Khaama: Afghan mixed martial arts fighter Farid Basharat has made history by entering the official rankings of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) for the first time, securing the 15th position. According to the latest rankings released by the UFC, Basharat is now listed among the top fighters in his division, marking the first time an Afghan athlete has reached the organization’s official ranking list. Basharat has built an impressive professional record, winning 15 consecutive fights without a defeat. Click here to read more (external link).
Other Sports News
8am: After seizing control of Afghanistan and accelerating the extraction of mineral resources, the Taliban awarded contracts for the large gold mines of Badakhshan and Takhar to Chinese companies. Concerns had previously been raised that the Taliban were looting the country’s natural wealth. 
ESPN: The white-ball series between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, scheduled to be held in the UAE from March 13 to 25, is likely to be postponed indefinitely due to the ongoing military conflict in West Asia. 
NPR: Girls dressed as boys has been documented for centuries in the patriarchal society of Afghanistan. It even has a term: a girl who disguises her gender is called a bacha posh — literally “dressing like a boy.” Bacha posh girls have long captured the imaginations of Westerners in Afghanistan. It was addressed in the movie Osama in 2003 and the 2018 Oscar-nominated animation film The Breadwinner, produced by Angelina Jolie. It was the subject of a deep-dive book published in 2014, The Underground Girls of Kabul. The reason for girls to dress as boys in times long ago may have included a desire to go soldiering. But the practice has had a different relevance in modern-day Afghanistan, through the first period of Taliban rule in the mid-90s, and now — with the group’s restrictions on the freedom of women. 
8am: Several Kabul residents have expressed concern over the growing number of beggars on the streets and intersections of the city, particularly during the holy month of Ramadan. They say that women and children make up the largest portion of beggars across the city. According to them, rising unemployment, restrictions on women’s right to work, and economic hardship are among the main factors driving the surge in begging in Kabul. Some of these beggars do not merely ask for money but also harass and disturb passersby.