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Sunday, February 22, 2026
TopicAfghanistan

Topic: Afghanistan

Taliban’s war on music in Afghanistan: Hundreds of tombaks, guitars & national instrument rubab burnt

Since taking control of the country in 2021, the Taliban has dismantled thousands of musical instruments and actively enforced ban on music.

Operating without women: Taliban’s mixed-gender ban for surgical teams worsens Afghanistan health crisis

Women comprise less than a fifth of specialised physicians in the country, new decree risks shutting Afghan women out of professions & access to healthcare.

India halves aid to Bangladesh, boosts support for Afghanistan and Sri Lanka in Union Budget 2026

In the immediate neighbourhood, Bhutan sees the highest allocation of roughly Rs 2,288 crore, up from Rs 2,150 crore in 2025.

Crime & punishment, Taliban adaptation: 15 days’ jail for beating wife, only if there are ‘bruises’

New ‘criminal code’ in Afghanistan also legalises ‘Caste-like slavery’, prescribes flog-at-sight for ‘sinners’ & proposes 3 months’ jail for wife visiting kin without ‘permission’.

Taliban pulls down veil on free speech. Public criticism of regime now punishable

Public flogging & executions have become increasingly common under the Taliban regime. In 2025 alone, 1,000 people, including over 150 women, were punished likewise, Afghanistan's top court has stated. 

No images of ‘living beings’, avoid necktie, grow beard—Taliban extends media crackdown in Herat

Decree from Department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice & Department of Information and Culture reported to be in force in 23 provinces, 20 TV stations shut.

US-made MQ-9 Reaper downed in Afghanistan? Claims by Pro-Taliban accounts hint at Pakistan angle

The unmanned aerial vehicle crashed in the Maidan Wardak province in Central Afghanistan. If the drone is confirmed as a MQ-9 Reaper, its likely origin would be from Pakistan.

Taliban hiding boom in cross-border narcotics trade behind veil of piety, UN monitors say

UN monitors also warn that areas where the industry is being relocated could potentially benefit ISIL-Khurasan and TTP.

Italian museum brings Afghan Buddhist artefacts to India—it’s a symbol of shared history

The artefacts, all from Rome’s Museo Delle Civilta, will be on display till May next year at the Humayun's Tomb Museum, Delhi.

On Camera

Youth Congress, your foolish protest helped the Modi govt climb out of the AI summit hole

In tactical terms, the shirtless protest was worse than a self-goal. Suddenly, the fiascos of the AI Summit were forgotten, and the Youth Congress’s disruption became the issue.

In the West, there’s anxiety. In India, optimism—Rishi Sunak says India poised to be leader in AI

On Wednesday, the former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was speaking in New Delhi at a Carnegie & Observer Research Foundation event on AI.

MoD, IAF agree on some exemptions to HAL for Tejas Mk1A, but no compromise on ‘must-have’ capabilities

IAF is fine with accepting the aircraft with 'must-haves', even if some other steps remain pending, which may take at least another year, it is learnt.

No country is ever fully sovereign. Cold War era taught India its real meaning

India’s fraught neighbourhood places multiple constraints on its strategic choices. It leaves no time to take a deep breath, lean back and reset.