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Graft-Tainted Senior Transport Official Referred to AGO

Women as Pioneers of Peace

KABUL - The Wolesi Jirga on Sunday referred the Road National Authority (RNA) head to the Attor-ney General Office (AGO) over corruption allega-tions, asking the government to suspend him.Mohammad Sadiq Qaderi, head of the lower house Complaints Hearing Commission, addressed a press conference here and accused RNA head Sheikh Matin of corruption.He said people had complained Matin extorted money from people and illegally dismissed some officials and replaced them with other individuals against bribe.“Documents I have found prove these claims and would be shared with the AGO”, he said.Qaderi said Matin had been summoned four times to the house but he refused to come and the com-mission now decided to refer him to AGO.

HERAT – Under the header of ‘Women as pioneers for peace’, attendees at a meeting on the role of women in peace adopted a declaration calling for the substantive involvement and participation of women in bringing peace to Afghanistan.The day-long UN-backed event held in Herat, the capital of the western province, brought together around 100 women activists, government leaders and civil society from across the region, including

He asked AGO to share their investigative report on the regard with the commission within a week. Qa-deri asked the government to suspend Matin’s duty.Tila Mohammad ...( More on P4)...(4)

Badghis, Ghor, Farah and Herat. The primary focus of discussions centred on recommendations made by more than 1,000 women including from Badg-his, Ghor, Farah and Herat, following a year-long of consultations on peace and security.Participants, who included Herat Governor, Abdul Quayom Rahimi and his Deputy, Monesa Hassan-zadeh, reaffirmed a call for women to take centre stage and ensure that their role and rights are ad-equately reflected and safeguarded in peace efforts, as well as any subsequent agreement.“Without women in the peace process, there is no peace,” ...( More on P4)...(3)

KABUL - Second Vice Pres-ident Mohammad Sarwar Danish and British Ambas-sador to Afghanistan Alison Blake on Sunday discussed the Afghan peace process and regional situation.A statement from the 2nd Vice-President media’s of-fice said Danish termed extremism as ‘real factor’ of tension in the region, saying an increase in the tension could negatively impact the Afghan peace process.A US airstrike killed Irani-an Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani in Bagh-

dad and Iran retaliated by firing more than a dozen rockets at two Iraqi military bases hosting American troops, the US State Depart-ment alleges.The rockets were fired at Ain Al-Asad base in Anbar province and another one in Erbil early on Wednes-day.Danish and Blake discussed latest regional situation, the Afghan peace process and relations between the two countries.The UK Ambassador reaf-firmed her country’s sup-port and assistance with the

O’Brien Says US Ready to Reach Deal with Taliban, Reduce Contingent in

Afghanistan This Year

Heavy Rains, Snowfall Leave Dozens Dead in Pakistan,

Afghanistan

6 IEC Commissioners Face Attorneys

KABUL/ISLAMABAD - Severe winter weather has struck parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan, with heavy snowfall, rains and flash floods that killed at least 43 people, officials said as authori-ties struggled to clear and reopen highways and evacuate people to safer places.In Pakistan, where 25 people were reported killed, the south-western Balochistan province was the worst affected.Imran Zarkon, chief of disaster management in Balochistan, said 14 people have died there in the past 24 hours, mostly when roofs collapsed amid heavy snowfall.A heavy snowfall had forced the

KABUL - The Independent Elec-tion Complaints Commission (IECC) regional office in south-western Daikundi province on Sunday termed 358 votes of eight polling stations as validated and introduced six commissioners of Independent Election Commis-sion (IEC) who declared such votes as invalidated but the IEC declared certain decision as ille-gally.According to the IECC 113th de-cision, after the recount and au-dit process result of 1190 polling stations, 1179 polling stations of them were declared as invali-

closure of many highways and some parts in the province were under six inches (15cm) of snow.Eleven people were killed in the eastern Punjab province when the roofs of their houses caved in under heavy rains, said Abdul Sattar, an official with the state-run emergency service.In Afghanistan, at least 18 people, including women and children, died on account of the severe weather, according to provincial officials.Hasibullah Shaikhani, a press of-ficer with the state ministry for disaster management, said most of the highways in Afghanistan were ...( More on P4)...(1)

dated.Pajhwok Afghan News learnt that the above decision was ac-cepted by all IEC commissioners except Awrangzib an IEC com-missioner.But the Daikundi IECC has de-clared the eight polling stations votes as validated and also in-troduced six IEC commissioners to the attorney office who had acknowledged such votes as in-validated.In an IECC document, 79 votes in Hazrat Suliaman masque, 13 votes in Reslat masque, 71 votes in Neglige high school, 50 votes

in Imam Jafar masque, nine votes in Subsgali masque, 34 votes in Sapeedsang masque, 73 votes in Bandar-i-Pashdarm clinic and 29 votes Fatimatuzura girl high school have been announced as validated after their recount and audit in Ishtarli and Shahristan districts of the province.IECC has declared the Daikundi IECC decision as illegally in this regard and urged the regional offices to follow its laws till not damage pubic minds.The IECC also asked the Daikun-di IECC to review its decision in this regard. (Pajhwok)

Donald Trump could reach a deal with the Taliban movement al-ready this year and even if there

was no deal, Washington would still reduce its contingent in Af-ghanistan.“The Afghan forces are doing bet-ter, and I think we’ll be in a posi-tion at some point soon, whether it’s with a deal or without a deal, to reduce our military footprint in Afghanistan”, O’Brien said in an interview with the Axios news portal.In response to the question of whether Trump was going to con-clude an agreement with the Tali-ban before the presidential elec-tion in the United States, O’Brien said that this could happen this year.

“I don’t judge things based on when the election’s going to take place, but I think it is possible that there’ll be a deal this year”, the media outlet quoted the national security adviser as saying.Earlier in the week, US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad arrived in Qatar for a new round of bilateral peace talks with the Taliban, with many leading Af-ghan officials hopeful that a bind-ing agreement can be signed be-tween the two sides.Leaving Afghanistan was one of Trump’s key campaign promises. In mid-December, various media reported that Trump was plan-ning to announce the withdrawal of 4,000 troops after the resump-tion of talks with the Taliban.Washington sought a guarantee that the region would not become a safe ...( More on P4)...(2)

MOSCOW - White House Na-tional Security Adviser Robert O’Brien said that US President

war-hit country in various spheres of life, the state-ment said.Danish hailed the US and Iran for not further esca-lating their tension, add-ing that extremism was the main reason of any tension and crisis in the region as pointed to recent move-ments in Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Libya, and Bahrain.The British envoy said her country was touch with both US and Iran about the latest tension and they were trying with other countries of the region to calm down the situation. (Pajhwok)

Regional Tension to Hurt Afghan Peace Talks: Danish

Open Tender Notice

The Embassy of Pakistan, Kabul, is seeking bids from

reputable Afghan companies/firms for redesigning of its main

entrance as per standard security requirements.

The bidders can submit their quotations on their business

letterhead in sealed envelopes distinctly addressed to the “Head

of Chancery, Embassy of Pakistan, Kabul” before 1200 hours on

05 February 2020, which will be opened the same day at 1230

hours in presence of parties or their authorized representatives.

