About thirty women completed carpet weaving training courses through National Regional Development Program in Asadabad area of eastern Kunar province, the officials said.

The training of carpet weaving was continuing and efforts were underway to provide employment opportunities for the women in order to build the economy of Kunar province, the officials said.

The women, who completed their training courses, praised the launch of such programs as it was useful for economic growth—demanding the government for a proper market for their products.

It was the third project that was launched for women in eastern Kunar province but after the end of these projects, the women because of some problems can’t continue their professional works.

A recent survey conducted by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) show that the development of telecommunication and Information Technology sector, result in economic growth in Afghanistan.

According to this report, “The Afghan government has taken effective steps in the sector of   telecommunications and information technology during the last 10 years and now 64 percent people in 34 provinces, have access to these services”.

“Despite of the numerous challenges, particularly insecurity in the country, private sectors invested 1.8 billion dollars in the sector of telecommunication and Information Technology sector and has provided jobs, either directly or indirectly to 110, 000 people,”, the report said.

The report predicts that if security has ensured in Afghanistan, 95 percent Afghans may have access to telecommunication and Information Technology services by the end of the year 2014.

At the meantime, people would be provided facilities in the sectors of education, trade, electronic identity cards and other services.

“Although, the telecommunication and information technology sector is relatively newly reformed in Afghanistan than in other neighboring and regional countries but this sector provided facilities in the development of media, access to information and other services to people in short time”.

Jawed Ahmad Hamdard, who prepared the ‘Strengthening the media’ sector of this report believes that the report is a good source for further research in this area.

Russia wants to invest in the sectors of gas and energy transfer from Central Asia to South Asia through Afghanistan.

Finance Ministry Spokesperson Mr. Aziz Shams said, “Russian officials, at first meeting of Afghan Russian Joint Economic and Trade Cooperation, committed that Russia will invest in different sectors in Afghanistan”.

According to Aziz Shams, “Most Russian investors want to invest in the sectors of gas and energy transfer from Turkmenistan and Tajikistan to India and Pakistan through Afghanistan”.

He added, “Russian investment in the sectors of gas and energy transfer will profit both Russia and Afghanistan”.

The Afghan Russian Joint Economic and Trade Cooperation was formed by mutual agreement of both states in June 2011, after President Karzai formal visit to Russia.

According to official statistics, Russian export to Afghanistan during last few years has increased by 70 percent.  Similarly, the trade exchanges between the two countries have reached over 500 million dollars.

Afghan Carpets won first place in the recent International Carpet Exhibition held in United Arab Emirates.

A wide assortment of carpets from fourteen countries of the world were shown at the exhibition but Afghan carpets won the top position because of their best overall quality, best design, and most attractive colors.

Woven carpets from Afghanistan have long been considered as the best carpets of the world.  Afghan carpets have been the leading export item from Afghanistan for the past several decades.

Lately, the number of carpets exported annually has declined.  Some industry members say the decline has been almost 70%, but the Ministry of Commerce and Industry rejected that number as being far too large.

Meanwhile, the Deputy of Carpet Exporters Union accepted the decline in carpet exports, saying that the number of carpets exported annually has declined each year since 2004.

According to the statistics of the Carpet Exporters Union, Afghanistan exported almost 1.7 million square meters of carpet in 2004.  By 2010 that number was reduced to 380,000 square meters.  During 2011, the total square meters of carpet exports dwindled to 280,000.

Carpet weaving has a long history in Afghanistan.  Woven Afghan carpets are counted as the best carpets of the world.  An Afghan carpet was also declared the first place winner at the 2011 exhibition.

According to the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, about 340 million dollar is required for the restoration and up-gradation of the airports and some donating countries are ready to do that if these projects are given to their companies.

Dawood Ali Najafi, the acting Minister for Transport and Civil Aviation Affairs said that Afghanistan anxiously needs to expand the air services but faces many challenges in this regard.

According to him, aviation services is consider important for Afghanistan as it is a landlocked country, its routes are not according to the international standard and there is still insecurity.

Mr. Najafi also said that for the above mentioned reasons government mainly focused to expand aviation services and build more airports in country.

Mr. Najafi said that lack of budget and internal capacity are also major challenges of the Ministry and thus the donating countries announced conditional restoration and construction of airports.

According to Mr. Najafi besides constructing airports in capital cities, the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation will construct airports in Darwaz district of Badakhshan, Ajrajistan and Jaghori districts of Ghazni province next year.

