Karzai's new cabinet

President Hamid Karzai presented his nominees for cabinet posts to parliament for approval.

The Afghan President has kept some key figures in their positions as Vice President Mohammad Qasim Fahim submitted a list of 23 names to the parliament.

Nominees include the current ministers of defence, interior, finance, health, education, justice, agriculture, telecommunication, energy, counter narcotics and women affairs.

Since his re-election, Mr Karzai has come under intense pressure from the United States and other backers to clean up his government and improve its performance.

Mr Karzai was last month declared the winner of the presidential election after a poll process marred by fraud.

Karzai's ministerial nominees must win the approval of parliamentarians in a process that could take days to complete, with each nominee making a speech to justify their appointment.

So far the list shows that only one women have been included in his new cabinet. Ministry of Women affairs.

List of nominees for cabinet posts
1-Minister of Defence: Mohamamd Rahim Wardak
2-Minister of Interior: Mohamamd Hanif Atmar
3-Minister of Finance: Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal
4-Minister of Public Health: Mohammad Amin Fatimi
5-Minister of Information and Culture: Makhdum Rahin
6-Minister of Energy and Water: Mohammad Ismaiel Khan
7-Minister of Mines: Waheedullah Sharani
8-Minister of Education: Farooq Wadak
9-Minister of Justice: Mohammad Sarwar Danish
10-Minister of Telecommunication and Information Technology: Amirzai Sangin
11-Minister of Commerce and Industries: Ghulam Mohammad Aylaqi
12-Minister of Agriculture: Mohammad Asef Rahimi
13-Minister of Women Affairs: Husn Banu Ghazanfar
14-Minister of Returnees and Refugees: Enayatullah Nazari
15-Minister of Islamic Affairs: Enayatullah Baligh
16-Minister of Border and Tribal Affairs: Sayed Hamid Gelani
17-Minister of Counter Narcotics: Gen Khudaidad
18-Minister of Higher Education: Obaidullah Obaid
19-Minister of Public Works: Engineer Mirza Hussain Abdullahi
20-Minister of Economy: Anwar ul Haq Ahadi
21-Minister of Rural Rehabilitation and Development: Engineer Wais Ahmad Barmak
22-Minister of Labour and Social Affairs: Mohammad Esmail Monshi
23-Minister of Transport: Dr Mohammadullah Batash

By Sadia Hasanzasa

Related links
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8422058.stm

Karzai fights with corruption

The Afghan President launched a campaign to show his government is serious about cracking down on corruption,

Opening a three-day anti-corruption conference in Kabul, Karzai said he was well aware of the scale of the problem.

"I know corruption exists in the government and elsewhere. Let's be realistic," he said. I don’t know how my ministers can go for vocation to Dubai and buy latest car model while even from the president salary you cannot buy even bicycle.

He pointed and criticized once again international organization.
Afghan and Western analysts say corruption is fuelling popular support for the Taliban insurgency.
Karzai indicated there were limits to how far he would go in tackling corruption.

The all-out crackdown urged by Western leaders could lead to abuses, he warned.
"As we fight corruption, we must be extremely careful that the fight does not become corrupt itself," Karzai said.
"Every one of our police, every one of our soldiers ... can go to someone's house, knock on the door and drag a man out of the house and terrorize him. In my opinion, this is the main form of corruption."
Karzai highlighted last week's conviction of Abdul Ahad Sayebi, Kabul’s mayor, who was sentenced to jail on corruption charges – the highest ranking official to be prosecuted recently.
Mr Sayebi is currently on liberty pending an appeal.

"One very serious caution I want to say. The mayor of Kabul has been sentenced to four years' jail. I know the mayor. He is a clean person," Karzai said.

Western pressure on Karzai is intense. Last month Brown said he was "not prepared to put the lives of British men and women in harm's way for a government that does not stand up against corruption."
In his West Point Afghan strategy speech, Obama vowed there would be no more "blank cheques" to the Afghan government.

Related links:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8402235.stm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/afghanistan/2009/12/091215_ram_karzai_corruption.shtml

Suicide attack in capital of Afghanistan

A suicide car bomber struck central Kabul on Tuesday, killing 8 and wounding 40 others.

The mid-morning blast damaged a hotel in Kabul's Wazir Akbar Khan district, where a number of embassies and foreign offices are located. Most of the victims are civilians.

The hotel, Heetal, is owned by the son of Burhanuddin Rabbani, who served as president of Afghanistan from 1992 until 1996.

In addition to the hotel, several homes were damaged and windows shattered in other buildings in the neighborhood.

Related links:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8413163.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8413579.stm

WHAT IS HUMAN RIGHTS? DO YOU HAVE ANSWER?

