A 6.0-magnitude earthquake in eastern Afghanistan killed over 800 people as mud-brick homes collapsed in rain-soaked landslides. Here’s why traditional earthen houses failed, how human-driven slope damage worsened the disaster, and how sustainable, earthquake-resistant construction can save lives.
The world's soils are becoming too salty for farming. These man-made problems are cause for concern but remediation of soils can be done.
Women in Afghanistan got the right to vote before women in countries like USA, France, Ireland, UK and Sweden?
Millions of Afghans had fled to Pakistan over the years as refugees - some from since the Taliban takeover in 2021, many from decades before. They are now being forced back to the hands of the Taliban.
Glow bacteria are engineered and activated to sniff out nitrogen oxide, a gas emitted from old landmines
While some women may dream of going to a post-workout Starbucks in Lululemon hot pink workout pants - in Afghanistan women are fighting for the right to work out at all.
The Skateistan skateboarding school first established in Kabul shelters girls and street kids from Afghanistan's harsh realities. Since then, it has been so successful, the non-profit NGO has established two more locations.
A group of Afghan policemen have been arrested after one of them killed a group of six boys while fishing with a rocket-propelled grenade, the New York Times reports. Three of them were related to the mayor of Drumbak village, where the incident took place.
There are many ways to fund terror, and one way is by consuming opium or heroin
Malina Suliman’s Fighting the Taliban with Paint and Graffiti Sometimes graffiti can be seen from space. In Tunisia it graces the country’s tallest minaret. In Lebanon, they are making green graffiti for the city streets. And Egyptians have converted military barriers into trompe l’oeil streetscapes. Afghan artist Malina Suliman finds her inspiration in southern Kandahar, […]
The knitted or crocheted blanket we call an afghan turns out to be named for the folks in Afghanistan.
World Banks funds new irrigation project for Afghans. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization is boosting its technical support for rehabilitation of Afghanistan‘s dilapidated traditional irrigation systems, in a bid to help farmers increase crop production. The initiative also aims to improve the knowledge and skills that farmers need to run and maintain irrigation systems. […]
There are more land mines in Afghanistan than there are people, so Massoud Hassani turned a childhood toy into an extraordinary wind-powered bamboo mine sweeper that destroys and tracks them.
Taliban holds fire thanks to tooth-sized nut. Image via the NY Times. Some say all is fair in love and war, but for guerrilla warfare between the Taliban and Haqqani in Afghanistan, there are limits. Guns go down for pine nut season. Pine nuts are those delicious, tooth-sized nuts which are a staple in pesto. […]
Abnormally dry weather a nightmare for Afghanis who rely on wheat crops for survival. Afghanistan is likely to face a significant food shortage in the coming months, following poor rains which have affected this season’s wheat crop. Wheat is the primary food staple for most families. “There have been problems with rainfall, so there will […]