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☆ U.N. humanitarian chief appeals to Myanmar generals for greater aid access
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Martin Griffiths, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, attends an interview with Reuters in Kabul, Afghanistan, January 25, 2023. REUTERS/Ali Khara/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 18 (Reuters) - The chief of the United Nations humanitarian relief agency has urged Myanmar's ruling military to allow greater access to 18 million people in need of aid, describing the situation as critical as a post-coup conflict intensifies. "Successive crises in Myanmar have left one third of the population in need of humanitarian aid," Griffiths said in a statement. Griffiths said humanitarian relief organisations were struggling with insufficient resources and urged international donors to do more, with just 22% of the annual funding requirements received by mid-year. The U.N. Human Rights report in June said the lack of aid access may amount to war crimes, while a team of U.N. investigators last week said war crimes were "increasingly frequent and brazen".

Persons: Martin Griffiths, Ali Khara, Myanmar's, Min Aung Hlaing, Griffiths, Martin Petty Organizations: Humanitarian Affairs, Emergency, Reuters, REUTERS, United Nations, Reuters Staff, Thomson Locations: Kabul, Afghanistan, Myanmar

☆ In pictures: When the U.S. left Afghanistan, two years ago
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[17/24]An Afghan child sleeps on the cargo floor of a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III, kept warm by the uniform of Airman First Class Nicolas Baron, C-17 loadmaster, during an evacuation flight from Kabul, Afghanistan, August 18, 2021. U.S. Air Force/1st Lt. Mark LawsonKabul, Afghanistan

Persons: Nicolas Baron, Mark Lawson Organizations: U.S . Air Force, . Air Force Locations: Afghan, Kabul, Afghanistan, Mark Lawson Kabul

☆ UN envoy urges world court to prosecute Afghan gender discrimination
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A beauty salon with defaced pictures of women is seen in Kabul, Afghanistan, July 6, 2023. On the second anniversary of the Taliban's return to power as U.S.-led forces withdrew after 20 years of war, Brown said he had written to ICC prosecutor Karim Khan to argue his point. Girls over the age of 12 have been mostly excluded from school classes since the Taliban returned to power. "The International Criminal Court should recognize this gender discrimination as a crime against humanity and investigate it with a view to the arraignment and prosecution of those responsible," said Brown, a former British prime minister. Khan is investigating suspected war crimes committed in Afghanistan over the past 20 years.

Persons: Ali Khara, Gordon Brown, Brown, Karim Khan, Khan, We've, Michelle Nichols, Grant McCool Organizations: REUTERS, UNITED NATIONS, Criminal Court, ICC, Girls, Taliban, Muslim, Thomson Locations: Kabul, Afghanistan, British, Kandahar

☆ In pictures: Afghan Taliban celebrate second year of return to power
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PicturesIn pictures: Afghan Taliban celebrate second year of return to powerAfghanistan's Taliban marked the second anniversary of their return to power on Tuesday, celebrating their takeover of Kabul and the establishment of what they said was security throughout the country under an Islamic system.

Organizations: Taliban Locations: Kabul

[1/4] Taliban soldiers stand guard at the second-anniversary ceremony of the takeover of Kabul by the Taliban in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 15, 2023. Taliban parades were expected through the day and several departments, including the education ministry, held gatherings to celebrate. For many women, who enjoyed extensive rights and freedoms during the two decades of rule by Western-backed governments, their plight has become dire since the return of the Taliban. OBSTACLE TO RECOGNITIONGirls over the age of 12 have been mostly excluded from classes since the Taliban returned to power. For many Western governments, the ban is a major obstacle to any hope of formal recognition of the Taliban administration.

