Japan has agreed to fund a further $117 million in financial aid for development projects in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Tuesday.

Ministry officials said that four main projects will be funded by the new aid: road maintenance, water supply network of New Kabul Project, the development of Kabul International Airport, and fuel purchases for government organisations.

Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul welcomed the aid saying that Japan has made a significant contribution to aid Afghanistan in the past decade.

Outlining the breakdown of the $117m, Rassoul said $34.6m will go towards buying oil, $16.8m for the development of parking and power at Kabul International Airport, $33.9m to repair roads and $31.6 million for the water supply of the New Kabul City (Desabz project).

"We promised $3 billion at the Chicago meeting from 2012 up to 2016 for five years. Last week we signed $281m with the United Nations which becomes around $400m with today's aid [pledges]," Japan's Ambassador to Afghanistan Hiroshi Takahashi said at a press conference.

Japan is the largest foreign aid donor to Afghanistan after the United States, MOFA officials said.

Afghan Minister of Public Health Suraya Dalil sought to highlight the plight of women's health in the lead up to March 8 International Women's Day, calling for more investment in the health-related fields.

At a government gathering Tuesday to observe the March 8 message, Dalil said that investment in women was necessary to improve the country's economy and health, particularly to reduce the rate of maternal mortality.

"The investment in the field of women, daughters and mothers, will lead to an increase and improvement in the economy and health of the country. It is like investing $1 and receiving $40," she said to the government representatives in Kabul.

Parliamentary member Fauzia Koofi criticised the low number of women in government institutions, saying that March 8 was "celebrated" by the government for one day as a show to suggest they are fighting against violence and justice for women.

"Women's day is celebrated for only one day as the pretext for combating violence and justice for women in the country. However at the present there is a significant decline of women in the government offices," Koofi said.

Afghanistan is frequently cited as one of the worst countries in the world for women to live.

Afghanistan's anti-corruption watchdog Tuesday called for the countrywide university entrance test, or Kankor, to be abolished, saying that half the corruption within the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) was linked to the exam.

"This process should be cancelled and instead of the Kankor exam, those students of classes 9, 10, 11, and 12 that score more than 7 (out of 10) should be introduced to their favourite faculties directly," said Azizullah Lodin, head of High Office of Oversight and Anti-Corruption.

"This is my suggestion to the president, who should appoint a committee to inspect more on this suggestion, and correct possible defects. But after all, the Kankor exam should be cancelled," he told TOLOnews.

Lodin said that the Kankor's corruption included the selling of exam questions, influential figures putting pressure to change results, and general cheating.

The MOHE has rejected the claims, pointing out that it charged 540 students with cheating on the test – some of whom have been referred to the Attorney General.

"The Kankor exam has been held with no fraud and was completely transparent as many were monitoring the process," said Abdulazim Noorbakhsh, MOHE spokesman.

The German Defence Minister Thomas de Maizière made a surprise visit to Afghanistan on Tuesday were he will meet Germany's troops based in the north of the country.

He flew directly to the country in a civilian aircraft – the first time he has done so in ten trips, perhaps indicating the improved conditions in the region. He landed in Mazar-e-Sharif late Monday, before arriving unannounced among troops on Tuesday in one of Germany's largest bases.

Germany currently has 4,760 troops in Afghanistan as part of the Nato mission, most of them based in northern Kunduz province.

The minister's trip has been reported as aimed at developing an idea of the Afghanistan's conditions before Germany withdraws its troops in 2014, especially in the Hindu Kush area where it has one of its largest bases.

De Maizière also visited the outpost in the northern Baghlan province where around 500 German soldiers are stationed. Just two years ago, this region was under Taliban control.

Afghanistan's media watchdog Nai said Tuesday that the reported growth of violence against women is linked to a decline of women working in media roles.

Nai chief Sediqullah Tawhidi said that although Afghanistan's media were generally defenders of women's and human rights, violations against these rights had increased as women working in the profession dropped.

"The interest of women and girls to work in the media has declined across the country which is a worry because women can better report the cases of violence against women," Tawhidi said in a conference.

He also recognised that weak rule of law and justice organs were key contributors to the violence because perpetrators of violence are not punished.

Tawhidi urged the media to stop using the term "honor killing" in cases of violence where a family has killed a female member because it did not convey the reality of murder.

