The suspension of the BBC’s FM broadcasts adds to growing concerns over media freedom in Afghanistan.
The United Nations is calling on the Taliban to reopen schools for Afghan girls beyond sixth grade, saying keeping girls in school is “one of the most powerful ways” to protect their rights and prevent child marriage.
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees, in a statement last week, said some 492,300 Afghans have been deported from Iran, which represents 85% of those returned to Afghanistan in 2026.
The French government has confirmed ‘technical’ talks with the Taliban to facilitate the deportation to Afghanistan of Afghan nationals residing without legal status or who are considered a national security threat in France.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the United Nations will work with Pakistan to “uphold protection principles and ensure that returns of Afghans proceed in a voluntary, safe and dignified way.”
Afghanistan faces a “serious and widespread” malnutrition problem, where more than 3.7 million children under the age of five face severe malnutrition, says a Kabul-based World Health Organization official.
The United States cautioned countries against supporting the Taliban as the group took part in a consultative meeting on Afghanistan in Moscow. A U.S. State Department spokesperson told VOA that the Taliban remains on the U.S. Specially Designated Global Terrorist list.
