this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. engineers struggle to restore power to millions in north america as one of the worst winter storms in living memory grips the region. the taliban clamps down further on women s rights in afghanistan, barring them from working for aid agencies. ten civilians have been killed by russian shelling in the ukrainian city of kherson one attack struck the central market as people were shopping. the pope remembers those who are caught up in devastating wars as he holds his christmas eve mass in the vatican. and a welcome respite children displaced by conflict in the democratic republic of the congo are invited to celebrate christmas.
for the women of afghanistan. here they are met by water cannons, days after the taliban blocked them from university education. now they are also barred from working for ngos, following claims that some staffers failed to wear the hijab correctly. it is the latest assault on women s rights in afghanistan since the taliban returned to power last year, and it could have a devastating impact on the incomes of afghan families, as well as the life saving work of aid agencies. women who are working right now in the ngos are the only breadwinners for theirfamilies, the only people who are working and bringing income to their families, in the context that there are no job opportunities and there is an economic crisis going on. dozens of non governmental organisations working in afghanistan could be affected by the latest ban.
rights of women. the bbc world service s south asia regional editor, anbarasan ethirajan, told us more about the international reaction. the un has strongly condemned this move by the taliban because this will have a far reaching impact on the ground. there are dozens of ngos, health ngos and food aid ngos working on the ground, and not allowing women to work means people cannot access these services. for example, one woman worker was saying women can easily relate with us about asking for medicines. for example, if they want to give a polio vaccination, they can go into the any of the houses in the rural areas. but now they cannot express these things freely to any men health worker or even food aid. so this has become a huge issue. this has been a very bad week for women s rights in afghanistan, because
women s rights. instead, they have done the opposite. steadily stripping them away. the taliban is now warning u.s. officials not to interfere in afghanistan s internal issues after the group ordered all local and international charities to ban female employees from coming to work if groups don t compli, they risk losing their license. now four international aid organizations have now suspended work in afghanistan following the ban. before the fall of afghanistan to the taliban, many women and girls dreamt of becoming doctors, teachers, engineers. but now they face the nightmare of being banned from attending universities. cnn has the latest from afghanistan. reporter: another week, another dramatic reversal of women s rights in afghanistan. the taliban s new edict suspending university education for females is a major setback for millions of women there. and the ministry of education says the rule will take immediate effect.
fundamental rights. three foreign ngos have already stopped work in the country following the move. this latest erosion on the rights of women in the country comes just days after female students were banned from universities. naomi choy smith reports. the blows just keep coming for the women of afghanistan. here they are met by water cannons, days after the taliban blocked them from a university education. now they are also barred from working for ngos, following claims that some staffers failed to wear the hijab correctly. it is the latest assault on women s rights in afghanistan since the taliban returned to power last year, and it could have a devastating impact on the incomes of afghan families, as well as the life saving work of aid agencies. women who are working right now in the ngos are the only breadwinners for theirfamilies, the only people who are working and bringing income to their families, in the context that there are no job