Hanan Habibzai

 Urgent action needed to redesign the food  A new report, published today by Foresight, the Government's futures think tank, argues for fundamental change to the global food system, and beyond if a rapidly expanding global population is to be fed over the next 40 years.  The Foresight project 'Global Food and Farming Futures' has examined how a rapidly expanding global population can be fed in a healthy and sustainable way. Multiple threats are converging on the food system, including changes in the climate, competition for resources such as water supply and energy, and changing consumption patterns provide considerable challenges to sustaining the world's food supply.Professor Sir John Beddington, the Government's Chief Scientific Adviser and Head of the Foresight programme, said: "The Foresight study shows that the food system is already failing in at least two ways. Firstly, it is unsustainable, with resources being used faster than they can be na...

By Hanan Habibzai The former Prime Minister Tony Blair made his second appearance before the inquiry to defend his decision to take Britain to war in Iraq alongside the United States of America. Mr Blair defend his decision His appearance at the investigative panel met tens of protesters – including family members of British soldiers who died in Iraq, raised banners and chanted against Mr Blair. The protesters including actor Roger Lioyd Pack, Jeremy Corbyn MP and others re-enacted the scenes from the build-up to war, including secret deals between former US president George Bush and Mr Blair, and the timing of the Attorney General. Tony Blair is back: time for his journey to end in jail, a slogan which repeated by protesters. The evidence has now emerged at chilcot showing Blair Lied to public and parliament about the legality of an attack on Iraq, said Chris Nineham from Stop the War Coalition who organised the protest. ‘’Finally it has been confirmed that the war in Ira...

 Mr Mujadadi has been freed  Reporters Without Borders hails leading Afghan journalist Hojatullah Mujadadi’s acquittal today at the end of a two-day trial on a trumped-up charge of abetting insurgents, but deplores the fact that he was held for the four months prior to the trial. A former National Radio reporter who now runs Radio Kapisa FM, a station based in the northeastern province of Kapisa, Mujadadi was arrested by the National Directorate of Security, Afghanistan’s leading domestic intelligence agency, on 18 September. Shortly after his release at the end of the trial, Mujadadi told Reporters Without Borders: “Life in prison was harsh but I am in good health. After all that happened, I believe more than ever in my work as a journalist. I thank all the freedom of expression organizations in Afghanistan and abroad. My release is the result of their solidarity.”

By Hanan Habibzai             Dirty Politics behind Iran’s ban on fuel trucks   Dirty politics  This winter, Iran, a major fuel supplier for Afghanistan, plans to use this position to pressure Kabul into backing their policies. Tehran tried this before, back in 2007, when they forced tens of thousands of Afghan refugees to leave the country in the middle of winter, more “blackmail” to get Kabul to follow Iranian dictates. Afghanistan sits in the middle, NATO and America on one side, and Iran, and its attempts to dictate to Kabul on the other.Another factor is Iran’s extremist legal system, currently holding hundreds of Afghan prisoners charged with crimes, many drug related, facing injustice and barbarism .So, I was not surprised when I read news stories on Iran’s illegal ban on fuel trucks entering Afghanistan, for the reason that Tehran continuously trying to use countless ways to secure its interests in Afghanistan....

Hamid Karzai questioned parts of Afghan constitution as he spoke earlier this week during a gathering to mark the seventh adoption year of Afghanistan's post-Taliban Constitution, January 4, 2011 in Kabul. By Hanan Habibzai He wants redical changes in the constitution The rule of Law is crucial in Afghanistan to protect ordinary public and to provide them opportunities to assert meaning for political process and access the information. For this, the formation of Afghan constitution has been funded by international community to legitimise the war torn country, but everyone saw, how Afghan government was abusing a law that cost billions of dollars and detriments. I also rarely see any international care to the constitution of Afghanistan. It has not been enforced since its creation. If you look at recent documents released by Wikileaks you will better judge how the constitution of Afghanistan is neglected by high profile officials from the end to the top. Earlier this we...