Another quake hits western Afghanistan; official says losses “huge”

KABUL, Afghanistan (Reuters) -A 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck Afghanistan's western province of Herat on Wednesday, forcing authorities to redeploy relief and rescue teams already in the field following a series of deadly quakes on Saturday. There were no early details on casualties caused by the latest quake, disaster management spokesman Janan Sayeeq told Reuters. Saturday's tremors...

Afghanistan’s school year starts with calls for all girls to be allowed back

Afghanistan's school year started on Tuesday (March 21), the education ministry said, as the UN children's agency renewed calls for teenage girls to be able to rejoin the classroom. A year ago, after signalling that they would open schools for all students, Taliban authorities made a U-turn, leaving many girls who had turned up to their high school...

Taliban talks to Malaysia, Indonesia ‘to create engagement perception’

The Taliban is reaching out to Muslim-majority nations far from Afghanistan, like Malaysia and Indonesia, to create the perception that an increasing number of countries are interested in engaging with the regime to “strengthen their case for international recognition”, say analysts. On Sunday (July 24), the Taliban’s acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi met Malaysia’s special...