Amu: About 136,000 people in eastern Afghanistan were left without access to food, health care and other basic services for weeks after tensions with Pakistan blocked a key road, prompting a large-scale humanitarian response, the International Committee of the Red Cross said. The disruption followed an escalation of hostilities in mid-February that closed the main road linking Kamdesh and Barg-i-Matal districts in Nuristan province for nearly two months, isolating remote mountain communities. Click here to read more (external link).
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Amu: Afghanistan ranked 175th out of 180 countries in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, maintaining one of the lowest positions globally as press freedoms remain severely restricted under Taliban rule, according to Reporters Without Borders. Within Afghanistan, access to independent information is increasingly restricted, with many people relying on foreign or exile-based media when internet access is available, the organization said. 
Amu: The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) imposed four-month bans on Samiullah Shinwari, Aftab Alam and Mohammad Shahzad, barring them from all domestic and international cricket during that period, the report said. The suspensions stem from the players’ participation in the Legends League Cricket in India without obtaining a required no-objection certificate (NOC) from the ACB, which regulates players’ involvement in overseas tournaments. 
8am: Some residents of Mazar-i-Sharif, the center of Balkh province, have expressed concern over rising theft and insecurity in various parts of the city. They say they do not feel safe or confident about their security when leaving their homes. According to them, the Taliban are not only unable to ensure security in the city but are themselves a source of fear and concern for the people. This comes as residents of Kabul and Herat, as well as several other provinces, have previously also expressed serious concern over the rise in armed robberies. 
DW: An attack on a Shiite place of worship in Herat killed least 11 people. While the Taliban have pledged protection, a sense of structural vulnerability is growing within the Shiite community. “The Taliban’s ultra-conservative Sunni interpretation of Islam labels Shiite Muslims as heretics. This characterization contributes to their vulnerability and increases their exposure to communal violence,”… 
Amu: World football’s governing body has approved a landmark rule change allowing Afghanistan’s women footballers to represent their country in official international matches, a move described as unprecedented in global sport. The decision by the FIFA Council enables female players from Afghanistan — including members of the FIFA-supported Afghan Women United team — to compete in international fixtures under FIFA competitions, despite the inability of the country’s football federation to field a women’s team.