And a story from that puts the veil back on Muslim women... Afghanistan has instructed female TV presenters to stop appearing without a headscarf and to wear less make-up, officials said, raising fears about creepingrestrictions on the fledgling media. 

"All the TV networks are in seriousness asked to stop the female presenters from appearing on TV without a veil and with dense make-up," the information and culture ministry said. 

"All the female newscasters on Afghan TV channels are also asked to respect Islamic and Afghan values," it added.  A spokesman for President Hamid Karzai told AFP yesterday that the ministry took the decision after coming under pressure from the Ulema council, the country's highest religious body of Islamic scholars.

Afghan media, essentially non-existent under the 1996-2001 Taliban regime, have enjoyed enjoyed considerable freedom, with more than two dozen TV stations springing up in the decade since the 2001 US-led invasion.

Also see our 13:45 pm story