Interested parties can visit the site and collect details of project

during office hours on 15 and 16 January 2020. Embassy of Pakistan Kabul 12 January 2020

MAZAR-I-SHARIF - Military operations against Taliban mili-tants would be extended to inse-cure districts of northern Balkh province soon, an official said on Monday.Balkh provincial government spokesperson Munir Farhad told reporters here that the opera-tions would eradicate security threats that had worried people.For this purpose, he said, high ranking Afghan and NATO se-curity officials held a meeting in Mazar-i-Sharif, the provincial capital, three days back.As a result of the operations, threats on the Mazar-Shiberghan and Mazar-Samangan highways would be eradicated and the Taliban purged from surround-ing areas.He said National Directorate of Security (NDS) forces had ar-rested four key Taliban mem-bers during the past one week in

KABUL - Efforts to reduce vio-lence will have an impact on lives of all Afghans, NATO’s senior civilian representative in Afghanistan, Nicholas Kay, said on Sunday.Kay said this when asked for a comment on a statement from Afghan presidential spokes-man, which stressed on cease-fire as precondition to peace talks and rejected violence re-duction.“Efforts to reduce violence will have an impact on lives of all Afghans, but specifics of an agreement will be for the parties to agree,” Kay said on Twitter.“We must be patient as these trust-building measures are worked out,” Kay said. “We look forward to firm and credi-ble guarantees from the Taliban for peace.”The envoy said that NATO supports US-Taliban talks, but noted that real peace will come

He said that NATO presence in Afghanistan is based on needs of the Afghan forces and it will be determined by allies and

from an intra-Afghan agree-ment that preserves the rights and freedoms Afghans have en-joyed for the last 18 years.

conditions on the ground.“Violence has to reduce as a first step to make way for peace,” Kay said. (1TV NEWS)

KABUL - President Ashraf Ghain on Monday stressed lawful use of force and prevention of inter-ference in police affairs, saying thieves and smugglers would no longer be able to raise a hand against the law.President Ghani expressed these views at the graduation ceremo-ny of hundreds of police person-nel in KabulThe president awarded medal of Ghazi Mir Bacha Khan to some of 455 graduates who obtained high grades while graduating from criminal, security, border, logistic and traffic areas form Maj. Gen. Abdul Razaq Achackzai National Police Academy today.Addressing the graduates, Ghani said Afghanistan needed profes-sional and informed police so they would be able to enforce the law.“Police have no right to kill any Afghan, the court decides about execution, use of force should be careful,” he said.The president called police as ac-tors of law enforcement and said, “Police had been deployed to war for the last 18 years, now they re-turn to their main duty of law en-

TAKHAR - A traffic accident in Takhar province left eight people killed and wounded. According to Jawad Hijri, the spokesman for Takhar’s governor as say-ing to TKG, a vehicle traveling from Rustaq district to the city of Taloqan was diverted from

KABUL - According to the Interior Ministry as saying on Monday [January 13, 2020], six robbery sus-pects have been arrested in Kabul.The ministry issued in a statement as saying, “Police in the 15th dis-trict of Kabul arrested six people involved in theft and robbery.”

KABUL - According to the act-ing head of Salang Maintenance and Monitoring Department as saying on Monday [January 13, 2020], Salang highway has been blocked to land traffics due to heavy snowing.

HELMAND - Flashfloods this week have left 11 people dead and 22 others injured in the southern provinces of Kandahar and Helmand, according to local officials. The officials said efforts are un-derway to help the victims. “Efforts are underway by officials from relevant departments to col-lect data on casualties and help the affected families,” Helmand governor’s spokesman Omar Zwak said. Meanwhile, heavy snowstorms closed highways that connect Ka-bul with Bamiyan. The Afghanistan Meteorological

Authority has predicted more rainfalls in the coming days.Eight were killed and 13 others were injured in Spin Boldak dis-trict in Kandahar. In Herat province all highways were closed due to heavy snow-fall. “All Herat highways, including Herat-Kabul and Herat-Kanda-har, Herat-Torghondi, Herat-Is-lam Qala and Herat-Qala-e-Naw highways are closed to traffic since last night due to heavy snowfall. Efforts are underway to reopen the highways,” said Herat police spokesman Abdul Ahad Walizada. (TOLO NEWS)

forcement.”Ghani voiced on interior minis-ter and said, “Interferences form outside in the Ministry of Interi-or should end, you have my full support in this area.”Talking to the police graduates, he said he was a strong supporter of police forces and there was no place for illegal armed men in the country’s law.He said no thieve and smuggler in future would be able to threat-en police forces.He stressed environment of po-lice should be clean of any cor-ruption and discrimination.Mohammad Massoud Andarabi, acting interior minister, said that essential changes had taken place in training curriculum of police academy and efforts were still on in this regard.He said the graduates were re-cruited in two police districts and one rural district of Kabul prov-ince. Andarabi said the interior ministry would soon bring some reforms in Kabul police districts.This comes as complaints about criminal incidents in Kabul city have recently increased. (Pajh-wok)

the roadside and overturned in the Ozonkotel area. According to him, three people have been killed and five others wounded in the incident. The spokesperson further added, the accident took place due to the driver’s negli-gence. (TKG)

According to the statement, the men were arrested yesterday [Jan-uary 12, 2020] as a result of an op-eration by the police of PD15. Re-cently, there has been an increase in insecurity in the country which has become a major concern to Af-ghan people. (TKG)

Acting head of Salang Mainte-nance and Monitoring Depart-ment, Mohammad Zahir Moham-madi told TKG that the heavy snow is ongoing with Salang highway and has closed the high-way to ...( More on P4)...(6)

Efforts to Reduce Violence Will Have Impact on Lives of All Afghans: NATO Envoy

Military Operations in Insecure Balkh Districts Soon

Police Have no Right to Kill any Afghan, says Ghani

Traffic Accident in Takhar Leaves 3 Dead

At Least 6 Robbery Suspects Arrested in Kabul

Salang Highway Blocked to Land Traffics

Flashfloods Kill 11 in Kandahar, Helmand

Jan 14, 2020 - Contacts made through friends or colleagues, perhaps younger people, might bring new ideas for bettering your home life, Leo. Perhaps a new house-mate wants to move in, you could install some new equipment, or you might even

have the chance to move to a roomier place. These are only ideas to be considered, however. Final decisions should wait for a later day.

Jan 14, 2020 - Today you could find yourself searching for a particular piece of knowledge that you need in order to move on with something you’re doing, Taurus. You’ll probably find it, perhaps through a friend or col-

league. Or else it might show itself suddenly, making you want to shout, “Eureka!” After that, it’s smooth sailing all the way.

Jan 14, 2020 - Today you might find your-self working with an exciting group of people, Gemini. Perhaps this involves an opportunity to increase your skills or a new project or even a whole new job. Your mind is quick and especially inno-

vative, so don’t be surprised if you’re able to contribute far more than you would have expected. Don’t think your efforts will go unappreciated. Friends grow closer to you and acquaintances could become friends.

Down

Across Yesterday’s Solution

1. Rocks of compacted ash, 2. Arm of the sea, 3. Tropical vine, 4. A parcel of land, 5. Alone6. Each and all, 7. Short skirt, 8. Inserting, 9. Born as, 10. Less difficult, 11. Freshwater fish of Central America, 12. What a person is called, 13. Visual organs, 18. Flip over, 22. A flat mass of ice, 24. Tropical tuber, 26. Small island, 28. In the midst of, 29. Sea eagle, 30. Trickle, 31. Devotees, 32. Burlap fiber, 33. Distinctness, 34. Besmirched, 37. Protrusion of the lower jaw, 38. Roll up, 40. Color of the sky, 41. Shocks, 43. The calendar of a court, 44. Instructor, 46. Jazz style, 47. Anoint (archaic), 48. Regenerate, 49. Showers with love

1. Cultivate, 5. Milt, 10. Feudal worker, 14. Pearly-shelled mussel, 15. Sheeplike16. On the road, 17. Excessive gas in the gut, 19. A few, 20. Bog, 21. Risk, 22. Infernos, 23. Courtly, 25. Lubricated, 27. One or more, 28. Sundry, 31. Narrow inlet of the sea, 34. Grin, 35. Arrive (abbrev.), 36. Car, 37. Duplicate, 38. French for Finished or Done, 39. Greatest possible, 40. Indian hemp, 41. Minty drink, 42. Young plant, 44. To make a fool of (archaic), 45. Not square, 46. A strong post, 50. Fight with swords, 52. Choose by vot-ing, 54. “The Matrix” hero, 55. Scallion, 56. Blushing, 58. If not, 59. Mortise and _____, 60. Away from the wind, 61. A covered garden walk, 62. Attune, 63. Evergreens

Outlook Horoscope

Pisces (Feb.19-Mar.20)

Aquarius (Jan 20-Feb.18)

Capricorn (Dec.21-Jan19)

Scorpio (Oct.23-Nov.22)

Libra (Sep 23-Oct. 22)Cancer (June 21-July 20)

Sagittarius (Nov.23-Dec.20)

Leo (July 21-Aug. 21)Taurus (Apr.21-May 20)

Aries (Mar. 22-Apr.20)

Gemini (May 21-June 20) Virgo (Aug. 22-Sep 22 )

Jan 14, 2020 - Some new equipment made available for your use might prove fas-cinating, Aries, and you’re apt to want to learn as much as you can about how it works. Therefore, this is a great day to increase your computer skills. You might

also want to try your hand at sound or video recording. Art combined with modern technology could well be a primary focus for today.

