Asia Afghanistan USAID announced a contract to sell 600 kg of Afghan saffron to Paris Exposition 2024, worth over $1million; Afghanistan’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce said that saffron cultivation has expanded to 26 provinces following ban on opium poppy cultivation
Asia Afghanistan Exports increased significantly in Sunbula month (solar Hijri calendar), with over $173 million worth of goods shipped, according to the National Statistics and Information Authority; imports remained significantly higher, exceeding $950 million
Asia Afghanistan The 2024 Global Hunger Index report ranked Afghanistan 116th out of 127 countries, with a score of 30.8, whereas last year it was ranked 114th
Asia Afghanistan Song Wenbing, the head of the contracting company of the Aynak copper mine, revealed plans to invest over five billion dollars in the first phase of the project after meeting in the presence of the Taliban authorities
Asia Afghanistan Afghanistan Taliban dismiss as "absurd" the accusations of gender discrimination and human rights violations that have followed new restrictions on the visibility of women in public
Asia Afghanistan In response to public statements by the authorities that he will not be allowed to travel to the country, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, urged the Taliban to reverse their decision
Asia Afghanistan The Taliban have formally codified into law a rule on the propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice that places severe restrictions on the appearance, behaviour and movements of women and also imposes constraints on men
Asia Afghanistan A group of 19 female medical students landed in Edinburgh, Scotland, to evade the Taliban's education ban in Afghanistan
Asia Afghanistan The Taliban celebrated the 3rd anniversary of their seizure of power with a ceremony in Bagram, where there was the former American military base; the country follows the Persian calendar and celebrates the date 14/08 instead of 15/08, day of the seizure
Asia Afghanistan Kimia Yousofi, who is 28 years old and lives as a refugee in Australia since Talibans are in power, ran for Afghanistan in the 100 metres at Paris Olympics and showed a sheet of paper with the words: 'Education, sport, our rights' written on it
Asia Afghanistan Afghan passports rank the worst in the world in the latest ranking published by Henley Passport Index; based on the number of destinations their owners can access without a prior visa, Afghan passport gives access to 12% of countries globally, or 26
Asia Afghanistan Several European states are considering reopening their embassies in Afghanistan; the decision would imply diplomatic recognition of the Taliban almost three years after the fall of Kabul
Asia Afghanistan At the Olympics in Paris, the country will field a 6-member Olympic team, consisting of 3 women and 3 men, all chosen by the Afghan National Olympic Committee in exile, which believes that a gender-balanced team is a positive example for the world