Afghanistan International: Afghanistan remains among the world’s most corrupt countries, according to Transparency International’s annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), which shows the country’s ranking worsening slightly in 2025 under Taliban rule. The report shows Afghanistan scored 16 out of 100, ranking 169th out of 182 countries. In 2024, the country scored 17 points, placing 165th
Afghanistan International: In the video, the girl says she was compelled to work in order to protect and support her sisters. The phenomenon of girls dressing as boys was also common during the Taliban’s first period of rule in Afghanistan. Afghan filmmaker Siddiq Barmak later portrayed this reality in the film Osama, which tells the
8am: The Taliban’s claims of economic self-sufficiency and reduced narcotics production are superficial, short-term achievements designed to preserve the power of the ruling elite. In contrast, the people of Afghanistan face polluted villages, generations of illness, widespread poverty, suppression of women, and destruction of prospects for sustainable development. Click here to read more (external link).
8am: Many citizens speak openly about the growing spread of unemployment and the Taliban’s failure to address it. They say the lack of job opportunities has made daily life harder than at any other time they can remember. According to them, anyone with a broker or personal ties to Taliban members can quickly secure a
The Diplomat: Last week, as the Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid triumphantly declared 2025 “a year of diplomatic success,” the claim was received with predictable laud from the movement’s echo chambers. But to anyone observing Afghanistan with even minimal distance from the Taliban’s propaganda, the opposite is true. Far from consolidating power or gaining legitimacy, the
Amu: Public employees in Afghanistan say unpaid salaries are pushing many into severe financial difficulty as winter temperatures drop and the cost of food and healthcare rises. Employees said wages for the months of Qaws and Jadi (November and December) remain unpaid, despite payroll documents and financial reports having been submitted to the finance ministry
Amu: Taliban have suspended the payment of salaries to all public employees until further notice, three sources said, including one official from the Taliban-run Ministry of Finance. The sources said the order applies to all ministries and government departments. Taliban officials have not publicly explained the reason for the decision and did not immediately respond
8am: Residents across Ghazni province speak with deep worry about the industrial factories operating inside their neighborhoods. They say the rapid spread and constant work of these factories have filled the air with poison and pushed many families into serious health problems. Those who live closest to the factories suffer the most and pay the
Afghanistan International: Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif warned Tuesday that his country could carry out military action inside Afghanistan following a deadly suicide bombing in Islamabad that killed at least 12 people and wounded 30 others. Asif accused the Afghan Taliban of harbouring militants responsible for attacks in Pakistan and rejected their condemnation of the
Khaama: The World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that Afghan women are witnessing their children die from malnutrition amid shrinking humanitarian support. John Aylieff, WFP’s Country Director in Afghanistan, said on Tuesday that many families have been cut off from vital aid and are struggling to survive. He stressed that now is not the time