Article 1. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/

http://www.rawa.org/ai-women.htm

US still worry about corruption in Afghanistan

President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan has vowed in after his re-election to prevent corruption his new cabinet.

But the United States and the United Nations fear that still corruption will continue, and the US announced they would organize anti- corruption workshops for Afghan officials.

The US embassy in Kabul expressed concern over the illegal smuggling of money from airports and borders saying annually three billion US dollars are illegally leaving the country through Kabul airport. Antoni Vineg American finance controller to Afghanistan is also concerned about corruption.

Antoni Vineg said “Daily ten million US dollars illegally transfers from Afghanistan to Dubai, an investigation shows in last 18 days more then $190m illegally transferred from Afghanistan to outside. Afghan government has to be aware where the money goes like many other countries”.

The Kabul International airport workers are agree and say that the finance ministry and private banks help the illegal transfer of money by powerful people. And nobody can stop them.

As part of the fight against corruption Kabul Mayor Abdul Ahad Sahabi was found guilty of giving a contract for a city project without competition. An Afghan court sentenced him to four years in jail and ordered him to repay more than sixteen thousand US dollars involved in the contract.
He was the first senior Afghan official to be prosecuted since President Hamid Karzai came under pressure from the United Nations to deal seriously with corruption after his re-election.

By Sadia Hasanzada

Barak Obama urged to send more troops to Afghanistan

US President Barak Obama has said on Tuesday in his speech to the nation the deployment of 30,000 additional US troops to Afghanistan.

He said that his decision will help to fight terrorism and maintain security worldwide. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said other NATO countries will provide at least 7,000 extra troops. Italian Defence Minister Ignazio La Rassa vowed to send 1,000 extra troops to Afghanistan.
But it doesn’t mean that Taliban will stop fighting they will continue with Jihad until all foreign troops leave Afghanistan said the Taliban commander who did not give his name in his exclusive interview with the BBC:

Follow this link : http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8391912.stm

Mr. Hamid Karzai wants once again to talk with Taliban Leader Mullah Omar if they willing to join his cabinet. This decision comes after two days Mr. Obama Wednesdays’ speech that he begins sending the additional troops in early 2010 with a goal of starting to withdraw forces from the country in July 2011.

Withdrawing troops and To transfer security responsibility to the Afghans in early 2011 means once again giving fate of Afghanistan to the hand of Pakistan. Written in front page of 8morning afghan newspaper. Obama’s decision sharply criticized by mane newspapers in Afghanistan.

By Sadia Hasanzada,

Read more...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8389916.stm

Print Media in Afghanistan

Print media in Afghanistan has a long history. Along the history and despite dictator and puppet regimes in Afghanistan.

Printed media has played constructive role to inform and motive people to stand against invaders and to fight for freedom.

The first Afghan printed media is Shams Ul Nahar which came into existence using very primary tools during the reign of Amir Shir Ali Khan in 1290 and soon after that another printed media (Saraj Ul Akbar Afghania) started to work during the reign of Amir Habibullah Khan .
In 2001 after the fall of the Taliban, new political environment and when a democrat government has come into existence in Afghanistan the printed media has started to grow very quickly.

Currently there are 22 Daily newspaper and around 200 publications are being printed all around the country. Most of media are being studied by educated people in Afghanistan and it is a common fact that only educated people would read it. But we should also mention another fact that all of the educated people do not read the newspapers.

In most part of the world middle class of the society are studying the newspapers but unfortunately unbalanced growth and lack of an economic system in Afghanistan caused us not to have an active class of the society who may read it. On the other hand aimlessness in publications and lack of their knowledge about the readers are causing that a small number of educated people to trust them.

There is a global debate about it to examine that the electronic media especially TV has discredited printed media. Generally we can say that reading printed media in Afghanistan can not be happen through a habit to people but sometimes the readers would read it by chance.

The publications like, Nokhust , Mandagar , Kabul weekly , Arman-e- Milli , Rah-e- Nejat , Hasht Sobh , and the Killid and Mursal magazines have most of their readers in the country .
As most countries we can also categorize publications in Afghanistan into two classes:

1- Special printed media: like publication for women, sport, literature, technology, education, medical and other subjects which has its own readers .
2 – General publications: In such publications, columns and pages are being reserved for each type of subjects . The readers of the general publications can be every classes of the society.

By Sadia Hasanzada


Image taken from http://www.8am.af/images/stories/issue742/2.jpg

"The US has had no reliable information on the whereabouts of al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden in years, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has admitted."



