It is a city where the sound of bombs is part of growing up, recently becoming the epicentre of the violence that plagues Afghanistan. In western Kabul, however, a big blue bus is bringing joy to some of the capital's younger generation.
Children emerge from alleys and houses, surrounding the vehicle and cheering its arrival, although a few watch cautiously given their fear of the unknown.
All that the bus contains, however, is books.
"Dear children, this is a library on wheels; we have lots of books and stories for you," Freshta Karim, an Afghan woman and founder of Charmaghz, tells them.
The name, which means walnut in Dari, one of Afghanistan's national languages, has special resonance as it represents the brain in local culture.
"It equates to logic. We are trying to promote critical thinking," Ms Karim explains.
"We want the kids to have opinions and share them, debate and be willing to listen to others opinions."
Nearly 17 years after the overthrow of the Taliban government, which outlawed women's education, the United Nations says only 31 per cent of Afghans are literate. The rate is almost twice as bad – 17 per cent – among women. An estimated 3.5 million Afghan children have never gone to school and 75 per cent are girls.
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Ms Karim, a past recipient of the Chevening scholarship aimed at developing world leaders, recently returned from Britain after a master's degree, and wants to help change the statistics.
The library currently has 500 books, in Dari, Pashto as well as in English, but it is only part of Charmaghz's activities, backed by its founder's friends and private donations.
"I have always wanted to work with children and used to organise events and activities for the kids in my neighbourhood before I left for higher studies," she told The National.
Helping a little girl pick a book from their collection, she adds: "The mobile library is only the first project. The idea of Charmaghz is much bigger than this library."
For now at least, the library is a draw for the children.
Intrigued by the bus, a five-year-old named Sohail approaches one of three other volunteers helping Ms Karim.
"Do you have any books about cats?" he asks. "I love cats."
Charmaghz volunteer Mohammad Shahir is passionate about helping.
"The idea is to encourage reading among children in Afghanistan. With years of conflict, the children here don't usually have access to books and literature," the 23-year-old says, recalling his own childhood, many years of which were spent in wartime.
"When I was younger I loved to read, but I didn't have any place to get books; it was a time of war and conflict," he adds, just as the sound of a helicopter hovered above where the bus was parked.
At the other end of the bus, 10 to 12 children sit on the vehicle's carpeted floor, in true Afghan style, listening to another volunteer who reads a storybook out loud for them.
"For the younger kids who still don't know how to read and write or even the older ones who are not literate, we organise group sessions where we read and discuss stories with them," Ms Karim explains. Today they are reading the story of the Rabbit and the Lion, an Aesop fable translated in Dari.
The bus has been rented from the Ministry of Transport, and while Charmaghz has not received any government support, Ms Karim is grateful that the project is allowed.
"The fact that the government were open to such an idea is a valuable contribution in itself. It's often difficult to convince someone about new concepts, but they trusted us and we are very grateful for that," she says.
The Charmaghz team start after the morning rush hour, visiting two or three locations each day.
“We park the bus on the inside roads, and within communities, to avoid crowded places that could be likely terrorist targets," says Ms Karim.
While parents used to accompany children – and some still do – many youngsters await the bus eagerly.
About two hours is spent at each location encouraging participation.
"Apart from reading, we also have board games like chess; we also have poetry recitations and we play them songs about our country and culture," says Mr Shahir.
In one corner of the bus, reserved for solo reading, 10-year-old Zahra spoke of her favourite story, explaining that while she loves reading she does not have many books.
"I really enjoyed reading Badhsha-e-Tokham, about a king and his knight. It teaches you to always tell the truth," she says.
The library has also expanded her ability to help her siblings read.
"The new stories read here, I narrate them to my five sisters and brother at home," Zahra says, approaching Ms Karim and handing her three books brought from home.
"I have already read them. It's time for someone else to enjoy them."
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
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FIXTURES
Thu Mar 15 – West Indies v Afghanistan, UAE v Scotland
Fri Mar 16 – Ireland v Zimbabwe
Sun Mar 18 – Ireland v Scotland
Mon Mar 19 – West Indies v Zimbabwe
Tue Mar 20 – UAE v Afghanistan
Wed Mar 21 – West Indies v Scotland
Thu Mar 22 – UAE v Zimbabwe
Fri Mar 23 – Ireland v Afghanistan
The top two teams qualify for the World Cup
Classification matches
The top-placed side out of Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong or Nepal will be granted one-day international status. UAE and Scotland have already won ODI status, having qualified for the Super Six.
Thu Mar 15 – Netherlands v Hong Kong, PNG v Nepal
Sat Mar 17 – 7th-8th place playoff, 9th-10th place play-off
Cry Macho
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam
Rating:**
The biog
Born: High Wycombe, England
Favourite vehicle: One with solid axels
Favourite camping spot: Anywhere I can get to.
Favourite road trip: My first trip to Kazakhstan-Kyrgyzstan. The desert they have over there is different and the language made it a bit more challenging.
Favourite spot in the UAE: Al Dhafra. It’s unique, natural, inaccessible, unspoilt.
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 2
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Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
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Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group B
Tottenham Hotspur 1 (Eriksen 80')
Inter Milan 0
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Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
Kanye%20West
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
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COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
Fresh faces in UAE side
Khalifa Mubarak (24) An accomplished centre-back, the Al Nasr defender’s progress has been hampered in the past by injury. With not many options in central defence, he would bolster what can be a problem area.
Ali Salmeen (22) Has been superb at the heart of Al Wasl’s midfield these past two seasons, with the Dubai club flourishing under manager Rodolfo Arrubarrena. Would add workrate and composure to the centre of the park.
Mohammed Jamal (23) Enjoyed a stellar 2016/17 Arabian Gulf League campaign, proving integral to Al Jazira as the capital club sealed the championship for only a second time. A tenacious and disciplined central midfielder.
Khalfan Mubarak (22) One of the most exciting players in the UAE, the Al Jazira playmaker has been likened in style to Omar Abdulrahman. Has minimal international experience already, but there should be much more to come.
Jassim Yaqoub (20) Another incredibly exciting prospect, the Al Nasr winger is becoming a regular contributor at club level. Pacey, direct and with an eye for goal, he would provide the team’s attack an extra dimension.
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
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