Afghanistan's acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, second right, welcomes Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi at Kabul airport on October 21, 2021. AFP
Afghanistan's acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, second right, welcomes Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi at Kabul airport on October 21, 2021. AFP
Afghanistan's acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, second right, welcomes Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi at Kabul airport on October 21, 2021. AFP
Afghanistan's acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, second right, welcomes Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi at Kabul airport on October 21, 2021. AFP

Pakistan to ease Afghan border controls after talks with Taliban


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Pakistan is determined to help Afghanistan avoid a collapse of its economy and has agreed measures to ease some border restrictions and facilitate trade.

The easing of restrictions include on-arrival visas for Afghan business travellers, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said after talks in Kabul with the country's Taliban leaders.

Mr Qureshi visited the Afghan capital on Thursday for the first time since the Taliban seized power in August, following weeks of tension over transport links between the neighbouring countries.

"We have taken steps that will benefit Afghanistan financially," he said.

The Chaman border crossing, one of the main trade transit points between Afghanistan and Pakistan, has been closed for more than two weeks, causing severe problems for truckers and exporters. Farmers near the southern city of Kandahar have been forced to leave pomegranates and other export produce to rot because lorries cannot get through to their markets across the border.

Mr Qureshi said imports of fresh fruit and vegetables from Afghanistan would be allowed duty free, in a move aimed at helping Afghan fruit producers hurt by the border closures.

But there was no agreement to restart flights by Pakistan International Airlines, which suspended operations from Kabul last week after it accused Taliban officials of interference.

The airline has faced local anger after it raised the price of a one-way ticket to as much as $2,500, citing the cost of the premiums it was forced to pay for operating in what insurers consider a war zone.

Mr Qureshi said he met the Taliban's acting prime minister Hasan Akhund and most Cabinet members. His delegation included the head of Pakistan's ISI intelligence service, Faiz Hameed, who had also visited Kabul in the immediate aftermath of the fall of the city.

His visit to Kabul – only the third by a foreign minister since the Taliban took power, after those of Qatar and Uzbekistan – came as the Taliban try to win international backing and financial support for their Islamist regime.

Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi called Mr Qureshi's visit a "very good interaction".

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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I Feel Pretty
Dir: Abby Kohn/Mark Silverstein
Starring: Amy Schumer, Michelle Williams, Emily Ratajkowski, Rory Scovel
 

Afghanistan fixtures
  • v Australia, today
  • v Sri Lanka, Tuesday
  • v New Zealand, Saturday,
  • v South Africa, June 15
  • v England, June 18
  • v India, June 22
  • v Bangladesh, June 24
  • v Pakistan, June 29
  • v West Indies, July 4
How to wear a kandura

Dos

  • Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion 
  • Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
  • Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work 
  • Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester

Don’ts 

  • Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal 
  • Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying

Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.

A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.

Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.

A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.

On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.

The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.

Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.

The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later. 

Company profile

Company name: Dharma

Date started: 2018

Founders: Charaf El Mansouri, Nisma Benani, Leah Howe

Based: Abu Dhabi

Sector: TravelTech

Funding stage: Pre-series A 

Investors: Convivialite Ventures, BY Partners, Shorooq Partners, L& Ventures, Flat6Labs

Updated: October 22, 2021, 3:01 PM