Persons: Ali Khara, Ashraf Ghani, Zabihullah Mujahid, Mujahid, It's, Amina Mohammed, Matiullah, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, Charlotte, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, Taliban, Islamic, U.S . Federal Reserve Bank of New, Swiss, Thomson Locations: Kabul, Afghanistan, Ali Khara KABUL, U.S, Western, U.S . Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Charlotte Greenfield, Islamabad

The day is “full of honor and pride for Afghans,” Taliban deputy spokesperson Bilal Karimi told CNN. “Afghanistan was freed from occupation, Afghans were able to regain their country, freedom, government and will. “There is no such thing as women’s freedom anymore,” said Mahbouba Seraj, an Afghan women’s rights activist and 2023 Nobel Peace Prize nominee. “The women in Afghanistan are being slowly erased from society, from life, from everything – their opinions, their voices, what they think, where they are.”Video Ad Feedback 'They can't go to school? “The only reason why I’m in Afghanistan and I’m staying here is to be next to my sisters and try to help them,” said Seraj, the women’s rights activists.

Persons: Zahra, ”, “, ” Zahra, Bilal Karimi, Zahra –, Mahbouba Seraj, CNN “, I’m, who’ve, ” Zabiullah Mujahid, haven’t, Heather Barr, Seraj, Mahbouba, “ They’re, they’re, Barr, what’s Organizations: CNN, “, Nations, United Nations, CNN “ I’m, UN, Taliban, Human Rights Locations: Afghanistan, Kabul, States, “ Afghanistan, Zahra, Afghan, United

☆ Opinion: The shattering aftermath in Maui
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

CNN —The Polynesian demigod Maui was so powerful he could raise islands up from the ocean floor and capture the sun to slow it down. We know Lahaina will be rebuilt, and the government response — city, state and federal — will be a huge part of that. “You can beat the drum of ‘women’s rights’ and defend tooth-and-nail women’s sports, so long as you only do so to denigrate trans women.”For more on the World Cup:Shaista Aziz: This Women’s World Cup has been unlike any other. That’s a great thingAmy Bass: The US loss at the Women’s World Cup sends a clear messageBill Bramhall/Tribune Content AgencyLet’s make a deal? In a country where federal prosecutors overwhelmingly win their cases, Trump’s odds of going to trial and winning both federal cases are slim — and he may face similarly daunting odds in the other cases.

Persons: Bill Weir, Jeff Melichar, ” Clay Jones, Melichar, “, Shaw, Naka Nathaniel, Kaua’i “, ”, ALICE, Lawrence Downes, ” Drew Sheneman, Peter Bergen, Laura Tillman, ” “, David Petraeus, ” Bergen, Tillman, Donald Trump’s, Joe Biden’s, ” Mary Ziegler, ” Ziegler, Roe, Patrick T, Brown, Wade, Kevin McCarthy, Biden, “ Biden, Julian Zelizer, ” Dana Summers, Donald Trump, Podcaster Megyn Kelly, “ I’m, Nicole Hemmer, Megan “ Rapinoe, Kelly, Shaista Aziz, Amy Bass, Bill Bramhall, Will Handelsman, it’s, Trump, William D, Cohan, Puck, David Rubenstein, Scott Galloway, Jill Filipovic, “ Trump, Galloway, pardoning, ” Filipovic, …, Jesus, Kelli Rhee, Rhee, ” Don’t, Drew Sheneman, Agency Brian Elmore, Sen, Elizabeth Warren, Adam Kinzinger, Ukraine Aanchal Saraf, Rebecca H, Oppenheimer’s, Joseph, I’ll, Neil J, Holly Thomas, Sara Stewart, “ Oppenheimer, Christopher, “ Barbie, “ Barbie ”, ” Stewart Organizations: CNN, Coast Guard, Honolulu Civil, ‘, Aloha, New York Times, …, Agency, UN, Republican, GOP, ”, Republicans, Democratic, Federal, FIFA, US, National Soccer Team, New York University, Trump, Arnold Ventures, Ukraine Aanchal, Warner Bros . Locations: Maui, Lahaina, Hawaii, Naka, Hilo, Kaua’i, Afghanistan, Afghanistan’s, Kabul, Ohio, California , Vermont, Michigan, Georgia, Trump, Ukraine