"Some of the words used and translated as 'honor killing' hurt women's rights so we ask the media to avoid using such terms," he added.

Afghan Women's Network has recorded 170 cases of violence against women in Afghanistan in the two last months, 32 of which were cases of murder.

Afghanistan's Ambassador to Pakistan Tuesday will renew attempts for a conference between religious leaders of the two countries, saying he will ask Pakistan to replace its previously designated leader Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi who recently suggested suicide attacks were permissible under Islam.

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Kabul Bank's former chairman Shirkhan Farnood and former chief executive Khalil Ferozi have been sentenced to five years in prison each in connection with the multi-million dollar fraud that almost led to the bank's collapse in 2010.

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Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez lost his battle with cancer, his death silencing the leading voice of the Latin American left and putting the oil-rich nation on a path to early elections.

Vice President Nicolas Maduro, who struggled to stifle tears as he announced Chavez's passing, said the government had deployed the armed forces and police "to accompany and protect our people and guarantee the peace."

Venezuela, still divided after an acrimonious election in October last year, declared a week of national mourning, and a senior minister said a new poll would be called within what are sure to be 30 tense days.

Foreign Minister Elias Jaua said 58-year-old Chavez's hand-picked successor Maduro would take over as interim leader pending the next election, declaring: "It is the mandate that comandante President Hugo Chavez gave us."

Hundreds of Chavez supporters crowded in front of the military hospital where he died, weeping and chanting "We are all Chavez!" and "Chavez lives!" as soldiers guarded the gate.

"He was a man who taught us to love our fatherland," said 40-year-old municipal worker Francis Izquierdo. "The comandante is physically gone but he remains in our hearts and we must continue building the fatherland."

International reaction was mixed, with many in Latin America and beyond hailing Chavez's support for the poor but others expressing the hope that the iconic figure's passing would lead to a more open political system.

Venezuela's closest ally, communist Cuba, declared its own mourning period for a leader who helped prop up their island economy with cheap fuel and cash transfers, and dubbed Chavez a "true son" of revolutionary Fidel Castro.

But US President Barack Obama -- often a target of Chavez's anti-American scorn -- was circumspect, pledging the United States would support the "Venezuelan people" and describing Chavez's passing as a "challenging time."

"As Venezuela begins a new chapter in its history, the United States remains committed to policies that promote democratic principles, the rule of law, and respect for human rights," Obama said in a short statement.

Shortly before Chavez's death was announced, Maduro expelled two US military attaches and accused Venezuela's enemies of somehow afflicting the firebrand leftist with the cancer that eventually killed him.

Chavez was showered with tributes by Latin American leaders, not just his allies but also figures like Brazil's Dilma Rousseff, who hailed him as a "great Latin American" and "a friend of the Brazilian people."

The president's body will be taken to a military academy on Wednesday, where he will lie in state until a memorial service with foreign leaders on Friday.

Soldiers brought the Venezuelan flag down to half-staff at the military hospital, where senior figures in Chavez's 14-year-old administration gathered before the cameras of state television as Maduro broke the news.

"Long live Chavez!" the officials shouted at the end of his announcement.

Defense Minister Diego Molero, surrounded by top military officers, said the armed forces would defend the constitution and respect Chavez's wishes.

Chavez had checked into the hospital on February 18 for a course of chemotherapy after spending two months in Cuba, where in December he had undergone his fourth round of cancer surgery since June 2011.

The once ubiquitous symbol of Latin America's "anti-imperialist" left disappeared from public view after he was flown to Cuba on December 10, an unprecedented absence that fueled all manner of rumors.

The government had sent mixed signals about the president's health for weeks, warning one day that he was battling for his life, yet insisting as recently as last weekend that he was still in charge and giving orders.

And the opposition repeatedly accused the government of lying about the president's condition.

A new election could offer another shot at the presidency to Henrique Capriles, the opposition leader who lost to Chavez in October.

"This is not the time for differences. This is the time for unity, the time for peace," he said, insisting he and Chavez were "adversaries, but never enemies."

Chavez will be mourned by many of the country's once-neglected poor, who revered the self-styled revolutionary for using the country's oil riches to fund popular housing, health, food and education programs.

And like-minded Latin American leaders like Cuba's Raul Castro, Ecuador's Rafael Correa and Bolivia's Evo Morales lost a close friend who used his diplomatic muscle and cheap oil to shore up their rule.

