“In the five years since the Taliban seized power in Kabul on August 15, 2021, Afghan women have become the most persistent source of resistance to the group’s efforts to transform Afghanistan,” writes Rina Amiri.

Best Month to Travel: Countries Ranked by Ideal Weather 🇦🇫 Afghanistan (Kabul): September 🇩🇿 Algeria (Algiers): June 🇦🇩 Andorra: July 🇦🇷 Argentina (Buenos Aires): March 🇦🇲 Armenia (Yerevan): September 🇦🇺 Australia (Melbourne): February 🇦🇺 Australia (Brisbane): March 🇦🇺 Australia (Perth): January 🇦🇺 Australia (Sydney): December 🇦🇹 Austria (Vienna): August 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan (Baku): September 🇧🇭 Bahrain (Manama): November 🇧🇩 Bangladesh (Dhaka): November 🇧🇾 Belarus (Minsk): August 🇧🇪 Belgium (Brussels): August 🇧🇹 Bhutan (Punakha): May 🇧🇴 Bolivia (Santa Cruz de la Sierra): August 🇧🇷 Brazil (Brasília): July 🇧🇷 Brazil (São Paulo): May 🇧🇬 Bulgaria (Sofia): July 🇨🇲 Cameroon (Douala): August 🇨🇦 Canada (Toronto): August 🇨🇻 Cabo Verde (Praia): June 🇨🇫 CAR (Bangui): January 🇹🇩 Chad (N'Djamena): January 🇨🇱 Chile (Santiago): January 🇨🇳 China (Beijing): September 🇨🇳 China (Guangzhou): November 🇨🇳 China (Shanghai): October 🇨🇴 Colombia (Bogotá): August 🇨🇷 Costa Rica (San José): January 🇭🇷 Croatia (Zagreb): August 🇨🇺 Cuba (Havana): February 🇨🇾 Cyprus (Nicosia): May 🇨🇿 Czechia (Prague): August 🇨🇩 DR Congo (Kinshasa): July 🇩🇰 Denmark (Copenhagen): July 🇪🇨 Ecuador (Guayaquil): August 🇪🇬 Egypt (Cairo): November 🇸🇻 El Salvador (San Salvador): January 🇪🇪 Estonia (Tallinn): July 🇪🇹 Ethiopia (Addis Ababa): October 🇫🇯 Fiji: July 🇫🇮 Finland (Helsinki): July 🇫🇷 France (Paris): July 🇬🇪 Georgia (Tbilisi): September 🇩🇪 Germany (Berlin): August 🇬🇭 Ghana (Accra): August 🇬🇷 Greece (Athens): September 🇬🇱 Greenland (Sisimiut): July 🇭🇺 Hungary (Budapest): August 🇮🇸 Iceland (Reykjavík): July 🇮🇳 India (Bengaluru): January 🇮🇳 India (Mumbai): February 🇮🇳 India (Delhi): November 🇮🇳 India (Kolkata): December 🇮🇩 Indonesia (Jakarta): August 🇮🇷 Iran (Tehran): September 🇮🇶 Iraq (Baghdad): April 🇮🇪 Ireland (Dublin): July 🇮🇱 Israel (Jerusalem): September 🇮🇹 Italy (Rome): June 🇯🇵 Japan (Osaka): September 🇯🇵 Japan (Tokyo): October 🇯🇴 Jordan (Amman): September 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan (Almaty): August 🇰🇪 Kenya (Nairobi): September 🇰🇼 Kuwait (Kuwait City): March 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan (Bishkek): August 🇱🇻 Latvia (Riga): July 🇱🇧 Lebanon (Beirut): June 🇱🇹 Lithuania (Vilnius): August 🇲🇾 Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur): February 🇲🇻 Maldives (Malé): February 🇲🇽 Mexico (Cancún): January 🇲🇽 Mexico (Mexico City): April 🇲🇩 Moldova (Chișinău): August 🇲🇳 Mongolia (Ulaanbaatar): July 🇲🇪 Montenegro (Podgorica): September 🇲🇦 Morocco (Casablanca): July 🇳🇵 Nepal (Kathmandu): May 🇳🇱 Netherlands (Amsterdam): August 🇳🇿 New Zealand (Auckland): February 🇳🇮 Nicaragua (Managua): January 🇳🇪 Niger (Niamey): January 🇳🇬 Nigeria (Lagos): August 🇰🇵 North Korea (Pyongyang): September 🇲🇰 North Macedonia (Skopje): September 🇳🇴 Norway (Oslo): July 🇴🇲 Oman (Muscat): February 🇵🇰 Pakistan (Karachi): February 🇵🇾 Paraguay (Asunción): May 🇵🇪 Peru (Lima): May 🇵🇭 Philippines (Manila): January 🇵🇱 Poland (Warsaw): August 🇵🇹 Portugal (Lisbon): July 🇵🇷 Puerto Rico: July 🇶🇦 Qatar (Doha): December 🇷🇴 Romania (Bucharest): August 🇷🇺 Russia (Moscow): July 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia (Riyadh): November 🇸🇳 Senegal (Dakar): May 🇷🇸 Serbia (Belgrade): August 🇸🇨 Seychelles (Victoria): July 🇸🇬 Singapore (Singapore): January 🇸🇰 Slovakia (Bratislava): August 🇸🇮 Slovenia (Ljubljana): July 🇿🇦 South Africa (Johannesburg): February 🇰🇷 South Korea (Seoul): June 🇸🇸 South Sudan (Juba): August 🇪🇸 Spain (Madrid): September 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka (Colombo): January 🇸🇩 Sudan (Khartoum): January 🇸🇪 Sweden (Stockholm): July 🇨🇭 Switzerland (Zürich): August 🇸🇾 Syria (Damascus): September 🇹🇯 Tajikistan (Dushanbe): September 🇹🇼 Taiwan (Taipei): October 🇹🇭 Thailand (Bangkok): December 🇹🇳 Tunisia (Tunis): May 🇹🇷 Türkiye (Istanbul): June 🇹🇲 Turkmenistan (Ashgabat): September 🇺🇦 Ukraine (Kyiv): August 🇦🇪 UAE (Dubai): December 🇬🇧 UK (London): July 🇺🇸 USA (Houston): April 🇺🇸 USA (Los Angeles): July 🇺🇸 USA (New York City): September 🇺🇾 Uruguay (Montevideo): January 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan (Tashkent): September 🇻🇪 Venezuela (Caracas): January 🇻🇳 Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City): January Source: Voronoi / WeatherSpark.

