Ten New Amphibian Species Discovered in Colombia

Ten new species of amphibians -- including three kinds of poisonous frogs and three transparent-skinned glass frogs -- have been discovered in the mountains of Colombia, scientists announced Monday.

By Jeanne Goddard

03 February 62 Views

Kabul's Old City Gets Major Renovation

To improve living conditions, attract business and reduce the constant threat of disease, Kabul's Old City has been cleared of rubbish and mud — so much that street levels dropped by nine feet uncovering building foundations submerged for over 60 years. Thanks to the Turquoise Mountain Foundation's clean-up and restoration of the original ground level, […]

By Jeanne Goddard

21 January 58 Views

Taliban Seeking Peace, has Split with Al Qaeda

Taliban leaders are holding Saudi-brokered talks with the Afghan government to end the country's conflict -- and are severing their ties with al Qaeda, sources close to the historic discussions have told CNN.

By Jeanne Goddard

07 October 65 Views

Iran's Generosity in Hosting Afghan Refugees Praised

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has lauded Iran's long record of generosity in hosting one million displaced Afghans since 1998 calling their settlement camps maybe the best in the world.

By Jeanne Goddard

17 December 67 Views

Afgan Schools to Benefit From $24 Million Boost

Tens of thousands of schoolchildren in Kabul are set to benefit from a $24 million donation from Japan, under an agreement signed today with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to construct around 1,000 classrooms. And, the UN Mine Action Program for Afghanistan announced that the city's electricity supply has improved as a result of its mine-clearing operation in the north of the country.

By Jeanne Goddard

22 January 63 Views

Production of Heroin, Cocaine Decline Sharply

The UN has reported a sharp decline in the production of opium in Afghanistan (used for heroin) and cocoa plants in Columbia (used to make cocaine). In these two countries, which produce over 90% of the world's supply, crop size has dropped 19 and 18 percent respectively since last year, reflecting government security efforts.

By Jeanne Goddard

25 June 62 Views

Poetry for the Soul in First Afghan National Park

Band-e-Amir, a vast expanse of amazingly blue lakes set in austere desert cliffs, nearly 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) high in the Hindu Kush mountains, has opened as Afghanistan's first national park.

By Jeanne Goddard

19 June 62 Views

Heartland States Send National Guard to Aid Afghan Farmers

National Guard troops from a half-dozen heartland states are taking their civilian farming know-how to Afghanistan in a little-noticed aspect of the Obama administration's efforts to stabilize the war-torn country.

By Corey Moore

13 July 59 Views

Afghan Enclave Seen as Model for Development

Small grants given directly to villagers have brought important changes to Jurm, where people have taken charge for themselves — using village councils and direct grants to bring new water taps, replace the poppy crop and offer women health care.

By Jeanne Goddard

18 November 61 Views

U.S. Unveils Plan to Help Afghan Women Build Better Lives

The Women's Action Plan for Afghanistan, outlined by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at the London Conference on Afghanistan on January 28, seeks to increase Afghan women's security, leadership in the public and private sectors, access to judicial institutions, education and health services, and ability to take advantage of economic opportunities, especially in the agricultural sector.

By Molly Bellow

04 February 58 Views

US Special Forces Apologize For Afghan Civilian Deaths With Sheep

A remarkable scene played out this week between an aggrieved father and the most senior special operations officer in the United States military. Vice Admiral William McRaven -- the commander of Joint Special Operations Command -- showed up with two sheep, and in the cultural understanding of the region, surrendered himself. And the father -- who has lost two sons, two daughters and one grandchild -- accepted McRaven's apology.

By Jeanne Goddard

09 April 64 Views

Opium Cultivation in Afghanistan Drops by a Fifth

Opium cultivation in Afghanistan has gone down by a fifth as compared to last year, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported today. Thanks in part to good local leadership coupled with a drought, the Afghanistan Opium Survey 2008 showed a 19 percent decrease in opium cultivation to 157,000 hectares, down from a record harvest of 193,000 in 2007.

By Jeanne Goddard

17 September 63 Views

Pakistan Afghanistan Leaders Hold Peace Jirga

Pakistani and Afghan political and ethnic tribal leaders meet in Islamabad on Monday to try to agree on ways to tackle rising militant violence including the possibility of opening talks with the Taliban.

By Jeanne Goddard

27 October 62 Views

Iran Invited by Group of Eight to Meeting on Afghanistan

Iran said on Monday it had been invited by Group of Eight president Italy to an international meeting on Afghanistan, which is also expected to be attended by the United States. Italy wants to hold a conference bringing together the world's richest countries and Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, India, China, and Turkey among others to find ways of bringing stability to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

By Jeanne Goddard

24 February 63 Views

Doves Take to the Sky as UN Supports Peace in Afghanistan

The top United Nations envoy in Afghanistan today joined colleagues in releasing 21 doves ahead of the International Day of Peace for a country which has witnessed intensifying conflict over the past year.

By Jeanne Goddard

19 September 63 Views