Amu: Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan’s Taliban have announced different dates for Eid al-Adha, with most of the Islamic world set to observe the holiday on Friday, June 6, while the Taliban have declared Saturday, June 7, as the official start of the holiday in Afghanistan. Saudi Arabia, along with the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Oman, and Indonesia, confirmed the sighting of the Dhu al-Hijjah crescent moon on Tuesday evening, setting Wednesday as the first day of the Islamic month and Friday as Eid al-Adha. The Day of Arafah, one of the most sacred days in Islam, will fall on Thursday. Click here to read more (external link).
UAE Accepts Taliban Rep As Islamic Republic Of Afghanistan Envoy
Ariana: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ministry of Foreign Affairs has recognised Abdul Rahman Fida, a Taliban-appointed diplomat, as the Consul General of the “Islamic Republic of Afghanistan” in Dubai. The UAE, like most nations, has not formally recognised the Taliban government. Click here to read more (external link).
Former Afghan VP Accuses Taliban Of Targeting Turkic Communities
Dostum
Afghanistan International: Speaking during a meeting with political activists in Ankara, Dostum accused the Taliban of implementing “fascist plans” by resettling Pakistani migrants in areas predominantly inhabited by Afghanistan’s Turkic communities. He condemned what he called a deliberate effort to alter the demographic composition of these regions. In a further allegation, the former vice president claimed that former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani harboured negative sentiments towards Turkic Afghans and that this animosity influenced his alignment with the Taliban. Dostum alleged that Ghani had held meetings with the Haqqani Network and advised them to focus on capturing Jowzjan province, Dostum’s political stronghold, believing that control of the region would be key to dominating the rest of the country, due to the population’s support for a federal system. Click here to read more (external link).
Italy’s Vincenzo Annese appointed as head coach of Afghanistan’s national football team
Amu: The Afghanistan Football Federation announced on Tuesday that Italian coach Vincenzo Alberto Annese has been formally appointed as the new head coach of the country’s national football team. Annese, 40, brings international experience to the role, having previously coached national teams in Belize and Thailand, as well as club teams in Indonesia, Palestine, Ghana, Lithuania, Kosovo, Belarus and India. Click here to read more (external link).
Other Afghan Sports News
Is the future Qosh Tepa Canal in Afghanistan the final nail in Aral Sea’s coffin?
Euronews: Afghanistan is rapidly constructing the Qosh Tepa Canal, a waterway meant to help irrigate more than 500,000 hectares of its arid northern regions, for which it will redirect 20–30% of the Amu Darya River flow. Besides Afghanistan, the Amu Darya flows through Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, with the last two countries being downstream. The countries depend on the river to fuel their hydroelectric power plants and irrigate agricultural lands. Redirecting the river to the canal will devastate Central Asia’s water security, cutting Uzbekistan’s water supply by 15% and Turkmenistan’s by as much as 80%, as well as negatively affect employment and poverty levels, migration and cross-border conflicts. Click here to read more (external link).
Taliban Detain Another Cleric In Kabul As Criticism From Religious Scholars Grows
Afghanistan International: The Taliban have arrested another prominent cleric in Kabul, continuing a wave of detentions targeting religious scholars who have expressed dissent against the group’s leadership. On Sunday, Qari Sirajuddin, an imam at a mosque in Kabul and a close associate of detained scholar Mawlawi Abdul Qadir Qanit, was arrested in the Qala-e-Fathullah area of the capital. His family confirmed the arrest and said they have no information about his current whereabouts. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News in Dari – May 27, 2025
Sanctioned Afghanistan, Russia & Iran Rewrite Global Trade Rules | Is U.S. Losing In Its own Game?
Hindustan Times: What happens when a country like Afghanistan isolated, unrecognized, and sanctioned suddenly becomes a key player in a new global trade order? You’re watching the emergence of the Axis of Alternatives, a quiet but seismic shift in global power. Afghanistan is now in talks with China and Russia to bypass the U.S. dollar and trade in local currencies. But this is more than just an economic workaround, it’s part of a growing rebellion against a system long dominated by the United States. Countries like Iran, India, Brazil, and even Saudi Arabia are exploring ways to escape the dollar’s grip. The West may have tried to freeze out the Taliban, but China and Russia saw an opening and they’re moving fast. From Beijing’s Belt and Road to Moscow’s banks, a new economic reality is being built from the ground up. So what does this mean for the global order? Is this the end of dollar dominance, or just the beginning of the pushback?
OCHA: 48% of Afghanistan’s population living below the poverty line
Ariana: According to the report, an estimated 22.9 million people in Afghanistan will require humanitarian assistance in 2025. Of those, 14.8 million are facing food insecurity, with nearly half of the population living in poverty. Click here to read more (external link). Click here to read more (external link).
More Economic News
Taliban Burns Over 100 Musical Instruments In Afghanistan’s Laghman Province
Afghanistan International: According to local Taliban officials, at least 109 musical instruments were collected over the past several months from various celebratory gatherings and subsequently burned. On Monday, officials in Alingar released images showing the public incineration of the items, which included drums (daff), guitars, loudspeakers, and other musical equipment. Click here to read more (external link).