The BBC journalist’s ‘The Finest Hotel in Kabul’ took the non-fiction award at the 2026 Women's Prizes, while the American novelist’s debut ‘The Correspondent’ was the judges’ fiction pick:

JUST IN: Secretary of War Pete Hegseth honors the 3 Marines who stood on the frontlines during the chaotic withdrawal at Kabul's Abbey Gate five years ago. Gunnery Sergeant Jonathan Eby Corporal Michael Gretzon Lance Corporal Jordan Houston "We're here to look you in the eye and to deliver the recognition you earned five years ago because of what you did at Abbey Gate was not just a display of exceptional tactical skill and bravery. It was the very definition of the warrior spirit that we're reviving here." "They stood in the direct blast zone with minimal cover, fully aware of an imminent suicide threat." "Yet they stayed on that line because they knew that their brothers in arms and thousands of innocents depended on them."

Five years ago today, an ISIS-K suicide bomber attacked Abbey Gate during the evacuation from Kabul, murdering 13 American service members and approximately 160 Afghan civilians. We remember our fallen 13: Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, USMC Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, USMC Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, USMC Cpl. Hunter Lopez, USMC Cpl. Daegan W. Page, USMC Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, USMC Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, USMC Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, USMC Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, USMC Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, USMC Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, USMC Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Maxton W. Soviak, USN Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss, U.S. Army America must always remember the names of these heroes. But remembrance also demands accountability. Last year, under President Trump’s leadership, this FBI—working alongside DOJ, CIA, and our international partners—apprehended and brought back Mohammad Sharifullah, an ISIS-K operative and key player in the attack. A federal jury has since convicted him of participating in a nine-year conspiracy to provide material support to ISIS-K. Five years later, our promise remains unchanged: We will remember the fallen. We will stand with their families. We will hunt those responsible—no matter where they hide or how long it takes. -DKP 🇺🇸

New connections, new opportunities. A trade fair in Afghan capital Kabul has brought together 323 domestic and foreign companies, showcasing a wide range of products and opening doors to stronger trade ties and business cooperation. #GLOBALink# #Afghanistan# #Kabul# #TradeFair#