☆ Fact Check-Video of Kabul airport dates to 2021, not Mali and Niger forces in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A video filmed at Afghanistan’s Kabul airport that dates to August 2021 is being shared in 2023 with a caption that falsely says it shows soldiers from Mali and Niger preparing to fight Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States’ (ECOWAS). The claim is being shared after President Mohamed Bazoum was removed by Niger's military leaders on July 26, 2023. Reuters could not independently verify the source of the video, however, it predates the 2023 coup in Niger. It can be traced to August 2021 (here) when it was shared in relation to the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Video of Kabul airport dates to August 2021, does not show Mali and Niger forces in 2023.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, “, ”, Bola Tinubu, Read Organizations: Economic, West, Reuters, Watch, Force, Kabul Airport Locations: Kabul, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, States, West, Central Africa, Afghanistan, U.S

☆ Displaced Afghan students face uncertain future as they await approval to come to US
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —For a group of roughly two dozen displaced Afghan university students, the future feels uncertain. More than 100 displaced Afghan students – 80 of whom were in Iraq – have already come to the US, where they are studying at more than 45 universities, according to sources familiar with the situation. The students told CNN they don’t have any clear sense of when they will get approval to come to the US, and they are worried about what the continued delay means for their future. “We Afghans lost almost everything, and this scholarship in the US is a very big opportunity for us,” a third student told CNN. A US State Department spokesperson said they are “aware of the Afghan students at the American University of Iraq-Sulaimani,” but could not comment on individual cases.

Persons: Barham Salih, “ It’s, I’m, ”, “, Iraq –, “ I’m, Vance Serchuk, Institute of International Education “ Organizations: CNN, American University of Afghanistan, American University of Iraq, Afghan Future Fund, Qatar, Project, AUAF, US State Department, U.S . Refugee, Afghan Futures Fund, Qatar Fund For Development, Institute of International Education, American University Locations: Kabul –, –, Afghanistan, Iraqi Kurdistan, United States, Iraq, U.S

☆ Afghanistan's exiled soccer team wants the right to play for their country
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Hilary Whiteman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

It’s not like going on a moon.”The Afghan Women's Team took on Football Empowerment during The Hope Cup on July 18, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. The Afghan Women's Team began training last year with local club Melbourne Victory. “If the Afghan Football Federation recognize a team and say: ‘Yes, we accept a team to represent Afghanistan,’ they can be shot. Afghan Women's Team goalie Fatima Yousifi buried her kit before fleeing Afghanistan. When told the Afghan women’s team was in the crowd, cheering the Matildas on, she said: “I think that’s great they’re here tonight supporting us.

Persons: Coldplay’s, Khalida Popal, “, ’ ”, she’s, ”, Kelly Defina, Heather Barr, HRW’s, Penny Wong, Sarai Bareman, Fatma, Bareman, ” Behram Siddiqui, Popal, ’, Craig Foster, “ They’ve, that’s, Fatima Yousifi, John Didulica, Didulica, he’s, there’s, Hilary Whiteman, Emily van Egmond, Yousifi, ” Foster Organizations: Australia CNN, Brisbane, Nigeria, Afghan women’s national, Taliban, FIFA, women’s, Afghan Women's, Football Empowerment, Rights Watch, Human, United Nations, HRW’s Women’s Rights, Afghan, Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade, Foreign, Association, Afghan Football Federation, CNN FIFA, Afghan Women's Team, Melbourne Victory, UN, “, Hope, Melbourne, Afghan national, Australia, CNN, Canada Locations: Brisbane, Australia, Denmark, Australian, Afghanistan, Europe, Canada, Melbourne, Kabul, United, ’, women’s, Nigeria, Afghan

CNN —Afghans who were promised a home in the United States after their country fell to the Taliban say they have waited so long for the US to process their applications that they are now being sent back to the enemy they fled. “They did not hand us over to the (Taliban) Afghan border forces,” he said. Many Afghans fled the Taliban after the August 15, 2021 fall of Kabul to the hard-line group. At least two Afghans awaiting P-2 visas have been swept up in this crackdown, CNN has learned, and complain of Pakistani police persecution. Afghans waiting in Pakistan have reported harassment by Pakistani police, including arrest and demands for money.

