The transport ministries of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and the United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to cooperate on the Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (CASA) railway project, according to Kazakhstan’s government.

The project aims to develop a new railway route connecting Central and South Asia and providing access to Pakistan’s seaports, while creating new opportunities for international transport, trade, logistics and investment.

Under the agreement, the three countries will conduct technical and economic studies, analytical assessments and feasibility work on the development of the required railway infrastructure and related facilities.

The parties are also considering establishing a joint working group to address the project’s technical, economic and financial aspects.

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have developed railway networks and significant transit potential, while the UAE has international experience in transport infrastructure, logistics and major investment projects, the statement said.

The Kazakh government said combining these capabilities would support further practical work on the CASA project and help determine mechanisms for its implementation.

The Trans-Afghan transport corridor linking Central and South Asia has the potential to carry up to 10 million tonnes of cargo to Pakistan’s ports of Karachi and Gwadar.

The U.S. State Department has rejected a $25 million funding request from the American University of Afghanistan for the next two years, The New York Times reported on Thursday.

The university has about 980 students, around three-quarters of them women, with about 90 percent based in Afghanistan. All students currently study online.

David Edwards, the university’s interim president, said the funding decision threatens one of the few remaining opportunities for Afghan women to pursue higher education from inside Afghanistan.

“We are the only venue for education for a whole generation of Afghans,” Edwards said.

The State Department said it would stop funding the university at the end of this year, citing what it described as a history of “repeated lack of accountability for millions of American taxpayer dollars.”

The university has been told that, as a condition for remaining open, it must partner with the American University of Central Asia in Kyrgyzstan. Edwards said he would work with the university, although its Kyrgyzstan campus does not offer remote instruction.

The State Department said the U.S. government remained committed to supporting education for Afghan women and girls through remote-learning programs and was working to identify organizations that could administer those programs.

The university faced allegations of financial mismanagement in 2019. Edwards said those issues had been addressed and that its audits have been clean since 2021.

Established in Kabul in 2006, the American University of Afghanistan received more than $225 million from the U.S. Agency for International Development since its founding.

Following the Islamic Emirate takeover in 2021, the university evacuated its foreign staff, while some students left Afghanistan and others remained in the country. Its Kabul campus is now used by the Afghan International Islamic University, according to the report.

The European Union has condemns civilian deaths following Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Kunar and Helmand provinces, calling on both sides to exercise restraint and engage in dialogue.

In a statement issued on Friday, the EU spokesperson said the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) had confirmed that at least 10 civilians were killed, most of them children, while nine others were injured.

The EU urged both sides to show restraint and resolve their differences through dialogue.

The statement also called on the Islamic Emirate to take action against militant groups. The IEA has previously denied the presence of militant groups in Afghanistan.

The EU stressed that all parties must respect international law, including international humanitarian law, protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, and take all feasible measures to prevent civilian casualties.