

The acting Afghan defense minister Masoom Stanikzai said the Afghan delegation received a positive feedback regarding the proposals of the Afghan government shared during the NATO defense ministerial on Thursday. Speaking during a press conference following the conclusion of the meeting, Stanikzai...

Ghani Mulls Pilot Phase To Roll Out ID Cards

President Ashraf Ghani on Friday met with various ministers, mission representatives and advisers from local and international organizations over the issue of electronic ID cards and appears to be considering the possibility of a pilot phase rollout campaign in Kabul. In a statement issued by the...

Dasht-i-Arche District of Kundoz province fall to Taliban hands

Taliban have captured Dasht-i-Arche District of northern Kundoz province, Taliban claimed and officials confirmed on Monday. Nasiruddin Saidi, governor of Dasht-i-Arche District and head of the provincial council of Kundoz province confirmed the report. Head of the provincial council said that the...

Parliament Under Attack, Taliban Claims Responsibility

Kabul Police Chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi has confirmed a car bomb was detonated outside Parliament on Monday morning in a complex attack that is still ongoing. A number of explosions followed the car bomb blast and resulted in the immediate evacuation of MPs and journalists from the Wolesi Jirga (Lower...

Devastating heat waves kill 140 people in Sindh, Pakistan

Devastating heat waves have claimed at least 140 lives in Sindh province of Pakistan. Most of them lost lives in Karachi, the provincial capital and the largest city in Pakistan, where the temperature had reached to 44.8 degrees Celsius on Saturday. According to CNN, this is the highest temperature...

Host Iran blanks US volleyball team 3-0

Host Iran overpowers the US volleyball team 3-0 in a Pool B match of the 2015 FIVB World League. On Sunday, the Iranian squad defeated the reigning FIVB Volleyball World League champion in three straight sets (25–20, 25-21, 25–19), dealing them their second loss in this year’s season...

Cameron threatens to close BBC over election biased coverage

British Prime Minister David Cameron has reportedly threatened to shut down the state-funded British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) over its biased coverage of the latest general election in the European country. Cameron threatened to “close down” the broadcaster in a bid to exert...

Iranian volleyballers stun US in World League

Tehran, Iran, June 19, 2015 - Shahram Mahmoudi scored 17 points to lead Iran to a 3-0 (25-19, 29-27, 25-20 victory over the previously unbeaten USA who were no match for the home side. The win opens the door for Poland to move level on points with the USA in Pool B, whilst Iran will go into the remaining...

Lawmakers Question Ghani's Authority Over Term Extension

A number of leaders in Parliament have said they will refuse any decision made unilaterally by President Ashraf Ghani about the extension of their term. Instead, the Administrative Board has announced plans to have lawmakers themselves deliberate over the issue of parliament's term limit and...

Russia economic sector open to world: Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin has reiterated that his country does not seek a confrontation with the West, saying doors remain open to economic cooperation between Moscow and Western governments, amid a dispute over the crisis in Ukraine. “Russia is open to the world,” Putin told...

Former Education Minister Denies �SIGAR Report on Ghost Schools�

Former education minister Farooq Wardak strongly refuted on Friday a report by a U.S. watchdog that accused Afghan officials at the Ministry of Education (MoE) of embezzling millions of dollars by providing fake school statistics to the donors.The U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction...

Turkey�s democratic renaissance?

By Ernest Maragall and Laura Batalla originally written for, and published by, Turkey’s Hurriyet daily news.  With their votes, the Turkish people sent a strong message to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sunday’s free - if not really fair - election. Amid...

Turkey�s Erdogan pushes for coalition amid uncertainty

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has held a surprise meeting with a senior opposition figure as part of purported efforts to form a coalition government. The two-hour unannounced meeting on Wednesday in Ankara saw Erdogan sit down with Deniz Baykal of the opposition Republican...

Continuation Of MPs Work Legal: Wolesi Jirga Speaker

As debate around the MPs' tenure in Parliament rages, a number of Wolesi Jirga (Lower House of Parliament) members on Wednesday stated that Parliament's continuation after the end of its term is legal until the holding of the next parliamentary election. Following strong opposition by some...

Abdullah Meets With Ban Ki-Moon On Sidelines Of Dushanbe Conference

Afghanistan's CEO Abdullah Abdullah met with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday on the sidelines of the high-level International Decade for Action "Water for Life" conference in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. In a statement issued by the UN, the Secretary-General congratulated Abdullah...

Afghan Mines Minister committed to transparency and accountability in mining industry

Mapping out his 100-Day plan, Afghanistan’s Minister of Mines and Petroleum Daud Shah Saba said he was committed to reinforcing transparency and accountability within his ministry. He plans to establish an accountable system to collect revenue generated through the mining and petroleum sectors. In...

Saba: Daesh Seeking to Exploit Mines for Funding

Minister of Mines and Petroleum Daud Shah Saba told lawmakers in Parliament on Monday that the Daesh group is a grave threat to the Afghan mining industry. Decreased interest from foreign companies in investing in the Afghan mining sector, including the voiding of the Aynak copper mine and Hajigak...