News of the Day for Sunday, July 21, 2013

A girls' high school is torched in Kunduz. The perpetrators also plant several bombs on roads leading to the building. Firefighters brought the blaze under control and the building was only partially damaged.

Brother of Spera district chief and five of his bodyguards are killed in a home invasion in Khost.

Two civilians are killed and four injured by a roadside bomb in Kandahar province.

Rod Nordland, for the NYT, does an in-depth assessment of the state of public education in Afghanistan. Since we're coming from a state of near non-existence, those claiming positive achievements from a decade of occupation by western powers can claim progress. But the situation is still abysmal by the standards of most of the world. This is certainly recommended reading for those who wish to understand the reality of Afghanistan today.

Reuters discusses the intrigue among Kabul power brokers as elections loom  for a successor to Hamid Karzai.

Reuters also discusses efforts by Afghan women's rights advocates to win over clergy to at least some elements of their cause, particularly asking them to condemn violence against women.

AFP reports that the Afghan government is requiring the U.S. to pay $1,000 in custom fees  for each shipping container leaving the country via the Pakistan border. As a result, the U.S. is flying out equipment, at much greater cost. (Now that's a scam I can respect! -- C)

And, AFP discusses the difficulty of delivering mail in Kabul where most streets are unnamed and houses unnumbered.

This ought to be a blockbuster! New Indian-Afghan film to be released soon, A Man's Desire for a Fifth Wife. "The scenario of the movie is based on a love story where a man goes on looking for a fifth wife, though he is allowed only four." Uh-huh.