Jan 14, 2020 - Social events could put you in touch with some exciting new people, Can-cer. They may either share a current inter-est of yours or bring you opportunities to expand your interests. A lot of stimulating

discussions could well result. If you’re currently roman-tically involved, expect these developments to bring you closer together. If you aren’t, you could well meet someone new and exciting.

Jan 14, 2020 - Visitors to your home today might engage you in discussions of in-novative ways to increase your income, Libra. This may either be through the use of computers or through other forms of

modern technology. You might find that you have a tal-ent for such activity that you never realized before. You also might be enticed into going to a meeting or lecture on the subject.

Jan 14, 2020 - The opportunity to make a change in your life, which you may have been contemplating for a long time, could finally manifest itself today, Capricorn.

This could be a move to a new neighborhood, a re-turn to school for an advanced degree, an entirely new profession, or all of the above. Whichever it is, expect to spend a lot of time throughout the day discussing it with friends and family.

Jan 14, 2020 - Your mind is sharp, quick, and full of ideas, Scorpio. Discussions with others bring useful information that could well open new doors for you if you make the most of it. Group activities

should prove especially stimulating for you at this time. By the end of the day, your brain should be buzzing. Take a walk and clear your head before you go to bed or else you’ll never be able to get to sleep.

Jan 14, 2020 - Paperwork involving money could be a real drag today, Aquarius, but someone close to you might just show you a way to get it done quickly and efficiently on computers or via another technological

innovation. You might actually find that you like doing it this way. Your mind is especially sharp, so this is just the day to try to expand your intellectual horizons along with your technical skills. Go to it!

Jan 14, 2020 - Your mind always tends to be quick and agile, Pisces, but today you might find it going a thousand miles an hour as a result of intriguing

new information received through books, newspa-pers, television, or the Internet. Discussions with oth-ers could also contribute. You might decide to em-brace some innovative new concepts that could lead to an expansion of your horizons. At some point, go for a workout.

Jan 14, 2020 - Discussions with close friends, children, and romantic partners take on an especially exciting aura to-day, Virgo. New information is likely to

be circulated that might make a big difference both in your household and in your community. It also could make a difference to your mind. A new field of interest, a new intellectual search, as well as im-proved communication with those close to you could enrich your life at this time.

Jan 14, 2020 - Newspapers, books, and TV are apt to bring a lot of new, exciting, and useful information your way, Sagittarius.

This might set your mind going in such a direction as to bring new ideas for projects or business opportuni-ties your way. Discussions with others who share your interests could contribute even more. Expect an exciting and stimulating day, and by day’s end you’re likely to have opened up new doors for yourself.

adore agency ahead aver-age betray blanket borrowbreakfast brick certain cricket daily emerge false girlfriend grass gritty hatred kitty league relaxrival rocket rote shark smile stairs starts stink strong teat thousand tint...

Mazar-i-Sharif.He showed footages to reporters, in which the detained Taliban members were seen confessing to their crimes.The detainees included a land-mine expert who recently plant-ed a landmine in the 10th police district, in which one civilian was killed and three others in-jured.He said the arrest of the land-mine planter prevented three more deadly incidents in Mazar-i-Sharif.Meanwhile, 68 Taliban militants have been killed and 35 others injured in ongoing operations in different areas of Balkh province.These operations are underway in Kushandi, Zare, Sholgar, Chamtal, Balkh and Charboluk districts.The Taliban have not spoken yet about recent Balkh incidents. (Pajhwok)

Main News PageJanuary 14, 20202

In the Name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Kind

January 14, 2020

The Challenges of Free Market in

Afghanistan

According to article 10 of constitution of Afghanistan, the economic system of the country is defined as free market system. Though there is no absolute concept in social science, including economy,

it has caused an absolute interpretation from free market system so far as every destructive economic behavior is justified on the basis of free market system reflected in the law. When we talk to some of the officials why the prices of basic goods are suddenly doubled in winter seasons, they justify their silence based on article 10 of the national law as if the injustice and economic oppression is allowed by law in Afghanistan. Un-doubtedly, the law also does not allow injustice and economic oppres-sion which is going on under name of free market. Even if we look in the origin countries of free market system, no one believe in absolute inter-pretation of free market system or else it can be used as a weapon against social and political security of any countrie, especially under developed countries such as Afghanistan.In the other words, the wrong interpretation from free market system has changed to a destructive tool which justifies any disorders including: hoarding, monopoly, inflation, injustice and even the collapse of domes-tic factories in the country. For example, two months ago the price of one kg liquid gas was around 40Afs in Kabul market but now it is around 80 Afs, a 100% increase. The price of 7 kg of onions was about 100 Afs but now it is about 180Afs, nearly 100% increase. The price of 7 Kg potato was about 100Afs but now it is around 190Afs, nearly 100% increase. The price of one kg tomato was about 10Afs but now it is about 40 or 50 AFs, more than 300% increase. Thus, there are hundreds of such examples which extremely pressurize people in this freezing winter. In addition, thousands of domestic factories have collapsed in recent years either due to damping policies or unequal competitions. The real philosophy of free market system is to strengthen economic growth, economic activism and global peace and prosperity through fair and balanced goods exchange. Unfortunately, it has produced a reverse outcome in Afghanistan due to a wrong fallacy from free the market sys-tem in economic context of Afghanistan. As a result of this fallacy, the so-cial crimes, poverty level and class distances have been steadily increased in the country. Thousands of local factories collapsed and overall we did not exploit from the positive advantages of free market system in the country. For example, it is said that nearly 2500 shoes making factories have been collapsed in recent years. According to experts, there is no absolute free market system in the world. The modern world economic systems are combined of socialism, communism, mercantilism, defense-mercantilism and also liberalism. The historic experiences show that a solitary system is neither successful and nor practical in today’s politicized world. Today, the most liberal countries of the world like European countries provide a minimum social welfare to all. Though their formal system is largely based on liberalism and free market system but they are carefully watchful so as to prevent any abuses may caused by free market system or any optimistic views. Moreover, all governments are responsible to ensure social justice and social security in their countries. So, any threats either in form of terror-ist attacks or in form of free market monopolies, damping or hoarding are seriously controlled by governments. No unfair economic behavior in form of hoarding, economic monopolies which cause inflation, wide-spread injustice and classes gap, are allowed. In fact, this kind of econom-ic behavior is considered more dangerous than most of terrorist attacks. Terrorist attack may target a single place or group but economic injustice can affect the whole country. Today, the social unrest in France is a good example of free market when it is not softened with government interfer-ence. Undoubtedly, everything has a positive and negative uses including free market. For example, freedom, social freedom, freedom of expression and freedom of information are of important modern values, but when we leave it absolute they will be changed to threats. Similarly, free mar-ket is an excellent system for economic, dynamics creativities and global prosperity but it must be regulated based on social and economic status of each country. Afghanistan is neither able to compete with world coun-tries and nor can afford tolerating the domestic misuses. The government should neither allow anyone to use economy as a weapon against weak people and not let the local factories to collapse because of damping policies imposed by neighboring countries. According to realistic views, economy is the origin of power and it can be used for constructive pur-poses or destructive purposes. So, the general spirit of law and general interests of the country requires interfering in the market when it is mis-used against people. Given the current state of the world economy even the most advanced countries, such as the United States, have come to the conclusion to sup-port the domestic industries versus foreign goods. It has been imposing heavy tariffs on foreign productions in recent years. In fact, western coun-tries are very sensitive against negative impacts of economic interactions and goods exchanges. In national level, whenever their governments feel that there are some signs of oppressive behavior in the market such as il-legal monopolies, illegal trades, hoarding which cause inflation and class gaps they immediately interfere in the market. But In Afghanistan, free market system became a sacred phenomenon even though, if it imposes unfair consequences on lower class of society. As a consequence, every day the poor get poorer and the rich get richer.

