Rahmat Wali, a 28-year-old former member of Afghanistan's national cricket team, reportedly was killed overnight during a raid on his home by coalition troops.

United States Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama arrived in Afghanistan on Saturday, on a tour including Iraq and Germany aimed at proving he can lead on security and foreign policy and bolstering foreign policy credentials.

U.S. President George Bush has won British support for his twin appeals for more troops for Afghanistan and more pressure on Iran. From London, VOA's Paula Wolfson reports he got some welcome news from British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has threatened to send troops into Pakistan to confront militants who have been launching cross-border attacks.

Policymakers, potential private investors, and the public received valuable new information today to help identify fault lines and the potential location of undiscovered water, oil and gas, and non-fuel mineral resources in Afghanistan.

Scientists said that they have proved the world's first ever oil paintings were in caves near two destroyed giant statues of Buddha in Afghanistan, hundreds of years before oil paint was used in Europe.

Although rich in oil, gas, copper, iron, gemstones and other resources, years of deforestation, desertification, over-grazing and a quarter century of violence have ruined Afghanistan’s environment and economy. Additionally, security problems and a predilection for corruption at almost every level have led to it being ranked as the most difficult country in Southwest Asia to do business with.

The Taliban's destruction of the giant Buddhas of Bamiyan in March 2001 was the most dramatic expression of their mission to obliterate all "idolatrous" images from Afghanistan's pre-Islamic past. Along with the Buddhas, the Taliban destroyed 2,500 other cultural gems from Kabul's National Museum of Afghanistan.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says a only a small number of NATO countries have troops in the most dangerous areas of Afghanistan and that more allies need to share the combat burden.

Private investment in Afghanistan dropped significantly last year due to security concerns, and Australia's consumer watchdog is complaining about high gasoline prices set by international oil companies. Claudia Blume in Hong Kong has more on these and other stories in our weekly round up of business news from the Asia-Pacific region.