Afghan Education Minister Dr. Farooq Wardak in a visit to Nangarhar and Kunar Provinces on Wednesday said there won’t be any village in these provinces without a school and effective steps will be taken till the next three years in the education sectors.

Mr. Wardak promised to build a religious school in Ghazi Amanullah Khan Town of eastern Nangarhar province and said with the opening of this school, there won’t be further need for the students to go to the other province for education.

The Education Minister in another visit to eastern Kunar province also promised similar school with the residents of this province.

While 770 schools exist in Nangarhar province but 330 of them are without proper buildings and also in Kunar province more than 440 schools exist but more than have of these schools have no buildings and classrooms.

The returning refugees with having vocational trainings have been able to work and now can bring their products in the markets, Baghlan immigration department said.

Several equipped vocational training centers have been created in Baghlan province where baking, sewing, carpentry and weaving skills are provided to hundreds of men and women returning refugees.

Recently, 90 women completed their sewing and weaving trainings and about 30 men completed their baking and carpentry trainings. In addition to the vocational trainings, these people are also given monthly U.S. $ 100.

Chief of Baghlan returning refugees Muhammad Naeem Kakar said the immigrants, who were previously unemployed and were serving poverty lives, are now trained occupational skills and through tailoring, carpet weaving, carpentry and metal working can bring their products in the markets for sale.

Mr. Kakar said these training programs are very effective for the lives of migrants and can better their economic situations. He added that there isn’t any need for the migrants to go back to the foreign countries because they all are being provided occupational skills and won’t be further unemployed.

In this province there are about 45 thousand returned migrants but just 15 thousand of them are provided shelter by the Baghlan immigration department.

The first convoy of food aid of Russian Federation reached to Afghanistan through railway track from Hairatan port, officials said.

The aid was promised last year during President Karzai’s visit to Russia and such supports will continue to Afghanistan, the Russian officials said.

Moscow General Consul Alexander Glowin said recently Russia also supported about 41 Kamaz trucks to Afghanistan.

According to the Russian officials; Russia has already helped several other sectors of Afghanistan and Russia vows to assist Afghanistan for a long time.

These supported food items are considered to be distributed to the needy people of Afghanistan during the winter season.

The United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) committed to donate about US $ 56 millions for education in Afghanistan.  The agreement was signed yesterday in Kabul between Afghan Education Minster and UNICEF representative for Afghanistan.

Education Minster, Muhammad Farooq Wardak said some portion of this amount will be used to improve the quality of education in about 55 districts of 13 different provinces, where education level is very low.

Mr. Wardak said with having this amount, the buildings of about 2500 schools will be renewed within the next three years.

With the implementation of this programme the number of students may reach to about 12 million in the country and the Ministry may appoint three hundred female teachers to provinces, Mr. Wardak said.

Meanwhile Mr. Peter Crowley; UNICEF Representative in Afghanistan stressed for UNICEF long-term cooperation with Afghanistan.

Mr. Crowley said “all the children in Afghanistan have right to get education and UNICEF appreciates all efforts of Afghan government that provide education facilities to children, especially for girls.”

Afghanistan entitled to the contribution of UNICEF after getting the membership of Global Partnership for Education.

The Global Partnership for Education has started its operation since 2002 aimed to expand education in war-torn and backward countries of the world.

For the prevention of air pollution in Kabul, the National Environment Protection Agency (NEPA) installed a new machine to estimate the level of poisonous gases in Kabul.

Following the current huge population at Capital, 11 more such devices required in the city, NEPA officials said.

NEPA Director Mustafa Zahir said the device worth more than three hundred thousand dollars ($ 300,000) and is capable of estimating the level of poisonous gases each and every minute in Kabul.

Increasing air pollution has created many concerns for the Kabul residents. Huge population of Kabul and its residents’ negligence towards environmental issues has created number of problems in the City.

Road damages, excessive dirt, smokes of vehicles and factories and lack of greeneries are the major contributor to air pollution in Kabul.

Increasing greeneries, good quality of fuel and ban old vehicles are the major effective steps to create a healthy atmosphere and environment.

The local residents of Safar area of Garamser district of Helmand province said they are ready to cooperate with the government in countering narcotics and maintaining peace stability.

Government has fulfilled their commitments in the reconstruction and development of the Safar region thus they started supporting the government. Their support to the government caused to increase the rehabilitation and reconstruction works in their area, the local residents said.

The residents welcomed the government for building new school for the children and implementing the agricultural projects.

A local resident said “the government is ours; we support and stand with them. Roads, bridges and markets are developed. We are satisfied of our security forces for providing well security to the residents”.

