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Following are some of the guests expected to attend:* Brandon Tsay: Tsay was called a hero by authorities for disarming a gunman who shot dead 11 people during a celebration of the Lunar New Year in Monterey Park, California. The White House called it a "recognition of sustained U.S. support for Ukraine nearly a year after Russia launched its unprovoked attack." * The White House has also invited Paul Pelosi, husband of former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "The attack reportedly was politically motivated, with the intruder's alleged intent to harm and kidnap the former Speaker," the White House said. The United States completed the withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan in August 2021 after a 20-year war.

☆ Factbox: Biden State of the Union guests include Monterey Park hero, ex-Afghan diplomat
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Kanishka Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Brandon Tsay displays the Metal of Courage award he received for stopping the Monterey Park shooter, at a Lunar New Year ceremony in Alhambra, California, U.S., January 29, 2023. Following are some of the guests expected to attend:* Brandon Tsay: Tsay was called a hero by authorities for disarming a gunman who shot dead 11 people during a celebration of the Lunar New Year in Monterey Park, California. * The mother of Tyre Nichols, RowVaughn Wells, and his stepfather, Rodney Wells: Nichols, a Black motorist, died after being beaten by police following a Jan. 7 traffic stop. * Former Afghan Ambassador to the United States, Roya Rahmani: Rahmani was Afghanistan's first female ambassador to the United States, serving in the post from December 2018 until July 2021. The United States completed the withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan in August 2021 after a 20-year war.

☆ Some UN Afghan aid delivered by men only, donors voice alarm
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

PRECEDENT TO REGRETAny potential change to the U.N. approach to food aid following the ban has alarmed some donor nations and aid groups. Ambassador to the United Nations, Lisa Carty, said on Wednesday during a briefing by Griffiths to U.N. member states. Griffiths stressed that Afghan women need to work in food aid distribution to ensure supplies reached the most vulnerable - women and girls. The United Nations has appealed for $4.6 billion to fund the aid operation in Afghanistan in 2023. Griffiths and the heads of some international aid groups met Taliban officials last week to push for more, including in the areas of cash and food aid distribution.

[1/3] Sister of Amrullah, a child who died due to cold, stands at her home in Kabul, Afghanistan, January 30, 2023. They took baby Amrullah to hospital around two weeks ago for coughing and congested lungs. "The night that I lost my baby it was terribly cold, I was trying to… warm my baby boy, but I couldn't succeed," she said. "I am ... always thinking of my baby boy and my two other small children, they are also sick, I don't want to lose them as well," she said. "May God spare other mothers the pain of losing their children," Shamila said, by the rock marking his grave.

☆ The Taliban requires all mannequins' heads be covered or cut off. Eerie storefront photos offer a glimpse of Afghanistan's new reality.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Marielle Descalsota | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

In Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, mannequins were once a symbol of fashion and culture. But in the past year, shop owners have resorted to displaying them headless or covered in cloth, just to keep their stores open. AP Photo/Ebrahim NorooziIn August 2021, the Taliban announced that shop owners must remove the heads of their mannequins, or do away with them all together. But several shop owners pleaded with the Taliban to let them keep their mannequins intact. Azizi told Insider that the Taliban forced locals to deface banners displaying photos of fashion models before trying to totally ban the use of mannequins.

☆ The Taliban requires that all mannequins' heads be covered or cut off. Interviews with locals and eerie photos of storefronts offer a glimpse of Afghanistan's new reality.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Marielle Descalsota | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

☆ Afghan female students not allowed to sit university entrance exam
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KABUL, Jan 28 (Reuters) - The Taliban-run Ministry of Higher Education ordered private universities in Afghanistan not to allow female students to sit university entrance exams next month, underscoring its policy to restrict women from tertiary education. A letter from the ministry was addressed to institutions in Afghanistan's northern provinces, including Kabul, where exams are due to take place from the end of February. The letter said those institutions that did not observe the rules would face legal action. The Higher Education Ministry in December told universities not to allow female students "until further notice". Reporting by Mohammad Yunus Yawar; Writing by Charlotte Greenfield, Editing by Angus MacSwanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.N. aid chief asks Taliban authorities for more exemptions to female NGO worker ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Charlotte Greenfield | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

