8am: The Office of Natural Disasters, under the management of the Taliban in Maidan Wardak Province, has announced that a recent flood in the province has caused significant financial damage to the people. In a press release issued today (Wednesday, May 24th), the office reported the occurrence of floods in several districts of Maidan Wardak province. According to the press release, heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding have resulted in the destruction of 30 residential houses in the city center and the Jalriz district of Maidan Wardak Province. Additionally, 200 hectares of agricultural land have been washed away. Click here to read more (external link).
Other Environmental News
AP: Jan Egeland, the secretary-general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said on May 23 that key Taliban officials told him in meetings that they are close to finalizing guidelines that will allow Afghan women to resume working for nongovernmental organizations. But they were unable to give a timeline or details when pressed. The Taliban last December barred Afghan women from working at NGOs, allegedly because they were not wearing the hijab — the Islamic headscarf — correctly and were not observing gender segregation rules. In April, the militants said this ban extended to UN offices and agencies in Afghanistan. 
8am: Over the course of Ghani‘s six–year administration, tensions between Iran and Afghanistan were high, particularly concerning the Helmand River and Iran‘s water rights. Ghani used the water issue for propaganda purposes, publicly stating that Afghanistan would not give away its water for free and that it was a matter of honor. This tone was not well–received by the Iranian side, and the construction of dams during Ghani‘s era further exacerbated the situation, leading Iranians to interact with the Taliban…. Iranian media welcomed the Taliban, claiming that they had changed from the fundamentalist group of the 90s. Iranians believed that with the Taliban in power, their relations would improve and the water issue would be resolved. However, the current tensions are not what Iran had anticipated. 
Nikkei Asia: The move not only reinforces India’s position as a key provider of essential aid to Afghanistan but also highlights New Delhi’s efforts to craft positive relations, even though it does not formally recognize the Taliban regime that seized power in August 2021. India reestablished its diplomatic presence in mid-2022 by deploying a “technical team” in the Afghan capital. Experts say the region is simply too important to leave. In addition, the latest food aid marks a geopolitically significant change in the way India supplies assistance. 
Ariana: The Afghanistan Football Federation announced Tuesday that the country’s national futsal team has left for Beirut where they will play three friendly matches against Lebanon. According to the Football Federation, the team left for Beirut from Tehran where they had been taking part in a training camp. 
Khaama: The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases increased by 282.5% in April, according to data released Tuesday by the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO also said that the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases was 4,954 in April, of which nine were dead while showing a surge in the cases compared to March, with four deaths cases. In April 2023, 18,049 tests were performed in public laboratories, an increase of 50.7% from March 2023. The test positivity rate rose from 10.8% to 27.4% in the same month. 
Ariana: Marking World Tuberculosis Day on Monday in Kabul, the Ministry of Public Health said that up to 12,000 people die from the disease in the country every year. Mohammad Hassan Ghiasi, the deputy minister, said last year, 76,000 cases of tuberculosis were registered in the country, out of which 52,000 people recovered. According to Ghiasi, a further 4,800 cases of drug-resistant tuberculosis were registered in Afghanistan. 