by Abdul Haleem KABUL, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Amid a quite prevalent conception that Afghan women are confined to household roles, a courageous few are breaking barriers to boldly venture into business for their economic independence. One such trailblazer is Sona Mirzada, seen at the ongoing annual fair of agricultural products held in Afghanistan's capital of Kabul, showcasing her products in hopes of expandi ..read more

Taipei [Taiwan], May 4 (ANI): Taiwan's government expressed hope that the US will open its market to Taiwanese mangoes and pineapples, among other agricultural products during the trade talks between the US and Taiwan, Central News Agency (CNA) reported. John Deng, head of the Cabinet's Office of Trade Negotiations, said that the issue of forced labour was also discussed during the talks as the US urged Taiwan to effectiv ..read more

WASHINGTON - Democratic U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas and his wife were indicted on conspiracy and bribery charges and taken into custody Friday in connection with a U.S. Department of Justice probe into the couple's ties to the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan. From 2014 to 2021, Cuellar, 68, and his wife allegedly accepted nearly $600,000 in bribes from an Azerbaijan-controlled energy company and a bank ..read more

Abu Dhabi [UAE], May 4 (ANI/WAM): The Ministry of Investment of the UAE and the Ministry of Digital Technologies of the Republic of Uzbekistan have signed an investment memorandum, establishing a framework for investment cooperation in digital infrastructure with a focus on data centre and artificial intelligence projects in Uzbekistan. The memorandum was signed by Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi, Minister of Investment, and She ..read more

Kabul/Kuala Lumpur/Doha/Geneva, 3 May 2024 - The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan is gravely deteriorating, and a new approach is urgently needed. Without a radical rethink of approaches to humanitarian aid, the root causes of the crisis cannot be tackled sustainably. Time and funding are running out. The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Afghan Red Crescent ..read more

Nilufar Akhror, a nurse anesthesiologist from Uzbekistan, and her husband came to the United States through the so-called "green card lottery" program. Ashish Jain, an Indian tech executive, arrived on a student visa. Gharzai Oryakhail, an Afghan former military interpreter, won a special immigrant visa. Akhror, Jain and Oryakhail immigrated to the U.S. during the last two decades, part of a growing w ..read more

Chinese leader Xi Jinping's upcoming trip to France, Serbia, and Hungary will focus on China's economic ties to Europe and escalating trade tensions between Beijing and Brussels. But China's position on Russia's war in Ukraine will also take center stage, especially during Xi's visit to France, two EU officials told RFE/RL. High on the agenda is China's participation in a Kyiv-backed ..read more

Reporters and media analysts in Afghanistan report steadily increasing censorship and deteriorating conditions for local journalists. Media on the ground feel as though "no stories can be filed" without Taliban approval, said a Kabul-based journalist who asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation. The journalist has been covering politics and security issues in Afghanistan for more than a decade. He ..read more

© Provided by Xinhua BEIJING, May 3 (Xinhua) -- China launched the Chang'e-6 spacecraft on Friday to collect and return samples from the moon's mysterious far side -- the first such e ..read more

TASHKENT, May 3 (Xinhua) -- Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on Friday outlined the country's priorities for attracting foreign investment, according to his press service. "Interaction and open dialogue between the government and the business community are key to effective economic development," he said at the second plenary session of the Foreign Investors Council under the President of the Republic of Uzbeki ..read more