Kabul Now: One new case of wild poliovirus has been confirmed in Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar province, bringing the country’s total this year to 36, the highest number recorded globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. According to the WHO’s latest update, released on Monday, the new case was detected in Nangarhar’s Surkh Rod district on September 5. Afghanistan currently has the highest number of polio cases in the world. Infections have increased this year after the country reported 21 confirmed cases in 2025. Click here to read more (external link).
8am: Sources in the Baraki Barak district of Logar province accuse the Taliban district governor of taking bribes, bullying, and threatening residents. According to the sources, Noorullah Ghalib, the Taliban district governor, has taken more than 1.5 million Afghanis in bribes from shopkeepers in the Baraki Rajan bazaar and promised them that he would reduce the width of the road so that their shops would remain in place. Residents of Baraki Barak are calling for the full implementation of the project according to the standard plan and stress that the public interest must not be sacrificed for personal gain. Previously, Transparency International (TI), in its annual Corruption Perceptions Index report, announced that Afghanistan under Taliban control was one of the most corrupt countries in the world in 2025. According to the report, Afghanistan scored 16 out of 100 points and ranked 169th among 182 countries. 
8am: Since the Taliban returned to power, women in Afghanistan have faced widespread restrictions on their economic and social activities. Alongside being barred from education and many employment opportunities, these restrictions have left a large number of working women unemployed and struggling financially. The closure of women’s beauty salons was one such decision, depriving thousands of women of their workplaces and sources of income. For many of them, hairdressing was more than just a profession; it was a way to cover living expenses, support their families, and maintain financial independence. For women who were the primary breadwinners in their families, losing this income had even more serious consequences. Some tried to continue working from home after their salons were shut down, but the lack of regular customers and restrictions on their ability to work caused their earnings to drop sharply. 
Ariana: Afghanistan produced a remarkable rearguard effort to secure a draw against Bangladesh in their one-off Test in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, surviving 142 overs in their second innings to deny their opponents victory after five days of intense competition. The focus now shifts to the ODI Tri-Nation Series in the United Arab Emirates, featuring Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. Bangladesh are scheduled to open the series against Zimbabwe on Saturday, October 17, at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. 
The Guardian (UK): Most SAS personnel approached by an inquiry into alleged extrajudicial killings in Afghanistan have refused to answer any questions, the judge leading the proceedings has said. Lord Justice Haddon-Cave is investigating allegations of more than 50 summary killings by UK special forces soldiers as well as claims of an alleged cover-up of illegal activity and inadequate investigations by the Royal Military Police. 
Kabul Now: Iranian border guards have reported a fourfold increase in seizures of synthetic drugs along the border with Afghanistan during the first half of the current Iranian calendar year, amid growing concerns over the production and trafficking of methamphetamine in the region. 
8am: Sources told the Hasht-e Subh Daily on Monday, October 12, that training centers for Taliban members have better learning materials, advanced equipment, dormitories, and stipends, while ordinary students are deprived of these facilities. Meanwhile, sources say the Taliban also discriminate between their fighters and ordinary citizens in government offices in other provinces of Afghanistan.