World oil prices rose over the uncertainty following his death.

Chavez died five months after winning re-election, overcoming public frustration over a rising murder rate, regular blackouts and soaring inflation.

The opposition had accused Chavez of misusing public funds for his campaign and dominating the airwaves while forcing government workers to attend rallies through intimidation.

He missed his swearing-in for a new six-year term on January 10, but the Supreme Court approved an indefinite delay.

First elected in 1998, Chavez had since worked to consolidate his power and make his revolution "irreversible."

But his policies drove a wedge into Venezuelan society, alienating the wealthy with expropriations while wooing the poor with social handouts.

The top US military commander in the Middle East told senators for the first time Tuesday that he had envisioned keeping about 20,000 troops in Afghanistan after combat operations end in 2014.

Gen. James Mattis, head of US Central Command, said he personally recommended the US leave 13,600 troops in Afghanistan and that he assumed the Nato allies would probably contribute "around 50 percent" of the US total, which would be roughly 6,500.

"We have to send a message of commitment," Mattis told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The US and Nato leaders said last month that they may keep between 8,000 and 12,000 troops in Afghanistan after combat troops leave in 2014.

At the Nato meeting in Brussels in February, the former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta acknowledged the range being considered, but noted that no final decision has been made.

Panetta said that most allied defense ministers assured him they were committed to remaining part of a US-led coalition after combat forces leave Afghanistan.

The US and Nato leaders have said that they are strongly considering a plan to continue funding a security force of 352,000 Afghan troops through 2018, as part of an effort to maintain security and help convince Afghanistan that America and its allies will not abandon it once combat troops leave in 2014, senior alliance officials said Thursday.

There are around 90,000 Nato-led international troops in Afghanistan helping over 300,000 Afghan security forces fight insurgency.

President Hamid Karzai Wednesday accused outside forces of causing instability in Afghanistan, warning foreign interests against using the country as an "experiment".

Addressing Parliament as its reconvened after the winter break, Karzai said there are some foreign hands that are trying to ensure Afghanistan shouldn't have a proper government and that it is a country divided between the people.

He told the MPs that Afghanistan is not a lab for others to experiment with political systems and suggested the country would be fine without foreign financial assistance.

"We have $6 billion in our reserves and enough for us to enjoy for 18 months even if we don't get a penny from the world," he said.

In the same vein, Karzai suggested that the prospect of foreign forces remaining in Afghanistan after 2014 is not a done deal.

"The Nato secretary general told me that some countries are willing to stay post 2014. I told him that they should individually sign agreements with us," he said.

He spoke of his disappointment over the reports of abuse of Afghans at the hands of Afghan security forces and pointed out it was harder for him to criticise the foreign forces on such matters when Afghans are doing it themselves.

"How can I complain against international forces when Afghan National Security Forces violate the people's rights?"

"It's not forgivable... Our Afghan people are not safe in their houses," he said. "Why should I blame foreigners?"

On the topic of the upcoming presidential election, Karzai flagged its importance to his own legacy, saying he wanted it to go smoothly as possible.

"I would have a better legacy if the election is a smooth process. I don't want people to judge me as troublemaker," he said.

"The election must happen -- free and fair. I will be an ex-president in 13 months."

He criticised foreign non-government organisations who made the last presidential election "more expensive" and warned that it would not be allowed to happen again.

"Our election should not be an income source for some foreign NGOs," he said.

Karzai called on the Afghan Taliban to be part of the political solution for Afghanistan.

"O Taliban, come and let's save our country!" He said, adding that he did not mind which political groups dealt with the Taliban as long as the High Peace Council led the peace process.

"Meet with the Taliban. I am fine. But let the peace council take care of the foreign aspect of the peace talks," he said.

A local Taliban leader named Biragh has been killed in a joint Afghan and Nato troops operation in southern Helmand province, Isaf said Wednesday.

"An Afghan and coalition force killed a Taliban leader, Biragh, during a security operation in Marjeh district, Helmand province, yesterday," Isaf said in a statement.

Biragh was responsible for conducting improvised explosive device and small arms attacks against security forces. He coordinated the activities of multiple fighters and played a crucial role in facilitating weapons to insurgents throughout Helmand district, Isaf said.

Meanwhile, a Taliban IED expert Mushtaq was also killed in a joint operation in the Kunduz district of northern Kunduz province on Tuesday, Isaf said.

