8am: Beauty parlours that are forced to operate covertly say they are worn down by the Taliban’s systematic extortion and blackmail. They explain that they work out of sheer necessity—to earn a piece of bread for themselves and their children—yet Taliban security sectors continually threaten them and demand pay-offs. Click here to read more (external link).
By Firuza Azizi and Ray Furlong Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty April 29, 2025 Dildar Khan says he’s spent his entire life in Pakistan but has now been sent “home” to Afghanistan under a scheme that has seen some 100,000 people deported in recent weeks. Khan has five children between the ages of 2 and 13.
Afghanistan International: Zamir Kabulov, the Russian President’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, has announced that an upcoming visit by a Taliban delegation to Kazan will feature discussions on the construction of a 573-kilometre segment of the Afghan-Trans railway. In an interview with Izvestia newspaper, Kabulov underscored Afghanistan’s vast mineral resources and its strategic geographic position as
Ariana: Ariana Afghan Airlines officials have announced that the company will operate two flights to the Chinese city of Urumqi every week from now. “Ariana Afghan Airlines serves the people of Afghanistan in the sector in which it operates. Its responsibility is to control prices, and make as much profit as possible so that the
Amu: The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has warned that the Taliban’s escalating restrictions on women’s rights and employment could cost Afghanistan’s economy up to $1 billion over the next two years. The agency said that women in Afghanistan are facing increasing limitations on their ability to work, access public spaces, and participate in social
Amu: The Afghani has sharply depreciated against the U.S. dollar over the past week, with the exchange rate rising by nearly 300 Afghanis per hundred dollars in just three days, despite continued efforts by the Taliban-run central bank to stabilize the currency. Da Afghanistan Bank, the country’s central bank, put $20 million up for auction
Afghanistan International: A large group of retired government employees gathered outside the pension office in Kabul on Saturday, once again demanding that the Taliban pay their long-overdue pensions. One protester criticised the group’s financial priorities, urging the Taliban to stop allocating millions of dollars to religious seminaries in Pakistan and instead focus on fulfilling their
Afghanistan International: The funds, earmarked for madrasas in Pakistan’s border provinces of Balochistan, Sindh, and Punjab, were ordered by Akhundzada despite the Taliban administration facing a severe financial shortfall. Click here to read more (external link).
Amu: In the drought-stricken province of Faryab, farmers say their livelihoods are hanging by a thread as water scarcity and prolonged dry spells continue to devastate agriculture. Dozens of farmers are now looking to the Qosh Tepa canal — a long-awaited irrigation project — as their last hope for salvaging the growing season. Without its
Ariana: The tariffs, he said, were a response. The base tariff of 10 percent on almost all US imports will be imposed by April 5, the additional reciprocal tariffs on countries will kick in on April 9. Abdul Qasim Amarkhel, head of the Dried Fruit Exporters’ Union, says: “The 10% tariff is cruel and illegal.