Persons: “, ”, Haseeb, Aafaq, ” Aafaq, “ I’m, Biden, sobbed Organizations: CNN, State Department, Pakistan’s, Interior Ministries, Afghanistan Immigrants Refugees Council, Getty, Support Center, US State Department, Foreign Locations: United States, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Afghan, Kabul, Taliban, USA, Pakistani, Chaman, AFP, Islamabad, Turkey, Tajikistan

☆ Taliban Shut Beauty Salons, One of Afghan Women’s Last Public Spaces
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Christina Goldbaum | More About Christina Goldbaum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

All women’s beauty salons in Afghanistan were set to close on Tuesday, officials said, as part of a Taliban administration announcement early this month that the women-only spaces were forbidden under Shariah law and caused economic hardship for grooms’ families during wedding celebrations. The closing of the salons — one of the few public places left in Afghanistan where women could congregate outside the home — represents another grim milestone for women’s rights in Afghanistan. Since the Taliban seized power in August 2021, the government has steadily rolled back women’s rights, barring women and girls from most public spaces, from traveling any significant distance without a male relative and from attending school beyond sixth grade. The initial announcement ordering salons to close prompted a rare public protest early this month in Kabul, the capital, where dozens of salon owners and beauticians marched down the street while holding signs opposing the ban. Security forces with the Taliban administration broke up the protest using fire hoses and shot weapons into the air to disperse the crowd.

Persons: ’, Sadeq Akif Muhajir, beauticians Organizations: Taliban administration’s Ministry, Security Locations: Afghanistan, Kabul

☆ Beauty salons banned in Afghanistan
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Dave Lucas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

An Afghan beautician removes a poster in a beauty salon in Kabul, Afghanistan, July 24. The Taliban administration say they respect women's rights in line with their interpretation of Islamic law and Afghan culture. The ban on salons, released on...moreAn Afghan beautician removes a poster in a beauty salon in Kabul, Afghanistan, July 24. The Taliban administration say they respect women's rights in line with their interpretation of Islamic law and Afghan culture. The ban on salons, released on July 4 by the morality ministry, said it was based on an order from the supreme spiritual leader.

Persons: Ali Khara Organizations: REUTERS Locations: Kabul, Afghanistan, Afghan

CNN —At least 31 people have been killed in devastating flash floods that hit parts of Afghanistan over the weekend, authorities said Sunday. In a press conference from Kabul, Shafiullah Rahimi, spokesman for Taliban’s Ministry of Disaster Management, added that 74 people are injured and at least 41 remain missing. An excavator removes mud and rocks from a damaged house after heavy flooding in Maidan Wardak province. APA damaged house is seen after heavy flooding in the Maidan Wardak province in central Afghanistan on Sunday, July 23, 2023. APAfghan boys look at a truck that was damaged in flash floods in Maidan Wardak province on July 23, 2023.

Persons: Shafiullah Rahimi, Rahimi, ” Organizations: CNN, Taliban’s Ministry of Disaster Management, AP, Getty, Ministry of State for Disaster Management Locations: Afghanistan, Kabul, Red Crescent, Maidan Wardak, AFP

☆ Foreigners, some trained by the US, are fighting on both sides in Ukraine, seeking cash and adventure
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The war in Ukraine has drawn foreign fighters to the armies on both sides. While Russia is recruiting mercenaries, Ukraine has become a magnet for volunteers who want to fight Russian aggression or find adventure. By mid-2022, after Ukraine formed its International Legion of Defense, 20,000 volunteers from 52 nations had joined, according to the Ukrainian government. A new study by Italian researcher Matteo Pugliese found a bewildering array of backgrounds and motivations among the members of Ukraine's International Legion, a battalion-sized force. Ukraine's International Legion of Defense has drawn volunteers from all over the world.

