FY 2002 and nine million dollars in capital costs that would fund the construction of a new shortwave transmitter in Kuwait. Highlights In May 2002, U.S. First Lady Laura Bush addressed the people of Afghanistan in a speech delivered from the Prague headquarters of RFE/RL. The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. recently launched a new exhibit named "Voices From Afghanistan" showcasing some of the thousands of handwritten scrolls and letters sent by listeners. Recent awards: David Burke Distinguished Journalism Award for “enormous courage in continuing to deliver the news to their fellow citizens”; two National Union of Journalists of Afghanistan awards for aiding the reconstruction of Afghan society through balanced and objective reporting and Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries award for excellent in reporting. In the run-up to Afghanistan's presidential elections in 2009, Radio Azadi hosted a historic presidential debate featuring President Hamid Karzai and two of his leading contenders. It was Afghanistan's first-ever debate to feature an incumbent president and was televised on Afghan national TV. In 2009, Congress appropriated six million dollars of additional funding to allow Radio Azadi to begin broadcasting to the Pashto-speaking border regions on the Afghanistan–Pakistan border. In 2009, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton responded to questions submitted by listeners in Afghanistan during an interview in Radio Azadi's studios in Prague. See also Press TV IRIB World Service Al Jazeera CCTV International Arabic Rusiya Al-Yaum (روسيا اليوم) Al Mayadeen (الميادين) France 24 (Monte Carlo Doualiya) External links Radio free Afghanistan website in Dari Radio Free Afghanistan website in Pashto Radio Free Afghanistan website in English Voices From Afghanistan Exhibit Website References International broadcasters Radio stations in Afghanistan Radio stations established in 2002 Mass media in Kabul 2002 establishments in Afghanistan State media