Chairman / Editor-in-Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Vice Chairman / Exec. Editor: Moh. Sakhi Rezaie

Email: outlookafghanistan@gmail.comPhone: 0093 (799) 005019/777-005019

www.outlookafghanistan.net

Trade and cultural exchanges played a crucial role in the develop-ment of ancient civilization. Besides commercial give-and-take, the historical Silk Road was a route for cross-cultural contact

among the civilizations. The ancient Silk Road carries an increasing historical weight for being the crossroads of trade and cultural diffusion. That is, trading activities along the Silk Road over many centuries facilitated the transmission not just of goods but also ideas and culture, notably in the area of reli-gions including Islam and Buddhism. That is the exchange of culture was the greatest value of the Silk Road as art, religion, philosophy, technology, language, music, science, architecture, and every other el-ement of civilization was exchanged along these routes, carried with the commercial goods that merchants traded from country to country. Similarly, the Silk Road was a network of roads for travel and dissemi-nation of religious beliefs across Eurasia for over two thousand years. Missionaries of many faiths accompanied caravans on the Silk Road, consciously trying to expand the reach of their religious persuasion and make converts to their faith. Buddhism was the first of the great missionary faiths to take advan-tage of the mobility provided by the Silk Road to extend its reach far beyond its native ground as Buddhist monks, along with merchant caravans, went from India to Central Asia and China preaching their faith. Buddhist merchants built temples and shrines along the Silk Road wherever they traveled and Buddhist priests and monks, who staffed those religious edifices, preached to local populations and pass-ing travelers, spreading the faith rapidly. The significant message of Buddhism – that earthly life is impermanent and full of suffering, but that the painful cycle of birth, death, and rebirth can be ended through Buddhism faith and practice – had a broad appeal. Thus, Buddhism was embraced widely, and its official arrival in China was noted by the imperial court in the mid-1st century CE. Buddhist missionaries from Central Asia translated sacred texts into Chinese. From the 4th Century onward, Chinese pilgrims are said to travel to India through the Silk Road to improve access to the original Buddhist scriptures and seek doctrinal instruction. Merchants supported Buddhist monaster-ies along the Silk Road, and in return the Buddhists gave merchants somewhere to stay as they traveled from city to city. It should be noted

The views and opinions expressed in the articles are those of the authers and do not reflect the views or opinions of the Daily Outlook Afghanistan.

After a year that involved one of the biggest U-turns in recent monetary-policy history, central banks are now hoping for peace and quiet in 2020. This is particularly true for the Euro-

pean Central Bank and the US Federal Reserve, the world’s two most powerful monetary institutions. But the realization of peace and quiet is increasingly out of their direct control; and their hopes would easily be dashed if markets were to succumb to any number of medium-term un-certainties, many of which extend well beyond economics and finance to the realms of geopolitics, institutions, and domestic social and politi-cal conditions.Just over a year ago, the ECB and the Fed were on the path of gradually reducing their massively expanded balance sheets, and the Fed was in-creasing interest rates from levels first adopted in the midst of the global financial crisis. Both institutions were attempting to normalize their monetary policies after years of relying on ultra-low or negative interest rates and large-scale asset purchases. The Fed had raised interest rates four times in 2018, signaled further hikes for 2019, and set the unwind-ing of its balance sheet on “autopilot.” And the ECB had ended its bal-ance-sheet expansion and begun to steer away from further stimulus.A year later, all of these measures have been reversed. Rather than hik-ing rates further, the Fed cut them three times in 2019. Instead of reduc-ing its balance sheet, the Fed expanded it by a greater magnitude during the last four months of the year than at any comparable period since the crisis. And far from signaling an eventual normalization of its rate structure, the Fed moved forcefully into a “lower-for-longer” paradigm. The ECB, too, pushed its interest-rate structure further into negative ter-ritory and restarted its asset-purchase program. As a result, the Fed and the ECB cleared a path for many interest-rate cuts around the world, producing some of the most accommodative global monetary condi-tions on record.This dramatic policy turnaround was particularly curious in two ways. First, it materialized despite growing discomfort – both within and outside central banks – about the collateral damage and unintended consequences of prolonged reliance on ultra-loose monetary policy. If anything, this discomfort had grown throughout the year, owing to the negative impact of ultra-low and negative rates on economic dynamism and financial stability. Second, the dramatic reversal was not a response to a collapse in global growth, let alone a recession. By most estimates, growth in 2019 was around 3% – compared to 3.6% the previous year – and many observers are expecting a quick rebound in 2020.Rather than acting on clear economic signals, the major central banks once again succumbed to pressure from financial markets. Examples in-clude the fourth quarter of 2018, when the Fed reacted to a sharp stock-market selloff that seemed to threaten the functioning of some markets around the world. Another occurred in September 2019, when the Fed responded to a sudden, unanticipated disruption in the wholesale funding (repo) market – a sophisticated and highly specialized market segment that involves close interaction between the Fed and the bank-

How Ancient Silk Road Contributed to the Ancient Civilizations

Central Banks Face a Year of Mounting Challenges

that Buddhism is said to spread from China to Korea and Japan by the 6th century CE.Moreover, Islam is said to enter China in the seventh century and Is-lamic influence came from the various steppe peoples who assimilat-ed in Chinese culture. Sufis, whose Islamic teachings exit in all the ver-naculars and cultures of Silk Road peoples, played a highly significant role in the spread of Islam. The full diversity of Muslim traditions, school of thoughts and civilization influences – including the develop-ment of philosophy and science, law and history, literature and arts, and expressions in music and dances – flourished along the Silk Road. Islam is one of the religions still officially recognized in China and has a large number of followers. Music also spread beyond its land of origin as merchants carried their music and musical instruments with them, like religion, when they traveled. Sufis, dervishes, and religious storytellers used song and chant to spread religion to people gathered to hear them in bazaars, caravanserais, and tea houses. In a commentary titled “Music of the Silk Roads”, John Major said, “Religion has been one of the most im-portant cultural forces to promote the dissemination of music along the Silk Road. Members of the Islamic Sufi orders, who have tradition-ally welcomed the use of music, chant, and sacred dance as elements of prayer, were instrumental in spreading spiritual songs among their adherents”. Besides mentioning the “violin”, he said, regard-ing the instruments that illustrate the spread of musical culture along the Silk Road, that “the sheng, or Chinese reed-pipe mouth organ, is thought to have originated in southern China, perhaps even among non-Chinese tribal peoples of the far southwest. It was incorporated into Chinese orchestral music by the 5th century BCE”. Overall, the ancient Silk Road was not only a network for promoting commodity exchanges but also dissemination of ideas, religions, and cultures. With this in mind, we have to carry on the spirit of the Silk Road – peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, and mutual learning and mutual benefit – as reiterated by Chinese officials, and continue religious tolerance, cultural exchanges, and people-to-peo-ple contact.

Editorial and Opinions3

By: Mohamed A. El-Erianing system.This is not to suggest that central banks’ objectives weren’t at risk on each occasion. In both cases, generalized financial-market dislocations could have undermined economic growth and stable inflation, creat-ing the conditions for an even more acute monetary-policy intervention down the road. That is why the Fed, in particular, couched its policy U-turn in terms of “insurance.”But the challenges facing central bankers do not stop there. By allow-ing financial markets again to dictate monetary-policy changes, both the ECB and the Fed poured more fuel on a fire that has been raging for years. Financial markets have been driven from one record high to another, regardless of the underlying economic fundamentals, because traders and investors have been conditioned to believe that central banks are their BFFs (“best friends forever”). Time and again, central banks have proved willing and able to step in to suppress volatility and keep prices of both stocks and bonds elevated. As a result, the right ap-proach for investors has been to buy whenever the market dips, and to do so more and more rapidly.Yet, given mounting medium-term uncertainties, central bankers can-not assume tranquil conditions in 2020. While ample and predictable liquidity can help calm markets, it does not remove existing barriers to sustained and inclusive growth. The eurozone economy in particular is currently saddled with structural impediments that are eroding pro-ductivity growth. And there are deep long-term structural uncertainties stemming from climate change, technological disruptions, and demo-graphic trends. Moreover, around the world, there has been a general-ized loss of trust in institutions and expert opinion, as well as a deep sense of marginalization and alienation among significant segments of society. Political polarization is more intense, and many democracies are undergoing uncertain transitions. Also, although the trade tensions between the United States and China have been temporarily alleviated by a “phase one” deal, the underlying sources of conflict have hardly been resolved. And the world is suddenly on tenterhooks as tensions between the US and Iran have escalated, with Iran vowing further re-taliation for America’s targeted killing of Iran’s top military leader.For long-term economic wellbeing and financial stability, this litany of uncertainties demands a policy response that extends well beyond central banks’ traditional remit. It calls for comprehensive multiyear en-gagement using structural, fiscal, and cross-border tools. Without that, financial markets will continue to expect central-bank interventions that a growing body of evidence indicates are not just increasingly ineffec-tive for the economy but also potentially counterproductive. Whether or not central banks avoid the spotlight in 2020, they are likely to face even greater challenges to the political autonomy and policy credibility that are so crucial to their effectiveness.