Persons: —, Nepalis, Vladimir Putin, Rahmatullah Alizadah, Matteo Pugliese, Pugliese, Abraham Lincoln, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Gurkha, Russian, Nepal Express, Nepalese Army, Getty, Moscow —, Legion of Defense, Spanish Civil War's, Brigades, Nazi, Ukraine's International, NATO, ISIS, Ukraine's, Legion, Defense, Ukraine, Facebook, Kyiv, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Nepal, Dubai, Russia, Britain, Europe, Kabul, Xinhua, Afghanistan, Spanish, Canada, Syria, Australia, Poland, North America, Latin America, American, Syrian, Forbes

☆ A former Afghan interpreter for the US military escaped Taliban rule only to be shot and killed in Washington, DC
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Katie Hawkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Nasrat Ahmad Yar, 31, was shot and killed in Washington, DC while working as a Lyft driver. Then, on July 3, Ahmad Yar was fatally shot in Washington, DC while driving for Lyft. Ahmad Yar was just one of hundreds of Afghan interpreters scrambling to flee the country after the Taliban takeover. Amid the chaos, Ahmad Yar's wife was also pregnant with their fourth child. Ahmad Yar worked for a towing company and as a rideshare driver.

Persons: Nasrat Ahmad Yar, —, Ahmad Yar, Ahmad Yar selflessly, Matthew Butler —, Butler, Ahmad Yar's, Butler —, CNN —, Jeramie Malone, Malone, Admad, Ahmad Yar —, Nasrat Organizations: Service, Taliban, Lyft, Army Special Forces, LA Times, CNN, US State Department Locations: Washington , DC, Wall, Silicon, Afghanistan, United States, Kabul, Washington ,, That's, Abu Dhabi, Pennsylvania

☆ Taliban halt Swedish activities in Afghanistan after Koran burning
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KABUL, July 11 (Reuters) - The Taliban administration said on Tuesday all activities by Sweden in Afghanistan must stop after the burning of the Koran outside a mosque in the Swedish capital last month. The order was likely to affect the Swedish non-governmental organisation, the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, which has thousands of aid workers at work throughout the country in health, education and rural development. An Iraqi immigrant to Sweden burned the Koran outside a Stockholm mosque last month, causing outrage in the Muslim world. The Swedish Committee for Afghanistan did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Taliban order. The Taliban administration did not provide details on which organisations would be affected.

Persons: Zabiullah Mujahid, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, Charlotte Greenfield, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Swedish Committee, United, Thomson Locations: KABUL, Sweden, Afghanistan, Swedish, Emirate, Iraqi, Stockholm

☆ Taliban compounds misery for women in Afghanistan with order to close all beauty salons
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Hilary Whiteman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The impending closure of beauty salons further diminishes the freedom of women and delivers a harsh economic blow to families who rely on them for income. An Afghan beautician attends to a customer at a beauty salon in Mazar-i-Sharif on June 27, 2023. My husband is jobless and this beauty salon is the only means to feed my family. “I don’t understand why beauty salons should be banned. According to their report, women are banned from working in most sectors outside the home, and are prohibited from attending public baths, parks, and gyms.

Persons: Mohammad Sidik Akif, Afghan beautician, Sharif, “, ”, Richard Bennett, Dorothy Estrada, Tanck, they’re, who’ve, Markus Potzel, Afghanistan’s “ Organizations: CNN, Ministry, United Nations, Getty, UN Locations: Afghanistan, United States, Afghan, Mazar, AFP, Kabul

☆ Taliban administration orders beauty salons in Afghanistan to close
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KABUL, July 4 (Reuters) - The Taliban administration in Afghanistan has ordered beauty salons to close within a month, the morality ministry said, in the latest shrinking of access to public places for Afghan women. Foreign governments and U.N. officials have condemned growing restrictions on women since the Taliban returned to power in 2021 after defeating a U.S.-backed government as foreign forces withdrew. Many public places including bathhouses, gyms and parks have been closed to women. Western government and international organisations have signalled that restrictions on women are hampering any possible progress to international recognition for the Taliban administration. The administration says it respects women's rights in accordance with its interpretation of Islamic law and Afghan customs.