Read more...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8397684.stm

کرزی: با رهبر طالبان گفتگو می کنم

"Karzai ready to talk with Taliban leaders"

After US President Barak Obama’s decision to withdraw US troops by 2011 from Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai wants to meet and talk with the Taliban leaders.Does Taliban want to talk with Karzai?
This decision was taken by Mr. Karzai several times but never took place and no green light was shown by the Taliban.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/afghanistan/2009/12/091204_a-karzai-taleban-talks.shtml

"Barak Obama urged to send 30.000 more troops to Afghanistan "


Don’t think by sending more troops can end war in Afghanistan , think about other ways to solve it.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8389916.stm

Frost speaking with Shukuria Barekzai Member of Parliament. Brave women

Chinese Cost Player girl

Cost play has a several meanings, but the most relevant is the words costume and play.

If you want to wear a costume while attending an event perhaps even to compete then you have enter the exciting world of cost play.
Zhi Zhanj, 22 is team leader of Valkyria cost players in China.

She is known among the children in her city for being cost player character of Mio in famous Japan cartoon K-on.
She has interested in cost play since 2004 when she was in school.

Since 2004 Zhi Zhanj hardly worked with her team to perform as best as they can to win Cost play competition, which held every year in Gonjo big city of Chine.

“It was really hard to compete with other teams they all were very beautiful and worked very professional and spending a lot of money for their presentation.” Said Zhi

On 2006 Valkyria team won best cost player prize in Gonjo , China.

“ Judges liked the way we presented, we choose different type of closed and from not well-known cartoon to make audience to know about other cartoons characters which usually other teams were choose same character every time and people were bored by them.

Zhi Zahan likes to be a cast player whenever she performing in stage it gives her different feelings separate from normal daily life.

I asked her what is the different between real Zhi Zhanj and Mio character.

“Well Mio she is very shy girl while I am not at all but basically you have a different faces and characters like sometime you are princes or sometimes you are witch which means I am not as soft as princes and not bad as witch.” she smiled and said.

In China "cosplay" as a hobby is usually an end unto itself. Likeminded people gather to see other costumes, show off their own elaborate handmade creations, take lots of pictures, and possibly participate in best costume contests. Mostly they are playing for Japans cartoons since in China Japanese cartoon are most famous for their outstanding animation.

However, for Chinese people in some circles, "cosplay” expanded to mean simply wearing a costume, having fun and spend nice time by enjoying watching their popular cartons characters alive.

Zhi Zahan being known as Mio cartoon character said: “ For me its only entertainment and fun its not the field of carer for me its not a way of making money.”

Zhi Zahan doing her MAJ in Westminster University in London she wants to be a magazine editor in China in a future. And she wants to continue to be cost player as well.

By Sadia Hasanzada

Related links:

http://game.xj169.com/a/9122449.shtml

http://photo.blog.sina.com.cn/category/u/1222244775/s/172555
http://www.cosplayisland.co.uk/files/costumes/1411/8938/K-on_Mio_Bass.jpg

“Rosetta Stone should be given back to Egypt”

Egyptian academic ask Britain to give back the Rosetta stone.

Dr.Zahi Hawass, head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquates said Britain must return the icon of Egyptian identity which is kept in British Museum in central London.

He did not believe that Britain had looked after the stone properly.
“They kept it in dark badly lit room until I came and asked it and now it became important to them” said Dr. Zahi Hawass in his interview with “London Evening Standard” newspaper.

The Rosetta stone is an Ancient Egyptian artifact which was instrumental in advancing modern understanding of Egyptian hieroglyphic writing. The stone is a Ptolemaic era stele with carved text made up of three translations of a single passage two in Egyptian language scripts and one in classical Greek.

Rosetta stone was discovered by French troops 1799 in during Napoleons campaign in Egypt. It was given to British Museum by France for demonstrating in 1801 under the Treaty of Alexandria. Since that time it was kept in British Museum.

Randa El-Tahawy an Egyptian student of Westminster University says many of Egyptian historical heritage are displays in European Museums, because previously we couldn’t look after them properly but since Dr. Zahi assigned as a supreme council of antiquates the situation of historical ancient became batter. He is doing very good job he organized institution to look and repair all historical heritage. So now there is no reason to keep them outside of the country we should bring them back.

“Its our right to ask them back it’s a part of our culture we have to preserve it.” says Randa
Egypt is famous for its ancient civilization and some of the world's most famous monuments, including the Giza pyramid complex and its Great Sphinx.

The southern city of Luxor contains numerous ancient artifacts, such as the Karnak Temple and the Valley of the Kings. Egypt is widely regarded as an important political and cultural nation of the Middle East. And to collect its entire ancient heritage they requested the return of the Rosetta stone in 2003 as well. But a Britain is not willing to give this stone back they said the collection must remain as a whole.

By Sadia Hasanzada

Image taken from this site:

http://www.uncp.edu/home/rwb/Rosetta_Stone_BW.jpeg

Endgame for Afghanistan's elections?

