8am: The mines and underground resources of a country are not the property of its government but belong to the people of that country. Governments can only extract and utilize these resources when they are legitimate and lawful representatives of the people. This legitimacy stems from citizens granting authority to individuals or entities through elections to manage these resources on their behalf. The Taliban’s utilization of these public assets, despite not having been granted such authority, constitutes the plundering of public wealth. The Taliban regime lacks both international and domestic legitimacy to authorize the drilling of oil wells or the extraction of underground resources. The fact that the Taliban seized power through armed force and collaboration with certain countries, yet are extracting national resources, resembles armed robbery, enforced by coercion and weapons. Since even the Taliban’s allied nations and governments do not officially recognize them, any transactions with such an illegitimate group are inherently unlawful. Both parties to a legal agreement must have legitimacy, but the Taliban lacks both domestic and international legitimacy. Click here to read more (external link).
The Independent (UK): The UK trained and paid special forces to fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan. As hundreds of these fighters live in danger while Britain delays decisions on whether to give them sanctuary, the UK’s adversaries are circling. 
8am: The Taliban, despite widespread complaints from citizens about distributing humanitarian aid to their relatives and interfering in the aid process, persist in unfairly allocating and misusing assistance across Afghanistan. Residents of Herat Province claim that aid from organizations and relief agencies is distributed not based on need but rather to individuals close to the Taliban and their families. According to these residents, the Taliban prioritize villages with the highest number of casualties for aid distribution. Conversely, villages with many former military personnel are excluded from receiving humanitarian assistance due to the Taliban’s opposition. 
Amu: Pakistan’s Under-19 cricket team defeated Afghanistan by 13 runs in the second match of a tri-nation One Day International (ODI) series on Wednesday, hosted by the United Arab Emirates. Despite this loss, Afghanistan had started the series strong, defeating Pakistan by a commanding 100-run margin in their opening match last week. 
Ariana: Afghanistan’s national football team went down 3-1 to Tajikistan in Dushanbe on Tuesday. Afghanistan’s only goal was scored by Jamshid Achakzai. This comes after Afghanistan’s 2-0 loss to Nepal on Saturday, also in Tajikistan.