Persons: Mohammad Sadiq Akif, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, Charlotte Greenfield, Robert Birsel Organizations: Ministry, Thomson Locations: KABUL, Afghanistan, U.S, Kabul, United States

☆ State Department review of 2021 Afghanistan evacuation critical of Biden, Trump
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Jonathan Landay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Victor Mancilla/Handout via... Read moreWASHINGTON, June 30 (Reuters) - A U.S. State Department report on Friay criticized the handling of the 2021 evacuation from Afghanistan, saying decisions by President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump to withdraw troops had "serious consequences for the viability" and security of the former U.S.-backed government. The review, and a similar Pentagon study, contributed to a report released by the White House in April. But the State Department review's critical findings were not reflected in the White House report.cWhite House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre defended Biden's handling of the Afghan pullout. "I can't speak to that internal coordination piece and how the administration settled on the core conclusions that it presented" in April, a senior State Department official said. The review said State Department planning for the evacuation "was hindered" because it was "unclear" which senior official "had the lead."

Persons: Victor Mancilla, Read, Friay, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Antony Blinken, Karine Jean, Pierre, Biden's, Steven Cheung, Afghanistan — Joe Biden, Trump, Biden, Jonathan Landay, Steve Holland, Grant McCool, Alistair Bell Organizations: U.S, Marines, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Evacuation Control Center, Hamid, Airport, . Marine Corps, Staff, U.S . State Department, State, White House, State Department, United, Trump, American, Department, Thomson Locations: Kabul, Afghanistan, WASHINGTON, U.S, United States, State

CNN —The US State Department on Friday released its long-awaited Afghanistan After Action Review report, which found that both the Trump and Biden administrations’ decisions to pull all US troops from Afghanistan had detrimental consequences, and details damning shortcomings by the current administration that led to the deadly and chaotic US withdrawal from that country after nearly two decades on the ground. Sharper criticism of Biden admin actions than earlier White House documentThe State Department’s report contains much sharper criticism around the Biden administration’s actions than the White House summary document released in April. That added significantly to the challenges the Department and DoD faced during the evacuation,” the report said. The report noted that in the chaos, the State Department received an “overwhelming volume of incoming calls and messages to the Department from other government agencies, Congress, and the public inquiring about individual cases mostly with regard to at-risk Afghans,” which created an immense challenge. The report detailed 11 recommendations, mostly related to the Department’s crisis response and preparedness.

Persons: Donald, Trump, Joe, Biden, ”, Afghanistan “, “, Hamid, State Department “, ” “, Antony Blinken, I’ll, ” Blinken Organizations: CNN, US State Department, Trump, Biden, State Department, White, Department, Bagram Air Base, Hamid Karzai International Airport, US, “, DoD, United States, Task Force Locations: Afghanistan, United, United States, Kabul, Washington

[1/2] Hsiao-Wei Lee, Afghanistan country director for World Food Programme (WFP), speaks during an interview with Reuters in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 20, 2023. "It's five million people we are able to serve for another couple of months but then beyond that we don't have the resources," WFP Afghanistan Country Director Hsiao-Wei Lee told Reuters. Around 15 million Afghans in danger from lack of food are in need of assistance, according to WFP. WFP needs $1 billion in funding to provide food aid and carry out planned projects between now until March, Lee said. WFP would stay in Afghanistan and carry out its other work such as nutrition projects, Lee said, even if the projected cuts took place.