"Mushtaq, also known as Azizullah or Khalid, was heavily involved in IED operations throughout Kunduz province. He personally carried out multiple IED attacks against Afghan and coalition forces, and distributed IEDs to fellow insurgents," Isaf said.

An insurgent was also killed in a joint operation and two others were injured including a Taliban commander in a joint Afghan and Isaf raid in the Giro district of eastern Ghazni province, yesterday.

The Taliban commander exercised operational control over Taliban fighters in the area and was responsible for IED attacks against Afghan and coalition forces, Isaf said.

Japan and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) will give medical diagnostic equipment to the Indra Gandhi Child Hospital in Kabul amid ongoing efforts to train the staff and equip the centre.

Medical equipment to the cost of $53,000 will be given for medical treatment of children.

IOM director of migration management Irena Vojackove said the organisation will continue to support the hospital in building capacity of the doctors.

"IOM handed over the equipment funded by the Japanese government to the value of $53,000. It will help the hospital because in Afghanistan we have a high mortality rate of children and mothers so we hope this contribute to their health," Vojackove said.

Indra Gandhi chief Noorulhaq Yousafzai welcomed the assistance.

"The equipment is helping diagnose children's illnesses in our hospital. It includes a blood detection machine which to some extents will solve the problems," Yousafzai said.

The hospital officials added that the hospital faced a staff shortage and needs renovations and further construction.

Violent clashes with Taliban insurgents in north-eastern Badakhshan province have killed at least 18 Afghan National Army soldiers, officials said Wednesday.

Another six ANA soldiers were injured in the clashes.

"Sixteen Afghan National Army soldiers have been killed in the Warduj District of the province on Wednesday," provincial spokesman Abdul Maroof Rasikh told TOLOnews.

Two other the soldiers were killed on Tuesday in clashes with the Taliban, Rasikh added.

The deaths in Warduj happened when a supply convoy of Afghan soldiers was ambushed by Taliban insurgents and most of the soldiers were held hostage, Rasikh said.

"Negotiations using tribal elders as intermediaries were carried out and six of the soldiers were released alive, but another 16 were executed. The bodies were turned over to the authorities by the same elders" he said.

Six Taliban insurgents were also killed in the clashes and eight others were injured, he added.

However, other security officials said that the security forces had launched a clearing operation in the district to clear it of insurgents.

It was one of the single deadliest attacks on government soldiers by the insurgents in recent time.

Warduj district lies along the highway leading into the Wakhan Corridor, an area of very high mountains bordered by China and Pakistan, and one that is popular with foreign trekkers.

It comes a day after the Ministry of Interior said that 11 Taliban have been killed and 19 more injured in a joint Afghan security forces operations across Afghanistan in the past 24 hours.

"In past 24 hours, Afghan National Police conducted several joint clearance operations with the cooperation of Afghan National Army, NDS and Coalition Forces to clean some of the areas from terrorists and enemies of peace and stability of Afghanistan," the MOI said in a statement on Tuesday.

The operations were done across Kandahar, Nangarhar, Laghman, Zabul, Paktiya, Uruzgan, Herat and Helmand provinces.

"During the same 24 hour period, Afghan National Police discovered and defused six different types of mines placed by enemies of Afghanistan for destructive activities in Nimroz, Kandahar, Faryab, Kunduz and Kunar provinces," it added.

The Free and Fair Election Foundation (FEFA) said Wednesday that the role of the media is crucial in helping people select their preferred presidential candidate in the upcoming election, stressing the need for objective reporting.

FEFA executive director Jandad Spinghar said the media was also important in supervising the election process.

Media watchdog Nai agreed with the FEFA statements.

"Media should be considerate of journalism principals in order to remain impartial and report exactly," Nai chief Sediqullah Tawhidi said.

Afghanistan's presidential and provincial council election's will be held April 5 2014.

"The media should start their supervision from now to remove all concerns of the election and for people to go to voting on the day," senior adviser to the Ministry of Information and Culture Jalal Noranni said.

Meanwhile the head of the Independent Election Commission called on the media to avoid censorship in broadcasting election issues.

"The Independent Election Commission needs to make the people aware, needs to share the problems with people, needs to encourage people to participate in the election. These things are possible with the cooperation of media ," IEC spokesperson Tabish Forough said.