KABUL, Jan 25 (Reuters) - The U.N. aid chief said on Wednesday the humanitarian community was speaking with Taliban officials to try and gain further exemptions and written guidelines to allow some female aid workers to operate despite a ban on women NGO staff. Taliban authorities ordered NGOs, many of whom carry out operations for the United Nations, to stop most female staff working last month. Griffiths said some exemptions to the ban had been granted in health and education and they were hearing signs of a possible exemption in agriculture. A spokesperson for the Taliban administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment on its plans over guidelines. "It's very important to engage with the Taliban movement as a whole, that includes ... Kandahar, and also with Taliban at the provincial levels," he said.

☆ The Taliban bought Twitter's $8 a month blue ticks. They appear to have been removed after outrage.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Twitter accounts of at least two Taliban officials were sporting blue ticks on Monday, per the BBC. That sparked an outrage and by Tuesday, the ticks appear to have been removed. The BBC reported Monday that the Twitter accounts of at least two Taliban officials and four well-known supporters of the regime were sporting the checkmarks. It's unclear if Twitter removed the blue badges from the Taliban-linked accounts, or if the account owners unsubscribed from the Twitter Blue service. Twitter Blue is a paid subscription service that charges users for a blue checkmark next to their account names and offers early access to certain features.

☆ Deputy U.N. chief has talks in Afghanistan on women's rights
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KABUL, Jan 18 (Reuters) - The United Nations deputy secretary-general discussed women's rights with Afghanistan's acting foreign minister on Wednesday after the Taliban authorities banned most female aid workers and stopped women and girls from attending high school and university. Amina Mohammed has also met with U.N. staff, aid groups and Afghan women "to take stock of the situation, convey solidarity, and discuss ways to promote and protect women's and girls rights," deputy U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq said in New York. In those talks, Mohammed "stressed the need to uphold human rights, especially for women and girls" and was "encouraged by exemptions" to the ban on female aid workers, Haq said. The Taliban administration on Dec. 24 ordered local and foreign aid organisations to stop female staff from working until further notice, days after it banned women from universities. Many aid groups, some of whom carry out humanitarian work under contracts with the United Nations, stopped operations following the ban.

☆ Davos 2023: Qatar says engagement with Taliban needed despite 'disappointing' actions
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Qatar's foreign minister said on Tuesday that recent measures taken by Afghanistan's Taliban-led administration were "very disappointing" but that Doha would continue engaging as the only way forward to achieve change on the ground. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said Doha was also consulting with other Muslim countries to establish a dialogue with Taliban officials in Kandahar, and while it would "not be an easy job" it was important to keep trying. The Islamist Taliban-led administration, which seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021, has imposed bans on women working for aid groups or attending universities and high school. Reporting by Mahal El Dahan; Writing by Ghaida Ghantous, Editing by William MacleanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Former female Afghan MP shot dead in Kabul - police
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KABUL, Jan 16 (Reuters) - A former female member of Afghanistan's parliament has been killed by unknown gunmen at her home in Kabul, police said. Mursal Nabizada and her guard were shot dead and her brother was injured in Sunday's attack, police said. "The security forces have started a serious investigation regarding the case to find the criminals," police said in a statement. Nabizada had been a lawmaker until the Taliban took over as foreign forces withdrew in 2021, when many politicians fled the country. Nabizada had been elected as a member of the lower house of parliament in 2018 to represent Kabul, according to local broadcaster Tolo.

☆ Taliban officials praise Afghanistan's first sports car. It has an engine from a 2000 Toyota Corolla.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The car's power relies on a modded 2000 Toyota Corolla engine, according to a Tolo News report. The Taliban's spokesperson shared a video of the car, called Mada 9, doing donuts in the snow. There are no videos of the car moving at high speeds or making difficult maneuvers outside of the video shared by the Taliban's spokesperson. Mohammad Riza Ahmadi, the designer of Mada 9, told Tolo News that he hopes the car will be a beacon for the embattled country. Ahmadi, the car designer, told Tolo News that the car has received offers but is not for sale.