By: Hujjatullah Zia

Mohamed A. El-Erian, Chief Economic Adviser at Allianz, was Chairman of US President Barack Obama’s Global Development Council. He is the author, most recently, of The Only Game in Town: Central Banks, Instability, and Avoiding the Next Collapse.

Hujjatullah Zia is the permanent writer of the Daily Outlook Af-ghanistan and freelance writer based in Kabul. He can be reached at zia_hujjat@yahoo.com

December 19, 2019January 14, 20204

French Summit Aims to Boost Counterterror

Fight in W. AfricaPAU, France — France is preparing its military to better target Islamic ex-tremists in a West African region that has seen a surge of deadly violence. But first, French President Emmanuel Macron is asking African heads of state to answer a key question: “Do you want us there?”As a security summit be-gins Monday in France with the leaders of Mali, Burki-na Faso, Chad, Niger and Mauritania, Macron hopes to counter anti-French sen-timent that has bubbled up amid frustration over the extremist attacks that killed thousands of people last year alone.Macron promised to con-tinue the fight against the extremist groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group that are push-ing south from the arid Sa-hel into more populated areas, worrying the tier of coastal West African coun-tries including Ivory Coast. (AP News)

8 Lesser-Known Facts About Oman’s Late Monarch Sultan

QaboosThe ruler - who held his title for five decades - was mourned across the na-tion and the world.On Friday, Oman’s longest leading monarch Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said passed away at the age of 79.The ruler - who held his title for five decades - was mourned across the na-tion and the world. The Omani gov-ernment declared a three-day mourn-ing period in the wake of his passing as tributes honoring the leader poured in.The leader did not have children nor a directly assigned heir to the throne at the time of his death. Omani Con-stitution states that in this case, royal family members are to select the next successor within three days.On Saturday, Haitham bin Tariq al-Said - Al Said’s cousin - was chosen as successor. He is now going to take on the role previously filled by Sultan Qaboos, a visionary who led his coun-try into an era of peace and prosperity.Here are lesser-known facts about the late leader:1. He was the longest reigning Arab leader2. He attended Britain’s Sandhurst military academy3. He deposed his father in a bloodless coup4. Omanis referred to him as “Baba Qaboos”5. He championed women’s rights6. He loved the arts7. He took pride in his country’s heri-tage8. His birthday is celebrated as a na-tional holiday (Step Feed)

were reemployed because they paid bribe while 47 others who refused to pay bribe were yet to be reemployed.Mohammad Ashraf Haqshnas, spokesman for the Ministry of Transport, rejected bribery in the ministry but said that Sheikh Matin should provide his own response to the Wolesi Jirga.Secretary of Sheikh Matin, who responded to Pajhwok’s tele-phone contact, said Matin was in a meeting and he could not talk right now. (Pajhwok)(5) Snowfall Cuts ...told Pajhwok Afghan News ef-forts were underway to reopen the highway for traffic.Mohammad Azim Farid, the Yakawlang district chief, said the Yakawlang-Bamyan and Yakaw-lang-Punjab highways had been reopened. The highway is closed only in Punjab to an avalanche.Mohammad Iqbal Jawadi, natu-ral disaster management director and Qanaq and Kirman tunnels had also been closed by heavy snowfall.He said cleaning teams had been dispatched to the areas. Once the snow stops falling, the highways will be cleared. (Pajhwok)(6) Salang Highway ...land traffics since yesterday eve-ning [January 12, 2020].Every year the Salang highway is closed to traffic due to storms, snow-slides and heavy snowfall. (TKG) (7) Heads of Libya’s ...meet face to face.Libya has been racked by turmoil since longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi was toppled in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011. “We don’t know when the sig-natures will be set, but we are expecting something today,” she added.The ceasefire followed a joint call by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan - who backs al-Sarraj and has sent troops to help the GNA - and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, who analysts have long seen as supporting Haftar.Pro-Haftar forces are supported by the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Al-Sar-raj has also accused Paris of sup-porting Haftar and tacitly back-ing his assault on Tripoli, claims denied by French officials. (Al-jazeera)(8) Kazakhstan ...General Staff issued a statement on Jan. 11 saying that the aircraft was shot down by the Iranian Air Defense System.Shortly after the accident, Ka-zakhstan’s SCAT and Air Astana airline companies announced amendments to the routes of flights usually implemented via airspace of Middle East.In turn, Kazakhstan’s Civil Avia-tion Committee advised Kazakh airlines to avoid flying over the airspace of Iran.Mahan Air is implementing flights on the Almaty – Tehran route weekly, every Monday. (Trend)(9) Australian ...burning still to complete” but the “containment prognosis looks promising”.The fire seared an area of na-tional park three times the size of Greater London and lit several connected blazes totalling over

800,000 hectares.As residents and authorities continued to come to grips with the sheer scale of the devasta-tion, the Bureau of Meteorology forecast some firegrounds areas could get up to 50 millimetres (two inches) of rain in the next week, a relief after a prolonged drought.If that forecast bears out, the New South Wales Rural Fire Ser-vice said it would be “all of our Christmas, birthday, engage-ment, anniversary, wedding and graduation presents rolled into one. Fingers crossed.”Morrison began the crisis insist-ing local authorities had enough resources to handle the fires and exhausted volunteers firefight-ers “want to be there”.He also repeatedly stated that Australia was doing more than enough to meet its emission re-duction targets, prompting a se-ries of large-scale street protests.Seeing a backlash, Morrison has since deployed the military, launched the largest peacetime call up of reserves, pledged bil-lions of dollars in aid, increased payments to firefighters, and suggested more work may need to be done on emissions. (AFP)(10) China Could ...even more military coercion against Taiwan was “a realistic thing to do”.“For the mainland, ‘one country, two systems’ is a basic policy of the state. How can it be changed just because of one election on Taiwan?” he said. (Reuters) (11) British Socialite ... close to $300,000 in transfers to Evans-Schreiber, labeled as “bills,” “care” and “savings.”When police searched her house in May 2019 they found “luxu-ry products,” including brand-name clothing, shoes, handbags and sunglasses.She also gave about $27,000 to her ex, Sam Oguche, the father of her now-eight-year-old daugh-ter, according to the Daily Mail.By the time the cops were called, only about $7,000 was left in the grandmother’s account. Rosina, who recently died, never knew of her granddaughter’s scheme, the court heard.Evans-Schreiber pleaded guilty to one count of theft.In pleading for leniency, the de-fense argued Evans-Schreiber had left behind enough cash to cover her grandma’s medical bills — and sent her flowers and chocolates.“She was out of control and wasn’t in her normal mental state,” Carolina Guiloff said about her client. (Fox News)(12) Iran Releases ...at an anti-government protest.Iran’s Basij militia, which is af-filiated with Iran’s elite Revolu-tionary Guard, has gathered out-side the UK embassy in Tehran demanding it be closed, accord-ing to Iranian state media.The prime minister’s official spokesman said Mr Macaire’s detention was an “unacceptable breach of the Vienna Convention and it needs to be investigated”.The prime minister’s spokesman added: “As a first step we need a comprehensive, transparent and independent investigation to know exactly what happened.“Of course the families of the four British victims deserve jus-