Security remains a key concern and a major point for media to cover in the lead up to the 2014 poll.

According to statistics, Afghanistan's media has boomed in the past decade with around 50 TV channels, 200 radio stations and over one thousand publications including online, daily and weekly magazines all operating in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan will compete in the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup after a nail-biting third match in the qualifiers in Laos on Wednesday.

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The first artistic and documentary film festival about Afghan women was held in Kabul on Wednesday with the support of Afghan and international agencies.

Five films and documentaries were shown depicting challenges faced by women living in Afghanistan and their progress in the past decade. Two were chosen at the end as the best films of the festival.

The festival was launched with the cooperation of France, Germany and Norwegian embassies and European Union.

"In the film I produced, I tried to encourage women and girls to go to school and get an education," producer of one of the best films Sarnawesht (Destiny), Murtaza Tofan, said.

The purpose of the festival was aimed at encouraging women and girls to study and to raise awareness of their rights in the country.

"There were five short films in the festival two of which were recognised as the best films of the festival," member of Open Society Afghanistan Zahra Mobtakar said.

"The festival was about the challenges and progress of Afghan women," she added.

The problems of women actress in Afghanistan was another issue which was explored in the festival.

Top news in this Bulletin:

President Hamid Karzai Wednesday accused outside forces of causing instability in Afghanistan, warning foreign interests against using the country as an "experiment".

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The UN Security Council will add two top North Korean arms dealers to a sanctions list following the country's nuclear test last month, according to a copy of a US-China draft resolution obtained by AFP on Wednesday.

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Political and former Jihadi leaders in Afghanistan's north called on the people to unite in order to rebuild the country, saying the divisions between groups seeking the good of Afghanistan needs to end.

At a gathering in northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif to commemorate the eighteenth year anniversary of the death of Abdul Ali Mazari, former leader of the Hezbe Wahdat, or Islamic Unity Party.

"A number of groups are trying to show that there is no one else to lead the country, but we should recognise them, and all together should defend our country," Mohammad Mohaqiq, leader of the Islamic Unity Party, said Wednesday.

Governor of northern Balkh province Atta Mohammad Noor addressed those present with a warning against disunity.

"We should not repeat the mistakes of past decades. This means, we should not make more mistakes," he said.

"If Afghans become united then there is no need for foreigners. Commitment, solidarity and unity is important in the Afghan nation especially between Afghanistan's leaders. These leaders can lead Afghanistan back to the past decades or can bring Afghanistan to complete peace," Noor added.

Both leaders emphasised the importance of the Afghan security forces warned that if the security forces do not grow stronger then Afghanistan will face a crisis after the foreign forces withdraw.

Mohaqiq suggested the money of the West had made Afghans weak.

"We have defeated the world's big powers and this is our pride. But today we are broken and that is because the foreigners are giving us money and the foreigners are doing the administration for us," he said.

They also spoke of the crisis that will follow a fraudulent election, saying that if the 2014 presidential poll is not transparent the country will also face a disaster.

Mohaqiq said the government should not underestimate the people because this will prove costly to the government – serious efforts must be made to ensure a transparent and fair election.

Both agreed that if the election is transparent and just and Afghan security forces are stronger, then Afghanistan has a good chance at permanent stability.

An apparent attempt to attack Islamic Unity Party leader and National Front member Mohammad Mohaqiq has left three civilians with injuries after a makeshift bomb exploded near Mohaqiq's planned destination in western Herat province, officials said.

Mohaqiq was due to fly into Herat airport Thursday morning and meet National Front members at the stadium in Herat city.

At around 10:30, an improvised explosive device (IED) hidden in a motorcycle exploded near the stadium, injuring three civilians, according to provincial police chief Rahmatullah Safi.

Moments later, a second blast happened on the road to Herat airport in the area of Sar Jangal. The distance between the two blasts was about 10 kilometres.

According to Safi, the second explosion – which took place when a group of security forces were passing by – caused no harm.

Both bombs happened around the time Mohaqiq was due to be in the area, however, his plane landed only after the explosions occurred.

In a separate blast on Thursday, four children have been injured by an IED explosion in Herat's north district Rubat Sangi, officials said.

No other details were available.

Meanwhile, a policeman has been shot dead by a number of men in Rubat Zoori village of Herat's Shindand district.

Safi said that two suspicious men have been arrested for their link to the killing, but did not elaborate on the details.