A recent newspaper article highlighted "narrative bias" which leads to a distorted or outdated view of an issue or country. It highlighted for instance that one of the biggest users per capita of Youtube is Saudi Arabia - and largest number of "hits" was by women in the category of education. An Iraq  telecoms company has just raised ober 1 billion dollars to invest in a countryt whose main appearance in the news is suicide bombings. Rwanda, scene of a million person ethnic cleansing with weapons like machetes has one of the fastest growing IT sectors in Africa. In Kenya, approaching 20% of GDP passes through mobile-phone based payment systems.

The U K Defence Forum contribution to offsetting "narrative bias!" about Afghanistan is its Afghan News Roundup. The second installment of December 2013 edition, compiled by Elayne Jude for Great North News Service, covers on the next page more positive stories hidden away in the world's media on topics like National lampoon, Salang facelift, Parliament fails to impress, funding female security, and refugee camp at Mons.

Controversial cinema, surplus bargains, historic soccer, shoe hurling - an Afghan news round-up compiled by Elayne Jude for Great North News Services

The Patience Stone

In Persian mythology, the patience stone, or syngue sabou, is a magical black stone that receives the problems of those who confide in it.

In writer-director Atiq Rahimi's new film, "The Patience Stone," the comatose husband of a Muslim woman living in a Middle Eastern country during an insurrection symbolises the stone.

Abandoned by his brothers and fellow jihadists, an injured warrior is cared for and hidden by his wife. She confides her dreams and desires, and relates the abuses of their loveless marriage to his unconscious form.

Afghan News Roundup: February 2013 compiled by Elayne Jude for Great North News Service

Going home and what to carry, dib-dib in Dari, behind the veil and on the catwalk, electronic update for Kabul.

New stories about Afghanistan centre on the logistics - and foreign policy implications - of shipping home the matérial of a decade of warfighting, and the uncertainty and anxiety left behind. Finding good or even just ‘normal’ news away from the frontline feels more and more like mood music on the Titanic. Most news agencies are giving huge attention to the success of the low budget documentary, Buzkashi Boys. Of which, absolutely nothing below.