Persons: Hsiao, Wei Lee, Sayed, Lee, it's, Charlotte Greenfield, Andrew Mills, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Food Programme, Reuters, REUTERS, United Nations, WFP, Afghanistan, Thomson Locations: Afghanistan, Kabul, Islamabad, Doha

☆ In These Corners of Kabul, Western Influences Live On
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Christina Goldbaum | Jim Huylebroek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

There’s a glimmer of the old Kabul hiding in the new one — if you know where to look. It’s there in the crowded snooker halls where young men in jeans hover around velvet tables and yell “nice shot” in English. It’s in coffee shops where women sip on cappuccinos, their robe-like abayas concealing skinny jeans, as a Taylor Swift tune softly radiates from the speakers. Since the Taliban toppled the Western-backed government nearly two years ago, the group has erased most obvious vestiges of the American nation-building project in Afghanistan. Religious scholars and strict interpretations of Shariah law replaced judges and state penal codes.

Persons: Taylor Swift Organizations: FIFA Locations: Kabul, American, Afghanistan

☆ Sudan conflict: The US embassy destroyed passports when it fled the violence. Some Sudanese are now 'stranded in this war zone'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Sana Noor Haq | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Courtesy Ibrahim Khalid Ibrahim MohamedMany Sudanese have fled the fighting to neighboring countries like Egypt, Chad, Ethiopia and South Sudan. The embassy advised Sudanese visa applicants without passports to apply for a new passport with the Sudanese embassy in Cairo, despite Egyptian authorities issuing a raft of entry requirements for refugees from the country. Mohamed was among several Sudanese visa applicants who told CNN they witnessed violence while attempting to flee the country. “They had to leave because it’s a life or death matter if they stayed (in Khartoum).”Alhaj Sharafeldin, a 25-year-old university graduate, told CNN he is "stranded in this war zone." “I’m here stranded in this war zone,” he told CNN.

Persons: CNN — Ibrahim Mohamed, “, ”, Haitham Ibrahim, Ibrahim Mohamed, Ibrahim Khalid Ibrahim Mohamed, Mohamed, Fayez Nureldine, Arwa Idris, Idris, Alhaj, “ It’s, ” Sabah Ahmed, Zeyazen, Kareem, Renad, Sabah Ahmed, Madani, Ahmed, Ahmed’s, Abdelazim Alhajaa, ” Alhajaa, ” Ahmed Organizations: CNN, Rapid Support Forces, Saudi, Hadath, Television, International Organization for Migration, American, Ministry, US State Department, Getty, UN, Sudanese Locations: Khartoum, Nuzha, Egypt, Chad, Ethiopia, South Sudan, United States, Kabul, Cairo, Sudan, Saudi, Port Sudan, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, AFP, New York, “, Wadi Halfa, Iowa, Bahri, Omdurman, Columbus , Ohio

☆ Taliban official letter reinforces bar of female aid staff in southern Kandahar
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

KABUL, June 23 (Reuters) - Taliban authorities in Afghanistan's Kandahar province ordered female aid workers this week to stop work on a refugee project, according to an official letter, reinforcing rules against women working despite exemptions sought by some organisations. The letter underscored the uncertainty of the operating environment in Afghanistan for aid agencies who say they intend to stay and deliver aid during a humanitarian crisis but seek exemptions to let female staff work, to reach female beneficiaries and avoid breaching UN charter principles. The Taliban administration signalled in January it would work on a set of written guidelines that could allow aid groups to operate with female staff in some cases, but it has not yet done so. The Norwegian Refugee Council, an international NGO, in May said it had received exemptions for many of its operations in Kandahar and was resuming work with female staff. The Taliban's restrictions on women aid workers and access to education have been widely criticized by the international community.

Persons: Haibatullah Akhundzada, Charlotte Greenfield, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, Peter Graff Organizations: Reuters, Department of Refugees, United Nations, Norwegian Refugee Council, NRC, Diplomats, Thomson Locations: KABUL, Afghanistan's Kandahar, Kandahar, Spin, Pakistan, Afghanistan, United States

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