You may have missed this in all the hubbub about missing lorry drivers and empty shelves, but spare a thought for the poor unfortunate souls in Afghanistan. It seems, in all the excitement to grab an American helicopter, someone forgot to pay the ‘leccy bill, the arrears for which has now grown to about $100 million.
When the Taliban seized power (the other kind) in August, they took over Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), the state power company — and inherited its debts, aparently. The current supplier – the fun-loving triumvirate of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan – may now want to see some hard cash, or the lights could go out in Kabul, plunging it into metaphorical and literal darkness.
So if you’ve got some spare cash, I’m sure they’d love to hear from you. Suggested donations are:
A Sid – a quid, Worth about the same
A Glens – about a tenner (other brands are available)
A Ham – between 28 and 32. Worth more in a play-off
A Sub – equivalent to about £50/mth
A Kitty – about 90 Euro (also known as a Dibber, or Get Out Of Jail Free card)
A Maranello – c. £500, or pretty much most small items on a Ferrari (A tyre, A mirror, A tank of fuel, etc.)
A Lavish – equivalent to a small flat near Meadowbank
Other denominations are acceptable, though the head of DABS may already have contributed an arm and a leg.