Ohio Man Indicted for Alleged Threat Against Vice President JD Vance, Faces Additional Federal Charges 
Israel Approves West Bank Measures Expanding Settler Land Access 
Netanyahu to Meet Trump in Washington as Iran Nuclear Talks Intensify 
Trump’s Inflation Claims Clash With Voters’ Cost-of-Living Reality 
Japan Election 2026: Sanae Takaichi Poised for Landslide Win Despite Record Snowfall 
Trump Slams Super Bowl Halftime Show Featuring Bad Bunny 
Nicaragua Ends Visa-Free Entry for Cubans, Disrupting Key Migration Route to the U.S. 
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi Secures Historic Election Win, Shaking Markets and Regional Politics 
Trump Congratulates Japan’s First Female Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi After Historic Election Victory 
U.S.-India Trade Framework Signals Major Shift in Tariffs, Energy, and Supply Chains 
Sydney Braces for Pro-Palestine Protests During Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s Visit 
Anutin’s Bhumjaithai Party Wins Thai Election, Signals Shift Toward Political Stability 
Bangladesh Election 2026: A Turning Point After Years of Political Suppression 
Trump Lifts 25% Tariff on Indian Goods in Strategic U.S.–India Trade and Energy Deal 
US Pushes Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks Before Summer Amid Escalating Attacks 
Trump Backs Nexstar–Tegna Merger Amid Shifting U.S. Media Landscape 
The international community has asked the Taliban for equality towards women and girls when it took control of Afghanistan in August. However, in a step back on women’s rights, the insurgent group has banned women from traveling solo on long-distance road trips.
BBC reports that the insurgent group has banned Afghan women from traveling long distances on their own. The group added that women looking to do so should be offered transport by a male relative. The announcement was seen as a step back from women’s rights, especially as most secondary schools in Afghanistan have only been allowed for boys, and most women have been banned from the workforce.
The new policy, made by the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, also called on vehicle owners to refuse rides for women who are not wearing Islamic head or face coverings. However, the policy does not dictate which kind to use as most Afghan women already wear headscarves. Playing music in vehicles is also forbidden.
The order “shuts off opportunities for [women] to be able to move about freely” or a way to flee if they are facing domestic violence, according to Human Rights Watch’s Heather Barr. An Afghan woman told BBC that while the order could help some Afghan women feel secure, a family escort is no guarantee against domestic violence and harassment.
The woman said that the insurgent group has to establish “an environment around the country in such a way that women feel safe.”
The insurgent group said that the current restrictions are only temporary in order to ensure women and girls are safe.
Meanwhile, Iran expressed its interest Monday to mediate talks between the insurgent group and different groups in the country in an effort to ensure peace and stability. Hassan Kazzemi Qomi, the Iranian representative to Afghanistan, said that Tehran has good relations with all factions in Afghanistan and can oversee talks between them.
FARS News Agency reported that Qomi met with exiled Afghan leader Muhammad Muhaqiq and acknowledged that Iran is prepared to mediate talks to help Afghanistan reach stability while establishing a government that is inclusive.