☆ The 3 best tanks on earth
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Brent M. Eastwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The three best tanks on Earth, let the debate begin: Are tanks still useful in the 21st century? I can offer three tanks that deserve clear recognition as the three best tanks on Earth, although I will admit, there is room for debate. Here are all of the reasons why:3 best tanks on earth: Meet the M1 AbramsAn M1A2 Abrams fires a sabot round. 3 best tanks on earth: Meet the K2 Black PantherA South Korean K-2 tank in June 2012. 3 best tanks on earth: the German LeopardGerman army Leopard 2 tanks in Munster in October 2015.

☆ Australia withdraw from ODI series against Afghanistan in March
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 12 (Reuters) - Australia's men's team has withdrawn from their one-day international (ODI) series against Afghanistan in March following further restrictions on women's and girls' rights imposed by the Taliban, Cricket Australia (CA) said on Thursday. Australia and Afghanistan were scheduled to play three ODIs in the United Arab Emirates but CA scrapped the series after "extensive consultation" with stakeholders, including the Australian government. The series formed part of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Super League, where the top eight teams automatically qualify for the 2023 World Cup. Australia were scheduled to play a test match against Afghanistan in November 2021 but the fixture was postponed after the Taliban seized power in August of that year. They have continued to appear at ICC events since the Taliban takeover, however, and faced Australia during last year's Twenty20 World Cup.

☆ The tank-killing armored vehicle that France is sending to Ukraine is 'a bit of an oddity,' but don't call it a tank
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

France said on January 5 that it would send the AMX-10RC armored vehicle to Ukraine. The "tank" vs. "armored vehicle" debate is a long and often contentious one, but AMX-10RCs are armored reconnaissance vehicles and not tanks, which usually have large-caliber main guns, heavy-duty armor, and tracks. Fighting there has become trench warfare, with incremental gains rather than sweeping armored offensives in which fast, armored scout vehicles excel. Armored vehicles are still vital on the battlefield, but an armored car may have limited utility against swarms of anti-tank missiles, attack drones, and smart artillery shells. What's important is that the West is sending armored fighting vehicles.

☆ Taliban criticize Prince Harry's claim he killed 25 fighters
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Henry Austin | Henry Austin Is A London-Based Editor For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Among the killers of Afghans, not many have your decency to reveal their conscience and confess to their war crimes,” he said. Several British news outlets, including the broadcaster Sky News, have reported that Harry has written that he did not “think of those 25 as people." A poster advertising the launch of Prince Harry's memoir in a store window in London on Friday. His elder brother, Prince William, is the next in line to their father, King Charles III. Among the most serious of Harry's accusations is that his brother physically attacked him during an argument over his marriage to Meghan.

☆ Taliban leader hits out at Prince Harry for calling his Afghanistan kills 'chess pieces' in new tell-all book
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The early release of Prince Harry's tell-all memoir "Spare" is triggering anger from plenty of different sources, from loyal monarchy supporters to television pundits and ordinary Brits — and most recently, the Taliban. Among the many controversial revelations in the memoir is Harry's disclosure that he killed 25 Taliban fighters while on deployment in Afghanistan with the British Army. The ones you killed were not chess pieces, they were humans; they had families who were waiting for their return. Haqqani added, "Our innocent people were chess pieces to your soldiers, military and political leaders. The Taliban returned to full power over Afghanistan when the U.S. withdrew its last troops from the country in August of 2021.

☆ Afghanistan's Taliban administration in oil extraction deal with Chinese company
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Mohammad Yunus Yawar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

KABUL, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Afghanistan's Taliban-led administration is to sign a contract with a Chinese company to extract oil from the Amu Darya basin in the country's north, the acting mining minister said on Thursday. It will be the first major public commodities extraction deal the Taliban administration has signed with an foreign company since taking power in 2021. "The Amu Darya oil contract is an important project between China and Afghanistan," China's ambassador, Wang Yu, told the news conference. China has not formally recognised the Taliban administration but it has significant interests in a country at the centre of a region important for its Belt and Road infrastructure initiative. The Chinese company will invest $150 million a year in Afghanistan under the contract, the spokesperson for the Taliban-run administration, Zabihullah Mujahid, said on Twitter.