(1) Heavy Rains ...closed due to heavy snowfall and fears of avalanches.Of the Afghan casualties, eight people were killed in southern Kandahar province, said Bahir Ahamdi, a spokesman for the provincial governor.In western Herat province, sev-en people died, including five members of the same family, said Abdul Ahad Walizada, a spokesman for the provincial police chief.Three people were killed in southern Helmand province, said Omar Zwak, a spokesman for the provincial governor.Residents of the Afghan capital, Kabul, where the temperature dropped to -15 degrees Celsius (5 degrees Fahrenheit), aban-doned driving and struggled to get to work on snow-covered roads. (ALJAZEERA)(2) O’Brien Says ...haven for terrorists in exchange for its pullout from the coun-try. Namely, it wanted that the Taliban would cut its ties with terrorists and instead would co-operate closely with the Afghani government.The pullout never took place, however, and further details on when or if it would happen were not given. Many rounds of peace talks have been held with no sig-nificant result as well. (Sputnik)(3) Women ...Rahimi told the participants.Member of Parliament and par-ticipant, Massouda Karokhi, urged women to be courageous. “I call upon all women not to miss this chance and to stand up in order to participate in the peace process, be courageous.” She described to participants how she was inspired by the role played by women in Rwanda in restoring peace following the 1994 genocide in that country. “I recently watched a documen-tary on Rwanda where many international crimes happened during the civil war resulting in the loss of men to many families. Many peace initiatives were led by small groups of women at the local level who decided to take matters into their hand, “ nar-rated, Kaukhi, a former teacher and social volunteer during the Taliban era.In accordance with its mandate as a political mission, UNAMA supports the Afghan people and government to achieve peace and stability. UNAMA backs conflict prevention and resolution, pro-moting inclusion and social cohe-sion, as well as strengthening re-gional cooperation. The Mission supports effective governance, promoting national ownership and accountable institutions that are built on respect for human rights. (UNAMA)(4) Graft-Tainted ...Utmanzai, head of Land Trans-port’s Coordination Council, also claimed that Sheikh Matin was taking money from them illegally and they had evidence about money taken from some transport vehicles did not go to the state treasure.Sayed Hussain, who was re-moved from NRA, was present at the conference and said that Matin had removed 190 officers from their duties.He said a number of officers

tice and closure and we will con-tinue to do everything we can to support them in getting that, including options for compensa-tion.” (Sky)(13) ‘Life Full of ...sent to an orphanage, the lawsuit says, after which he was forced “to live like a beggar” until his grandmother obtained custody over him.“The plaintiff has undergone a life full of agony, mental trauma, inconvenience, mystery about his own parents and his exis-tence,” the lawsuit says. (RT)(14) Iraqi Journalists ...Abdelsamad and Ghali],” Ka-reem told Al Jazeera. “I fear for my life. Today it was Safaa and Ahmed. Tomorrow it might be me,” he added. (Al-jazeera)(15) Ex-Athletics ... the trial, however, will be Di-ack’s son Papa Massata Diack, who handled lucrative contracts for the IAAF, and was implicat-ed through a payment of 450,000 euros from Russian runner Liliya Shobukhova, allegedly to have her blood passport case delayed in order to compete in the 2012 Olympic marathon, as revealed by German TV station ARD in 2014. (AFP)(16) Britain’s Royal ...and premature by a family whose roots go back through a thou-sand years of European history.Meghan is currently in Canada with their infant son Archie. She may join the discussion by tele-phone.She and Harry say they want a “progressive” new role for them-selves and financial indepen-dence, which could mean work-ing in the United States where Meghan is from.But it was unclear how they will pull off a partial pullback from royal roles - which some me-dia have dubbed “Megxit” in a play on Britain’s tortuous Brexit departure from the European Union - or who will pay for a transatlantic lifestyle. (Reuters) (17) Pakistani Court ...of Pakistani interests who stood up to Islamist militants and championed progressive causes such as women’s rights, critics accuse him of opening the coun-try to CIA counter-terrorism drone operations. They also sug-gest Musharraf may have facili-tated the assassination of his po-litical opponent, Benazir Bhutto, in 2007 – an allegation the former president firmly denies. (RT)(18) Turkmenistan ...tent Organic Pollutants, which provides for the termination of using persistent toxic substances - organic pesticides.The international conventions in the field of environmental pro-tection also include the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Pro-tocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, aimed at con-sistent reduction in the produc-tion and consumption of envi-ronmentally harmful substances.In cultural and humanitarian sphere, this is the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expres-sions, designed to create condi-tions for the free interaction of different cultures and strength-ening of international coopera-tion in this area.

In the field of intellectual prop-erty, this is the Patent Law Treaty, which provides for the improvement of the process of consideration of national patent applications and patents.Turkmenistan is a party to 152 multilateral international docu-ments, including 133 conven-tions adopted by the UN and its specialized agencies. (Trend)

International5

Neighbor News

Kazakhstan - Iran Flight Implemented for First Time Since Ukranian Plane Crash

Turkmenistan to Join Several Int’l Conventions

Uzbekistan’s Deputy Minister Meets Turkmen Ambassador

Pakistani Court Rules Special Court

Iran Releases Video of UK Ambassador at ‘Protest’

Before Arrest

‘Life Full of Agony & Misery’: Indian Man SUES Mother for Allegedly Abandoning Him for Bollywood Career 38yrs Ago

Iraqi Journalists Fear for Lives After Basra

Reporters Killed

Britain’s Royal Showdown: Queen Hosts Meghan-Harry

Crisis Talks

Ex-Athletics Chief Diack in Paris Trial Over Corruption Linked to Russian Doping

British Socialite Stole Nearly $300G from Grandmother with Dementia

Iran Police Shoot at Those Protesting Plane

Shootdown

China Could Flex Military Muscles to Pressure Taiwan Post-Election

ASHGABAT - Turk-men President Gur-banguly Berdimuham-edov has approved Turkmenistan’s acces-sion to a number of international conven-tions and other acts in 2020, Trend reports referring to the Turk-menistan State News Agency.In the economic sphere, this is the UN Convention on Inter-national Settlement Agreements Result-ing from Mediation, which is a tool for pro-moting international trade and mediation as an alternative and

TASHKENT - The First Deputy Minis-ter of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Ilk-hom Nematov held a meeting with the Ambassador of Turk-menistan Yazguly Mamedov, Trend re-ports referring to the Foreign Ministry of Uzbekistan on Jan. 13.The parties discussed ways to implement previously reached agreements and noted the positive nature of mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries in all areas.The total trade be-tween Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in-creased up to $274 million in 2018. This indicator was $159

ISLAMABAD - The La-hore High Court (LHC) has declared the forma-tion of a special court that heard the high treason case against former president, Per-vez Musharraf, and handed him a death sentence was “uncon-stitutional,” local me-dia reported.The LHC also consid-ered Musharraf’s peti-tions against the harsh verdict, ruling that the whole case against the former leader of the country was not pre-pared in accordance with the law.An 86-page petition, filed to Lahore High Court (LHC) by Mush-

TEHRAN - Iranian security forces fired both live ammunition and tear gas to dis-perse demonstrators protesting against the Islamic Republic’s ini-tial denial that it shot down a Ukrainian jet-liner, online videos purported to show Monday.Full Coverage: IranVideos sent to the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran and later verified by The Associated Press show a crowd of dem-onstrators near Azadi, or Freedom, Square fleeing as a tear gas canister landed among them. People cough and sputter while trying to escape the fumes, with one wom-an calling out in Farsi: “They fired tear gas at people! Azadi Square. Death to the dictator!”