Nearly two months after millions of Afghans voted for a president, they have at last been informed about the verdict of their ballots.
But it is still not over.
After weeks of delay and mounting tension, Afghanistan's Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) has posted its findings on its website after a complicated and controversial investigation into what the UN has called "widespread" fraud.
It confirms what has been an open secret for many days: that Hamid Karzai scored less than the 50% necessary to avoid a second round with his main challenger, Abdullah Abdullah.
But in an election which has turned into a deep political crisis, the Independent Election Commission (IEC) now believes it must have a deciding say.

The two main candidates should face a run-off
When this tangled process began, the ECC, the only electoral body composed of Afghan and foreign representation, was regarded as the "final arbiter".
The IEC's role was to ratify and announce the results.
The IEC is accused by many of being too close to a president who appointed all its commissioners. It now says it needs "a day or two" to examine the details of the ECC report.
One source warned of a possible "train crash". Others are still hoping a compromise can emerge at this critical 11th hour.
'Victory' stolen?
The ECC report focuses on three major areas: a recount and audit of some 10% of suspicious ballot boxes; an investigation into more than 600 allegations of fraud; and the more than 600 ballot boxes that were quarantined.
Sources who have been meeting the president say he insists his victory was stolen in this recount. In the first tally of ballots released in September, he won 54.6% of the vote with his former foreign minister Dr Abdullah trailing with 27.7%.
The president has repeatedly warned foreign countries not to interfere in the election process. Sources say he firmly believes Western countries, in particular the United States and Britain, are conspiring to rob him of victory.
Even my barber tells me people are not having their hair cut because they are holding on to their money, uncertain of the future
Nader Nadery, Free and Fair Election Foundation
Over the past week, there has been a steady stream of visitors to the heavily fortified presidential palace in Kabul, including US Democratic Senator John Kerry who was in Afghanistan at this crucial moment, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, who flew out to try to play a mediating role, and the Afghan-born former US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, who much to the annoyance of US officials, said he had come on a personal basis to help resolve this crisis.
Envoys based in Kabul, including the UN special representative Kai Eide, have also been going in and out of the president's office. Foreign leaders and officials have been working the phones from abroad.
The byword across the international community has been "legitimacy", that the UN-backed election process had to be respected.
Afghan reaction to these protracted and messy delays has ranged from apathy to anger.
"There are only two ways forward," said one Afghan legal expert involved in the process. "There is an election law that must be respected, or there is warlordism" - an allusion to Afghanistan's 30 years of violent conflict.
Sources say the last few days have involved intensive, and at times heated, discussions over the methodology employed to discard fraudulent votes.
The formula employs 17 criteria ranging from "is the same pen and the same tick mark used on successive ballots" to "are the voter registration cards sequential?"
Election 'tragi-comedy'
In recent weeks, the respected international election expert, the UN's Colombian-born Carlos Valenzuela, has shuttled between President Karzai and Dr Abdullah's office, carefully explaining the scientific basis of the methodology deployed in this highly politicised process.

Afghan poll: Possible outcomes
Q&A: Afghan election
The past few weeks in Kabul have been what one diplomat described as a "tragi-comedy" with the ECC announcing, then having to revise, and then explain, repeated missed deadlines for their verdict.
Nader Nadery, who heads the Afghanistan Free and Fair Election Foundation, praised a process as a "strong bold decision to nullify a large number of suspicious ballots for both candidates which shows there is no impunity".
But like many Afghans he expressed concern over a process which had dragged on far too long.
"Even my barber tells me people are not having their hair cut because they are holding on to their money, uncertain of the future."
More consequential and urgent decisions on US troop numbers and vital aid money are also being held up until a "credible" government emerges.
Nation in pain
All eyes now are on the IEC announcement.
But the next stage will be no easier. A second round of voting is feared by Afghans and foreigners alike. There is acute concern over whether a second round could result in a lower turnout, greater violence and even less legitimacy.
As one observer put it, the nation would "writhe in pain".
It should be held within two weeks after the formal announcement of results, but winter is fast closing in in many parts of the country.
There has been extensive discussion about whether a second round is constitutionally required and if it could be replaced by negotiations to form some kind of "power-sharing" arrangement between Hamid Karzai and Dr Abdullah.
Their personal relationship has come under considerable strain in recent months, with Dr Abdullah accusing his rival of personal responsibility for "massive state-engineered fraud".
Dr Abdullah has been insisting on the announcement of results before he will engage in negotiations. President Karzai has been insisting he wants to be declared the winner and then he will forge an inclusive government.
Across Afghanistan, and in many capitals, there is a profound hope Afghan politicians can work this out peacefully, for the sake of a country facing huge challenges.
But security is tight in Kabul, with armoured vehicles at key intersections, just in case they don't.

NOTE: taken from this site http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8314575.stm