Meanwhile, Garamser district Chief said the residents have been supporting the government since many years and the residents are working under many development projects.

Garmsir district was one of the insecure districts of Helmand in last few years and its most inhabitants compelled to migrate to Pakistan.

Experts believe that government can easily gain more public support if it expands reconstruction projects and focus on good governance.

Japan pledged to aid $ 25 million to the Afghan Ministry of Education for building more schools in Afghanistan. The agreement was signed on Thursday between Afghan Education Minister, Japan Ambassador and UNICEF representative in Afghanistan.

Afghan Education Ministry said with the pledged aid, schools will be built for more than 50 thousand students in the provinces of Daikundi, Bamyan and Ghor.”

“Despite progress, still significant growth of education has not been made in 14 provinces and many problems exist. Right now, 4.2 million of Afghan children are deprived of the education whose 60% are girls, said the Education Minister Farooq Wardak.”

Mr. Farooq said at present, six thousand schools across the country don’t have proper buildings and within next three years, the country will need about 16 thousand schools. He promised that no child will be deprived of education till the next three years in the country.

Meanwhile Japanese Ambassador to Kabul Rechiro Takashi said providing education and creating a safe environment for the students in Afghanistan is the priority of his country, Japan.

Mr. Takashi said “This assistance shows that Japan provide more attention to the provinces whose security responsibilities have been transferred to the Afghan security forces.”

Peter Kroll UNICEF Representative in Afghanistan also said these supports can solve the problems of Afghan students.

Japan is a major donor to Afghanistan and has been the second largest financial supporter to Afghanistan over the past ten years.

Ghazni Governor; Muhammad Musa Akbarzada once again criticizes the central government for being negligence towards reconstruction projects in Ghazni and said none of the government agencies have  worked effectively in the province..

All reconstruction projects, which are implemented in Ghazni province so far, are supported either by the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) or by other social institutions, the Governor said.

So far, the $ 20 million support of president Karzai for Ghazni province has not been transferred to the provincial government, Ghazni Governor added.

Meanwhile, Muhammad Aqha; Treasury Chief of Finance Ministry, who visited Ghazni province to evaluate the spent budget of last year said the dedicated funds were not transferred to Ghazni because the related institutions failed to utilize it.

Mr. Aqha said that funds are never transferred physically but are spent according to specialized budget of specific projects.

He accused the Miniseries’ representatives in Ghazni for being inactive and said the central government is ready to transfer them more funds, if they properly use the dedicated annual budget.

Currently, government institutions demand fewer budgets than the previous years as Parliament has recently started investigating the annual budgets spent by government offices, he added.

These statements are expressed in such a time that Ghazni province to be named as a center of Islamic culture and civilization till the next year.

According to the people; necessary works have not been done so far and the province is still faced with serious problems.

The agreement has been signed with Iran to import one million tons of petroleum from its country till the next year, said the officials at the Ministry of Commerce and Industries.

The Ministry spokesman Wahidullah Ghazi Khail said the agreement was signed with Iranian officials during the recent visit of Afghan Trade Ministry delegation to Tehran.

60 percent of these oils are Diesel, 30 percent petrol and remaining other 10 percent are aircraft fuel that will soon imported to Afghanistan, Ghazi Khail added.

Excessive use of oil and fuel in winter season has increased the residents’ criticisms towards the Ministry.

While the ministry says it is trying to buy more oil and gas to control high prices in the markets.

Ghazi Khail said “President Karzai at a meeting of the Council of Ministers has instructed the Ministry of Finance to hand over $ 50 million to the Trade Ministry to buy more oil and fuel.

According to him; the government has no right to intervene in the market but can enter same products to the markets for competition with private sectors and thus can control the prices in the markets.

Although Trade Ministry has repeatedly told to import more oil and fuel in the country but so far, a significant reduction has not been seemed in oil and fuel prices.

Drug cultivation and its revenue is the main source of Taliban’s continuing war in Afghanistan.

Minister for Counter Narcotics Zarar Ahmad Moqbil said the huge benefits of drug cultivations are obtained by armed oppositions.

Mr. Moqbil, in his visit to Balkh province said “last year the Taliban had earned U.S. $ 155 million from drugs which accelerated their activities and has created problems for Afghan government.”

Currently, drugs are cultivated on about 131 thousand acres of lands country wide, Moqbil added.

Meanwhile, Balkh governor Atta Muhammad Noor said the Balkh province is free of drug crops since last six years but the government and International Community have slowdown their assistance to the provincial farmers.