[1/5] A doctor visits patients in a hospital following an increase in the number of pneumonia cases in Kabul, Afghanistan, December 17, 2022. Every time 10-month old Rahmat's parents bring him home from the crowded, but warmer hospital, they say he gets sick again. Doctors and aid workers say thousands of children are being admitted to hospital with pneumonia and other respiratory diseases caused by the cold and malnutrition. Hospital figures showed more than 6,7000 children were admitted in November for pneumonia, coughs, asthma and other respiratory conditions, compared to around 3,700 the same month the previous year. In a ward dedicated to pneumonia patients at the hospital, babies lay two or three to a bed, with worried parents and a handful of stretched medical staff overseeing them.

☆ Taliban seeks economic self-sufficiency and foreign investment for Afghanistan, minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Mohammad Yunus Yawar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

KABUL, Jan 2 (Reuters) - The Taliban administration will encourage self-sufficiency and wants international trade and investment, the acting commerce minister said, as Afghanistan faces isolation and suspension of some humanitarian operations over restrictions on women. Another part of their strategy was to boost trade and foreign investment, he said. He said that countries including Iran, Russia and China were interested in trade and investment. Already facing a lack of formal recognition and sanctions hampering the country's banking sector, investors are faced with growing security concerns after attacks on foreign targets in Kabul, claimed by the Islamic State. He added that foreign investors were showing interest in Afghanistan's mining sector, which has been valued at more than $1 trillion.

☆ Islamic State claims responsibility for Kabul attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

RIYADH/KABUL, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Islamic State on Monday claimed responsibility for an attack on Taliban forces in Kabul. A spokesman for Afghanistan's Taliban-run interior ministry said an explosion outside the military airport in the capital Kabul had caused multiple casualties. read moreThe interior ministry denied the casualty figures claimed by Islamic State and said it would release the official death toll. Islamic State has claimed several high-profile attacks in Kabul, including the storming of a hotel that caters to Chinese businessmen and a shooting at Pakistan's embassy that Islamabad called an assassination attempt against its ambassador, who escaped unharmed. Reporting by Nadine Awadallah and Mohammad Yunus Yawar; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Angus MacSwanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S., UK, EU among countries calling for Taliban to reverse ban on women aid workers
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Foreign ministers of 12 countries and the EU, including the United States and Britain, urged Afghanistan's Taliban-led government on Wednesday to reverse its decision barring female employees of aid groups. "The Taliban’s reckless and dangerous order barring female employees of national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from the workplace puts at risk millions of Afghans who depend on humanitarian assistance for their survival," said the statement by the foreign ministers of the United States, Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the EU. Reporting by Eric Beech; Editing by Caitlin WebberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ EU strongly condemns Taliban ban on female staff at NGOs
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-25 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, Dec 25 (Reuters) - EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Sunday strongly condemned Afghanistan's Taliban-run administration's order to ban women from working at all local and foreign non-governmental organisations (NGOs), saying this amounts to erasing women from public spaces. Kabul said the move, which was condemned globally, was justified because some women had not adhered to the Taliban's interpretation of Islamic dress code for women. Borrell said he was appalled by the latest decision, which follows last week's ban on women attending university, and a violent crackdown against peaceful protests by women against that move. He urged the Taliban to lift their decision immediately, as part of their obligation to respect international humanitarian law and humanitarian principles. Reporting by Foo Yun Chee Editing by Peter GraffOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Qatar expresses "extreme concern" over Taliban bar on female staff - statement
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Dec 25 (Reuters) - Qatar expressed "extreme concern" over the order by Afghanistan's Taliban-run administration to stop female employees from working, calling on the administration to review its decision, a foreign ministry statement said on Sunday. The ministry "stresses the need to respect women's right to work, given that the freedom to choose and accept work is a human right", it said. Qatar hosted a representative office for the Taliban during the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan, and served as a venue for peace talks before the group took power in 2021. Reporting by Nayera Abdallah Editing by Peter GraffOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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