Women's rights were high on the agenda as special envoys from more than two dozen nations, but not including Taliban representatives, gathered in the Qatari capital for the second day of a UN-sponsored meeting on the “evolving situation” in Afghanistan and possible international engagement.
A former British diplomat and NATO representative in Afghanistan says he is not optimistic about the situation in the war-torn country as its Taliban leaders continue to restrict rights and freedoms, especially for females.
Authorities in the Afghan province of Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban, ordered officials on February 18 not to take pictures or videos of "living things."
An Iranian prisoner has had four of his fingers amputated after being accused of stealing five sheep from a farm owned by a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, a charge the man denies.
Iranian authorities, in a move that has raised concerns about the independence of legal professionals in the country, have effectively blocked the National Union of Bar Associations of Iran from holding elections for its executive board.