Taliban Takeover

More than half a million people have lost or been pushed out of their jobs in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover, the UN International Labour Organization (ILO) said on Wednesday.

The Taliban said Thursday they have approved their first budget for Afghanistan since the hardline Islamists returned to power in August, with no mention of foreign aid.

Afghanistan's ambassador to China left a colourful resignation note for his post-Taliban takeover successor on Monday -- revealing that staff had not been paid for months and that a lone receptionist had been left to answer phones.

The Taliban will officially recruit suicide bombers to become part of the army as the militant group tries to contain its biggest security threat from rival Islamic State since forming government in Afghanistan four months ago.

Former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani on Thursday described fleeing the Taliban's victory march on Kabul, saying the decision had been taken in "minutes" and that he did not know he was leaving the country until he was taking off.

From battling a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic to Taliban's Afghanistan takeover, 2021 was a turbulent year for the world.

More than 6,400 journalists in Afghanistan have lost their jobs since the Taliban takeover of the country, according to a recent survey.

The UN Security Council on Wednesday unanimously adopted a US-proposed resolution to help humanitarian aid reach desperate Afghans, while seeking to keep funds out of Taliban hands.

India voted in favour of UNSC resolution to grant exemptions from sanctions on humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.

The UN decried Tuesday credible allegations of more than 100 extrajudicial killings in Afghanistan since the Taliban took power in August, with most carried out by the Taliban themselves.

In the first tranche of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan after its takeover by the Taliban, India on Saturday sent medical supplies to that country in sync with its commitment of extending help to the Afghan people in their times of difficulty.

The World Bank's board has endorsed transferring $280 million from a frozen trust fund to two aid agencies to help Afghanistan cope with a brewing humanitarian crisis after the U.S. withdrawal, two sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

The Taliban asked for help in keeping Afghanistan's airports running in weekend talks with EU officials that also raised "grave concern" about the humanitarian situation in their country, according to an EU statement late Sunday.

Afghanistan's economy has crashed since the Taliban's take over of Kabul in mid-August, plunging the country into one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, said a media report.

Sharbat Gula, the green-eyed Afghan woman immortalised decades ago on a National Geographic cover, has been evacuated to Italy, the Italian government said on Thursday.

More than half a million people have lost or been pushed out of their jobs in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover, the UN International Labour Organization (ILO) said on Wednesday.

The Taliban said Thursday they have approved their first budget for Afghanistan since the hardline Islamists returned to power in August, with no mention of foreign aid.

Afghanistan's ambassador to China left a colourful resignation note for his post-Taliban takeover successor on Monday -- revealing that staff had not been paid for months and that a lone receptionist had been left to answer phones.

The Taliban will officially recruit suicide bombers to become part of the army as the militant group tries to contain its biggest security threat from rival Islamic State since forming government in Afghanistan four months ago.

Former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani on Thursday described fleeing the Taliban's victory march on Kabul, saying the decision had been taken in "minutes" and that he did not know he was leaving the country until he was taking off.

From battling a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic to Taliban's Afghanistan takeover, 2021 was a turbulent year for the world.

More than 6,400 journalists in Afghanistan have lost their jobs since the Taliban takeover of the country, according to a recent survey.

The UN Security Council on Wednesday unanimously adopted a US-proposed resolution to help humanitarian aid reach desperate Afghans, while seeking to keep funds out of Taliban hands.

India voted in favour of UNSC resolution to grant exemptions from sanctions on humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.

The UN decried Tuesday credible allegations of more than 100 extrajudicial killings in Afghanistan since the Taliban took power in August, with most carried out by the Taliban themselves.

In the first tranche of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan after its takeover by the Taliban, India on Saturday sent medical supplies to that country in sync with its commitment of extending help to the Afghan people in their times of difficulty.

The World Bank's board has endorsed transferring $280 million from a frozen trust fund to two aid agencies to help Afghanistan cope with a brewing humanitarian crisis after the U.S. withdrawal, two sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

The Taliban asked for help in keeping Afghanistan's airports running in weekend talks with EU officials that also raised "grave concern" about the humanitarian situation in their country, according to an EU statement late Sunday.

Afghanistan's economy has crashed since the Taliban's take over of Kabul in mid-August, plunging the country into one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, said a media report.

Sharbat Gula, the green-eyed Afghan woman immortalised decades ago on a National Geographic cover, has been evacuated to Italy, the Italian government said on Thursday.