freelance journalist
Kabul-based freelance journalist who also writes for the Guardian, Foreign Policy and the Economist
PROFILE
Sune Engel Rasmussen
Guest
FROM Sune Engel Rasmussen
To the Point
Taliban Ramps Up Offensive with Kabul Bombing This morning an explosion and gunfight in Kabul killed dozens and wounded more than 300 others during the morning rush hour. The Afghan Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack, which targeted a security unit for high level government officials.
To the Point
Afghan Forces Fight to Retake City after Big Loss to Taliban American airpower is striking Taliban forces, which seized parts of the Northern Afghan city of Kunduz yesterday. It was the Taliban's biggest victory since it was ousted from power in 2001. Sune Engel Rasmussen is a freelance reporter in Kabul who writes for the Guardian and the Economist.
To the Point
Taliban Leader Is Dead… and Has Been for Years Mullah Omar founded and led the Taliban, which ruled Afghanistan until it was toppled by the United States after September 11, 2001. Now -- after years of rumors — officials in both Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan have confirmed that Mullah Omar died in a Pakistani hospital two years ago.
To the Point
Can Diplomatic Fanfare Translate to Long-Term Security in Afghanistan? Ashraf Ghani has completed his first visit to the United States as Afghanistan's President, cutting a very different figure from his predecessor, Hamid Karzai. But public diplomacy is one thing. Security in a corrupt home country is another.
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News Special Programming
Best of KCRW Podcasts: Forces of Nature This is a special holiday episode highlighting the best KCRW podcasts of 2018. After a year of fires and mudslides, who doesn’t think about how to reckon with the forces of nature? In a story from the newest podcast in the KCRW fold, Nocturne , we learn how animals deal with the most destructive force of nature: humans. Then, KCRW’s podcast The Organist tries to convince us that plants have secret lives, and to embrace the overlap of science and art.
To the Point
National Security: An Adult in the Room America’s mainstream media are obsessed with President Trump’s off-hand policymaking in military and foreign affairs. But his mistakes don’t justify the unquestioned authority given the Pentagon, the CIA and the FBI. William Arkin is quitting NBC News with a scathing assessment. He says the national security state has created a condition of “perpetual war” without making America safer--and that the media are failing to report it. L ater on our Climate Change Update segment: how the government shutdown is hurting American science.
KCRW Features
Who are the political players in the LA teachers strike? Thousands of LA public school teachers are going to be back out on the picket lines for a second day. They walked off the job Monday after failing to reach a contract agreement with the LA Unified School District, despite months of negotiations.
KCRW Features
Could agave become Santa Barbara’s next major crop? In many ways, growing agave in Santa Barbara makes a lot of sense. Not only does it use very little water and thrive on generally inhospitable land, but it can act as a fuel break for wildfires. Now, local farmers and distillers are experimenting with the crop.