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Positive news coming on Afghan girls’ education in next two weeks: EU envoy
EU’s special envoy to Afghanistan said on Thursday he was told by officials of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) that there will be positive news on girls education in the next two weeks.
Thomas Niklasson told reporters in Kabul that he heard from several acting ministers that the IEA’s policy is still education for all.
“We were informed that there is a program and the details are being finalized,” Niklasson said. “We were told… that the Afghans would have positive news in the next two weeks.”
The envoy said that there are some issues where if progress is made further, “we could do more and we could engage more and we could provide more of assistance and be more flexible on some issues.”
He said that one of the key issues was the rights of girls to education.
In March, IEA backtracked on an announcement that high schools would open for girls, saying they would remain closed until a plan was drawn up in accordance with Islamic law for them to reopen.
On the issue of inclusive governance, Niklasson stated that “we are not calling for former Afghan leaders to come back and take over the country.”
“We are not calling for quotas whether it is about ethnic minorities or ethnic groups or men or women. Although, of course, we would find it reasonable that substantial number of the people in government would be women,” Niklasson said.
He said that Afghans should have a chance to say on who rules the country and what policies should be put in place.
“We do not call for an immediate national assembly or a Loya Jirga to decide on power sharing, if that happens it may very well be a very good thing,” Niklasson said. “What we ask for or what we suggest in any case is more of a dialogue or the establishment of a dialogue between the de facto authorities and people.”
Ariana Afghan Airlines has ranked seventh among 45 airlines in Central Asia in Skytrax’s 2026 rankings.
Company officials say Ariana Afghan ranked eighth on the list in 2025, but moved up one place this year following improvements in service quality and the expansion of its operations.
According to the officials, in 2026 the airline met criteria including service quality, flight safety, professional cabin crew, and experience in the aviation sector, placing it among the top 10 airlines in Central Asia.
Skytrax is an international organization that evaluates and ranks the quality of services in the aviation industry and airlines, assessing and ranking carriers annually based on specific criteria.
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Silk Road highway in Wakhan corridor now reaches the China border
The road is expected to be officially opened for use in the near future, potentially improving connectivity through the remote Wakhan Corridor.
The construction of the Silk Road Highway in Afghanistan’s Wakhan Corridor has been fully completed after five years of work, officials in Badakhshan province said.
Amanullah Chehra, head of Rural Rehabilitation and Development in Badakhshan, said the 121.13-kilometre road begins in the Barghil area and stretches to Bzai Gonbad near the Chinese border.
According to officials, the road is between 7 and 10 metres wide and includes three major bridges, each measuring approximately 20 to 22 metres in length. Numerous smaller drainage structures have also been built along the route to facilitate the flow of water.
The road is expected to be officially opened for use in the near future, potentially improving connectivity through the remote Wakhan Corridor.
Afghanistan’s Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, met on Wednesday with Bruno Lemarquis, UNAMA’s Deputy Head for Humanitarian Affairs, to discuss the situation of Afghan returnees and humanitarian assistance.
The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation said Lemarquis briefed the minister on assessments conducted by UN agencies during visits to several provinces to identify the needs of returnee families.
Lemarquis said joint cooperation between UN agencies and the Islamic Emirate is needed to support and resettle returnees. He added that UN agencies are currently assisting thousands of families and called for the expansion of humanitarian assistance.
He also said the international community should pay greater attention to the needs of Afghans, adding that UNAMA is ready to cooperate in addressing challenges facing returnees.
Abdul Kabir welcomed UNAMA’s support and thanked the United Nations for its assistance to Afghans. He said various government institutions have been tasked with addressing returnees’ needs.
The minister also called on aid organizations to continue supporting returnee families, saying a program to resettle thousands of internally displaced families is also underway.
Kabir further said the necessary facilities have been provided for UN agencies to operate and that the Islamic Emirate welcomes UNAMA’s humanitarian cooperation.
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