He warned that if the problems are not solved, farmers may return back to poppy cultivation as drug mafia and smugglers are seeking for such an opportunity.

Similarly, the Ministers of Rural Development and Agriculture who also visited Balkh province told about government’s new programs aimed to combat poppy cultivation and production. This program has been started in Balkh province and will be extending to other provinces soon.

Initially, a dairy processing plant costing $ 5 million will be created in Balkh province that will provide job opportunities to nearly two thousand people.

ISAF inaugurated a bridge costing one million and five hundred thousand dollars in Gershak district of Helmand province.

The residents and local authorities consider the construction of the bridge effective for the solution of their problems and demanded the government and donor agencies for more attention to the development and reconstructions of the district.

The bridge solves the problems of the Baizo villagers that were always faced with the threats of the Taliban, Gershak district chief Muhammad Saleem Roodi said.

Mr. Roodi said “Gershak villagers were really faced with serious problems. Thousands of families live in this area. They had many problems to travel to the district but now, the construction of the bridge has also solved the security problems of the residents.”

The residents also expressed pleasure with the construction of the bridge and also demanded for building more big and small bridges.

The Gershak residents have always been complaining about inattention of government and aid agencies towards the development of the district.

The ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that soon, Afghanistan will ink strategic deals with Great Britain, France and Italy.

Foreign ministry spokesperson; Janan Musazai told a press conference on Sunday that President Karzai will visit Europe to discuss these deals by the end of January 2012.

Afghan government started new efforts to sign strategic agreements with United States of America.  The recent relations between Afghan government and NATO troops has tensed on continuation of night raids which interrupted the efforts for singing Afghan-US strategic deals, Mr. Musazai said.

Afghanistan has already signed long-term agreement with India and will also sign strategic cooperation with European Union, Australia and NATO forces this year, Mr. Musazai added.

The recent efforts have been fasten to sign strategic agreements with European countries and NATO forces in such a time that international forces may quit Afghanistan by the end of year 2014.

Afghan government hopes that singing of these strategic agreements may fill the vacuum that will be created after the withdrawal of foreign forces.

Mr. Musazai rejected the creation of Taliban’s political office in Qatar and said government’s top priority is to maintain peace and stability and support Taliban’s office in Qatar aimed to fasten peace process.

Earlier a report published that Taliban’s office has been established in Qatar by mutual cooperation of US and Germany and some Taliban representatives have also shifted to Qatar.

The graduation ceremony of psychology students of Kabul University was celebrated on Sunday.

“The role of these fresh gradates are very important in the society and we need for such an educated and literate youth, Professor of Psychology in Kabul University Khair Muhammad Khairkhowa said.”

Currently that many psychological diseases exist in Afghanistan, these psychologists are very valuable in the country, Khairkhowa added.

Meanwhile the graduates said they will try their best to help the people through what they have learned.

This graduation ceremony comes at a time where unemployment and lack of job are among the serious challenges for the youth.

The implementation work of two reconstruction projects has been started in Zabul province and another project is under consideration, officials of rural rehabilitation and development ministry said.

Jarullah Mansouri, the minister for rural rehabilitation and development affairs said these projects include construction of Zabul’s rural development department building, a mosque and a school. These projects cost one million and three hundred thousand dollars and will be paid from the budget of rural rehabilitation and development ministry.

The Minster also said that the ministry has planned twenty eight reconstruction projects for next year that will be implemented in Zabul province after the approval.

According to the Minster, few development works have been done in Zabul province and local residents still have many problems which should be resolved.

The minister also said enough development projects have not been implemented in Zabul and demanded all ministries to pay attention to the province because local residents are facing too many problems and reconstruction projects are also decreased.

Meanwhile, provincial authorities and residents asked Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development to increase reconstruction and development projects in Zabul.

The minister for rural rehabilitation and development affairs, who is on visit to Zabul province, may also visit some districts of Zabul province.

The first water Dam is constructed in Deh Yak district of southern Ghazni province by U.S. Provincial Construction Team (PRT) costing $500,000, officials said.

Chief of Ghazni Agriculture called the construction of new Dam very important for the agriculture and economy of the people.

Sultan Hussain Abbasyar Chief of Ghazni Agriculture department said about 78 other small dams are also connected to this newly-constructed dam through which water is stored to the canals and then used for farming and agriculture.

The dam can irrigate more than 15 thousand acres of land that will have positive impacts on the development of agriculture, livestock and economy of the people, Abbasyar added.

Mr. Abbasyar said they have considered building similar dams in other districts of the province in near future.