NEW DELHI - An In-dian man is seeking damages for the “men-tal trauma” he endured after being intentionally abandoned on a train in Mumbai 38 years ago by his mother who wanted to pursue a career in the film industry, his law-suit says.In a lawsuit filed to the Bombay High Court and cited by local me-dia, make-up artist Srikant Sabnis, 40, al-leges that his biological

LONDON - Rob Ma-caire, who was de-tained and released shortly afterwards, says he left after the vigil turned into a demonstration.The move comes as Iran’s ambassador to the UK, Hamid Baei-dinejad, is summoned to the Foreign Office following the “unac-ceptable” treatment of Rob Macaire, to enable ministers to convey their “strong objec-tions”.Mr Macaire, who was

SANDRINGHAM, England - Queen Elizabeth and her heirs will meet Prince Harry on Mon-day to thrash out a plan for him and his actress wife Meghan after they triggered a family cri-sis by deciding to step back from royal duties and spend more time in North America.Harry’s father and heir to the throne Prince Charles and his elder brother Prince William were to attend the meeting at the queen’s rural Sandringham estate in eastern England, a pal-ace source said.The shock announcement by Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, has exposed divisions in the Windsor family and prompted soul-searching over what it means to be royal in the 21st cen-tury.The couple consulted neither the queen nor Charles on the announcement, made on Ins-tagram and their own website, a step seen as impertinent ...(More on P4)...(16)

BASRA, Iraq - Dozens of jour-nalists in Iraq’s southern city of Basra have launched a cam-paign to highlight the dan-gers they face following the murder of two reporters amid continuing anti-government protests.Ahmad Abdelsamad, a 39-year-old correspondent for local television station Di-jla, and his cameraman Safaa Ghali, 37, were killed near a police station late on Friday in Basra. A group of armed men in a 4x4 vehicle approached their car and opened fire, ac-cording to witnesses.Shihab Ahmed, a Basra-based journalist, told Al Jazeera there was a growing sense of fear among journalists in the city and across Iraq, where at least five journalists have been killed since protests began in October.“We boycotted the conference because there is no use in at-tending. They will not share details or information about the incident, so why should we attend,” explained Ahmed.Like Ahmed, 25-year-old Ma-her Kareem told Al Jazeera he boycotted the event because the identity of Abdelsamad and Ghali’s killers had not been revealed. “All of Basra’s journalists refused to attend the confer-ence and we will continue to boycott [the authorities] until we know who killed them [...(More on P4)...(14)

MOSCOW - Lamine Diack, the disgraced former head of athletics’ world governing body, goes on trial in Paris on Monday fac-ing a potential 10-year prison sentence for accepting millions of dollars to cover up tests showing Russian doping.Diack, the 86-year-old Senegalese who was in charge of the International Association of Athletics Federations (now World Athletics), between 1999 and 2015, is charged with “giv-ing and receiving bribes”, “breach of trust” and “organised money laundering”, and is expected to attend court.The prosecution alleges that Diack obtained $1.5 million of Russian funds to help fund Macky Sall’s campaign for the 2012 Senegal presidential election -- which he won -- in ex-change for the IAAF’s anti-doping arm cov-ering up or delaying offences by 23 Russians. Missing from...(More on P4)...(15)

effective method of resolving trade dis-putes.In the field of trans-port, this is the Eu-ropean Agreement of Main Internation-al Traffic Arteries (AGR), which pro-vides for the estab-lishment of an inter-national road system in the region where the United Nations Economic Commis-sion for Europe is op-erating.In the field of envi-ronmental protection, this is the Stockholm Convention on Per-sis...(More on P4)...(18)

million in 2017.Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, which have impressive re-serves of hydrocar-bon resources, are in favor of diversifying energy flows. One of the examples is the T u r k m e n i s t a n - U z -bekistan-Kazakhstan-China gas pipeline project launched in 2009.Turkmenistan began exporting electricity to Uzbekistan in De-cember 2019. At this stage, a project is be-ing discussed to cre-ate the Uzbekistan -Turkmenistan - Iran - Oman transport cor-ridor. This will sig-nificantly increase international transit traffic. (Trend)

arraf’s legal team in December last year, stated that the verdict against the former president “contained a mix of anomalies and contradictory state-ments,” as quoted by local media.A controversial figure in Pakistan, Musharraf was general and army chief when he seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999. The trea-son charges against him stem from his de-cision to impose a state of emergency in 2007 as he sought reelection as president.While his supporters view him as a defender ...(More on P4)...(17)

Another video shows a woman being car-ried away in the after-math as a blood trail can be seen on the ground. Those around her cry out that she has been shot by live ammunition in the leg. Meanwhile, an-other video making the rounds showed the national symbol of Iran, four cres-cents and a sword in the shape of a water lily flying through what appeared to be a 1980s-style video game like “Galaga.” Music chimes when it touches oil as it fires on symbols represent-ing people, knowl-edge and ultimately an airplane.“To be continued,” the caption at the end of the clip reads. (AP News)

TAIPEI - His policies rejected by Taiwan vot-ers in a landslide re-election for President Tsai Ing-wen, Chinese President Xi Jinping will most likely contin-ue to tighten the screws on the island, with state media already floating shows of force.China took center stage in the campaign after Xi sought in a major speech a year ago to get Taiwan to sign on to the same sort of “one coun-try, two systems” model as Hong Kong.Tsai immediately reject-ed the idea. Six months later, Hong Kong erupt-ed in anti-government protests, giving a huge boost to Tsai in her ef-

LONDON - A British socialite stole nearly $300,000 from her dementia-suffering grandmother to fund her lavish lifestyle, including designer clothes and stays in Beverly Hills ho-tels, according to local reports.Emily Rosina Evans-Schreiber, 38, had only about $50 in her bank ac-count when she was given control of her 94-year-old grandmother Ro-sina Evans’ finances in April 2018, a Northampton crown court heard Fri-day, according to the BBC.The former model’s mother had be-come worried about her daughter’s “high life” in London, and bought

NUR SULTAN - The plane of the Iranian Mahan Air airline company imple-menting flight on the route Almaty – Tehran has suc-cessfully landed in the Imam Khomeini Interna-tional Airport (Iran), Trend reports with reference to Kazakhstan’s Almaty In-ternational Airport.The plane has departed at 12:38 (GMT +6) from Almaty International Air-port. This is the first time the flight on the Almaty – Tehran route was im-plemented after crash of Ukranian plane in Tehran

forts to portray China as an existential threat to Taiwan’s democracy and freedoms.But rather than recog-nize that its pressure on Taiwan had failed, Bei-jing’s immediate reac-tion to the election was

to double down on “one country, two systems” and say it would not change policy.Zheng Zhenqing，a Tai-wan expert at Beijing’s elite Tsinghua Univer-sity, said China using ...(More on P4)...(10)

her a house in Naseby, tasking her with taking care of her grandma, prosecutors said.Over the next eight months, Evans-Schreiber — who once worked as a fashion consultant for model Cara Delevingne — blew the cash on jet-setting, high-end hotels and cosmetic treatments, prosecutors said.Eventually, her mom, Clare Evans-Schreiber, became suspicious about how her jobless daughter was man-aging to afford her luxe lifestyle — and called the bank and the police.Bank statements for Rosina’s account showed the...(More on P4)...(11)

on Jan. 8.The Ukrainian Interna-tional Airlines’ Boeing

mother willfully aban-doned him when he was just two years old.Sabnis claims that in September 1981, his mother, Aarti Mhas-kar, left his hometown of Pune for Mumbai to seek a job in the film industry. According to the plaintiff, the wom-an left her infant son on the train once they arrived in the city. The boy was found by a railway officer and was ...(More on P4)...(13)

later released, said he had gone to a vigil for the people who died when Iran shot down a Ukrainian airliner, and left when some chant-ing began.He tweeted that he was detained “half an hour after leaving the area”, adding that “arresting diplomats is of course illegal, in all countries”.The Iranian foreign ministry said he was summoned to explain his “illegal and inap-propriate presence” ...(More on P4)...(12)

Australian ‘Megablaze’ Brought Under Control

CANBERRA - Exhaust-ed firefighters said they had finally brought Aus-tralia’s largest “mega-blaze” under control Monday, as wet weath-er promised to deliver much-needed respite for countryside ravaged by bushfires.New South Wales fire-fighters said they finally had the upper hand in the fight against the vast Gospers Mountain fire on Sydney’s northwest-ern outskirts, which has

been burning for almost three months.Visiting the area on

Monday, New South Wales Rural Fire Service commissioner Shane

Fitzsimmons said there was a “small area of ...(More on P4)...(9)

737-800 crashed in Teh-ran province on Jan. 8, killing all 176 people on

board.Iran’s Armed Forces ...(More on P4)...(8)

