News (Consolidated) - UNSOM

KABUL - I strongly condemn today’s terrorist attack centred on a compound of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in central Kabul. Three IOM staff members were injured, one seriously. A staff member from the International Labour Organization was also injured. All are now receiving…

NEW YORK - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemns the attack involving the compound of the International Organization for Migration that took place in Kabul on Friday, the UN chief's spokesperson said in a statement. "He notes that Afghan security forces have been responding to the…

NILI - The process of voter registration officially started in Dai Kundi Province in presence of the Provincial Governor and other dignitaries. According to election officials, the people of Dai Kundi province who have lost their voter cards, or who have turned 18 this year can get new voter cards…

NANGARHAR - The Provincial Peace Committee (PPC) in Nangarhar Province has started several projects at the total cost of US$250,000 to promote peace and reconciliation in the Province. The projects are being implemented in Achin, Shirzad and Rodat districts where around 270 labourers are hired for…

KABUL - In the midst of ongoing violence, more than 100 Afghan artists and activists today gave away 10,000 pink balloons to residents of the country’s capital, Kabul, in what may have been the largest public art installation to ever take place in Afghanistan. Basing themselves alongside the…

BADAKHSHAN - Poppy crops grown in 300 hectares of land have been eradicated as part of an ongoing anti-poppy campaign in north-eastern Badakhshan province, where the illicit plant has been cultivated in 5,000 hectares of land. A spokesperson at the Governor's Office, Abdul Maroof Rasikh, told the…

TALOQAN - Forty-three new school buildings will be constructed in Taloqan, the provincial capital of Takhar Province. The Deputy Director of Takhar Education Department, Sayed Qutbuddin, said that budget for 25 school buildings will be provided by the Ministry of Education and the rest will be…

KABUL - With the support of the World Bank, the Afghan Government today launched a new programme to develop a national culture of innovation in the area of information technology, offering the possibility of cash prizes for the best ideas in this area. “MCIT [the Ministry of Communications and…

SAR-I-PUL - The Ministry of Education and the National Solidarty Programme (NSP) are jointly constructing 225 new school buildings in Sar-i-Pul Province at the cost of 500 million Afghanis (US$9.3 million). In his comments to the media, the head of the Provincial Education Department, Ghafoor…

NEW YORK - In various locations around the world today, from urban metropolises to remote townships, the United Nations is marking the International Day of UN Peacekeepers. The Day has two purposes: to honour the memory of the UN peacekeepers who have lost their lives in the cause of peace, and to…

KHOST - Hailing from provinces as far away as Logar and Maydan Wardak, some 2,000 people flocked to the south-eastern Afghan province of Khost to attend a festival aimed at promoting peace through the spoken word. “In the last three years, effective steps have been taken to resolve tribal conflicts…

KABUL - Thousands of Afghanistan’s poorest families will be able to break their fast during the holy month of Ramadan with an evening serving of dates thanks to a contribution from Saudi Arabia, the United Nations food relief agency said today. The donation of 85 metric tons of dried dates was…