January 14, 2020TRIPOLI - The leaders of Libya’s two warring sides have arrived in Moscow for talks, a day after a ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey came into force.The development on Monday came amid suggestions that Fayez al-Sarraj, the chief of the interna-tionally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), and his rival, renegade commander Khalifa Haftar, may sign the ceasefire agreement in the Rus-sian capital.Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry, said the “inter-Libyan contacts” would be held “under the aus-pices of the foreign and defence ministers of Russia and Turkey”.“Al-Sarraj, Haftar and representa-tives of other Libyan parties are expected to participate in these contacts,” she told reporters. It was still unclear if the two leaders would ...(More on P4)...(7)

Heads of Libya’s Warring Sides in Russia for Talks

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KABUL - Fourteen Romanian paramilitary police personnel, who had been part of the NATO mission in Afghanistan, have re-turned home.The state-run Romania news

agency, Agerpres, reported the gendarmes participated for near-ly six months in the NATO mis-sion to train Afghan Public Order Police and security forces.According to the news report, the

Romanian Gendarmes Complete Mission, Return Home

Romanian gendarmes carried out dozens of advising and protection missions, highlighting the impor-tance of their role in bringing peace to post-conflict areas.Maj. Gen. Robert L. Marion, deputy commander of the Combined Se-curity Transition Command - Af-ghanistan), conferred on the gen-darmes the NATO non-Article 5 medal.They had the mission to protect the gendarmerie advisors during their travel to the various institutions of Afghan public order and security.So far, the news agency said, the Romanian Gendarmerie has de-ployed a dozen contingents in the NATO mission in Afghanistan. (Pajhwok)

Ghani Wants Kabulis’ Problems, Priorities Debated

KABUL - President Ashraf Gha-ni on Sunday said problems and priorities of Kabul residents should be identified in a nation-al debate.Ghani expressed these views in a meeting at the Presidential Palace for discussing problems of Kabul people today.A statement from Presidential

Palace said President Ghani welcomed the plan for security reforms in first and fifth police districts of Kabul, suggested by National Security Advisor Ham-dullah Mohib. He directed Mohib to prepare a national discourse to discuss with Kabul residents about their problems with regard to securi-

ty, social problems and other ar-eas. The statement quoted Ghani as emphasizing on his meetings with district police chiefs and Kabul people regularly so short, mid and long term solutions could be developed for respond-ing to public problems after hearing their complaints. (Pajh-wok)

300 Badakhshan Teachers Unpaid for 5 Months

Snowfall Cuts Off Bamyan from Kabul, Other Provinces

FAIZABAD - Around 300 school-teachers in northeastern Badakh-shan have not been paid salary for the last five months, an official said on Monday.Merajuddin Rahimi, the education department spokesman, told Pajh-wok Afghan News that 299 teach-ers, including 78 females, had not been paid salaries in Maimai dis-trict due to insecurity.He said the issue had been shared with the provincial police head-quarters and the Ministry of De-fense to shift salaries of teachers

via helicopters, but there was no response.Parwiz Sayeedi, the Maimai dis-trict education head, told Pajhwok, “Teachers of the district have noth-ing to buy something for their fam-ilies. They don’t have farmland.”He added the teachers faced multi-ple problems due to not receiving their salaries for five months.Sadruddin, a financial official at the district’s schools, said they had no issue with teachers’ salaries at the revenue department but they faced problems in transferring sal-

aries from Faizabad, the provincial capital, to the faraway district.Meanwhile, the governor’s spokes-man Niak Mohammad Nazari told Pajhwok that the district’s tribal elders and influential figures had shared the teachers’ salaries is-sue with Governor Mohammad Zikrya Sewad.He said the governor had assured the elders that the salaries would be airlifted to the district in near future. He said the issue had been also discussed with security offi-cials. (Pajhwok)

BAMYAN CITY - Hajigak, Qanaq and Kirman passes, connecting central Bamyan province with Kabul and Parwan, have been closed for traffic as a result of heavy snowfall, officials said on Monday.The Hajigak tunnel links Bamyan with Kabul and Maidan Wardak, with Qanaq connecting the prov-ince with Daikundi. Similarly, the Shato tunnel links Punjab and Yakawlang districts.Abdul Khaliq, a Shiber district of-ficial, ...( More on P4)...(5)

KABUL - The Pentagon has identified the two soldiers killed in a roadside bombing in southern Kandahar province at the weekend.Staff Sgt. Ian P. McLaughlin, 29, of Newport News, Virginia, and Pfc. Miguel A. Villalon, 21, of Joliet, Illinois, were killed in the bombing.The soldiers were killed on Sat-urday when their vehicle was struck by an improvised explo-sive device -- an attack claimed by the Taliban.A statement from the Depart-ment of Defense said the troops were conducting operations. The attack also wounded two service members.More than 2,400 US service members have been killed in Afghanistan since the start of America’s longest war in 2001. (Pajhwok)

Pentagon Ids Soldiers Killed in Kandahar Bombing

PARAKH - Some people are com-plaining about illegal digging at his-toric sites and artifacts trafficking in central Panjsher province by power-ful figures. However, police rejected the claims as baseless.According to the Information and Culture Department of Panjsher, there are 29 historic sites and 23 monuments and the history of some of them is still unknown.These sites are supposed to be pro-tected by security forces, but they have left these ancient sites unsafe, allowing some people to illegally dig them.Strongmen, foreigners behind ille-gal digging: PeopleMohammad Shoaib, a resident of Tul village of Parian district of Pan-jsher, said that some people were illegally excavating Shahr-i-Baland historic site in Qulandor village and

some statues of humans, animals and others were also found in the area.He claimed foreigners were also someway involved in the excava-tion and objects found in the area were trafficked to Pakistan. He asked the government to prevent the illegal practice.Mohammad Bilal Ahmadi, a resi-dent of Farbal village of the capital of Panjsher, confirmed the illegal digging and said strongmen were behind the unlawful activity.Without naming anyone, he said, “Strongmen excavate these areas with their money and collect his-toric objects, most of these objects are trafficked by powerful figures to foreign countries, it is a matter of concern for us, the government is yet to take action or maybe it cannot do anything in the area.(Pajhwok)

KABUL - A list seen by TOLO-news shows that a number of President Ashraf Ghani’s close aides have been chosen for Af-ghanistan’s key diplomatic of-fices abroad.The list has been leaked amid ef-forts by the government to bring reforms to the Ministry of For-eign Affairs (MoFA).The following names are on the list:• Suleiman Kakar, former dep-uty of the national security ad-visor, as Afghanistan’s general counsel in Hyderabad, India • Asif Rahimi, former Herat governor, as Afghanistan’s am-bassador to the Netherlands • Humayun Azizi, as Afghani-stan’s ambassador to France

• Mukhtarullah, President Ghani’s secretary, as a counse-lor at Afghanistan’s embassy in Canada• Massoud Azizi, former dep-uty minister of interior, as Af-ghanistan general counselor in Dubai• Abdu Hadi Nijrabi, nephew of MP Mirdad Nijrabi, who is a member of Ghani’s campaign team, as Afghanistan’s deputy ambassador in Washington• Sefat Rahimi, Afghanistan’s counselor in Brussels, as Af-ghanistan’s general counsel in Munich• And Zahir Aghbar, former head of the Olympic committee, as Afghanistan’s ambassador in Tajikistan (TOLO NEWS)

Ghani’s Close Aides Slated for Top Diplomatic Missions:

Documents

Illegal Digging at Panjsher Ancient Sites Goes On

KABUL/NEW DELHI - India de-feated Afghanistan by 211 runs in their first warm-up match ahead of Under-19 World Cup in South Africa on Sunday.Opting to bat first after winning the toss, India posted 255-8 as they played all the mandated 50 overs at Pretoria.In reply, Afghanistan made 44 before they were all out in the 17.5 overs.Yashasvi top scored for India with 69 before being retired out. Tilak Varma contributed with 55.For Afghanistan, Mohammad Ishaq (11) was their only double-digit scorer.Captain Farhan Zakhil, Sediqul-lah Atal, Rahmanullah, Abid Mohammadi and Abdul Rahman

India Beat Afghanistan by 211 Runs in U-19 World Cup

Warm-Upwere dismissed for a duck.Afghanistan’s Abid Moham-madi and Indi’as Kartik Tyangi picked up three wickets each in the match.Afghanistan will face England in their second warm-up match on Tuesday. (1TV NEWS)