Taliban authorities suspend women's radio station
A women's radio station in Afghanistan has been suspended by the country's Ministry of Information and Culture, according to an official statement released late on Tuesday.
The ministry said the suspension was due to "violations of broadcasting policies" and the "improper use of a licence."
Radio Begum station, launched in 2021 upon the Taliban's return to power, is also accused of providing content to a television channel based outside the country.
Despite the challenges facing the Afghan media landscape, several women's radio stations continue to operate in the country.
The suspension of Radio Begum comes as media advocacy groups report increasing restrictions on media freedom in Afghanistan since the Taliban's return to power.
According to Reporters Without Borders, at least 12 media outlets were closed by the Taliban authorities in 2024.
In the meantime, the Ministry of Information and Culture said it is reviewing the suspension of Radio Begum and will make a final decision later.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
ISIS supporter Nasir Tawhedi pleads guilty for planning Election Day terror attack
An Afghan national who had ties to the CIA has pleaded guilty to two federal crimes over his thwarted plot to carry out a terrorism attack last November on Election Day in support of ISIS. Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, made the plea through a translator on Friday, June 13, in Oklahoma City federal court. A jury trial had been set for next year but Tawhedi waived that right during the hearing. U.S. District Judge Scott Palk will decide his punishment later. The maximum possible prison sentence for the two crimes is 35 years. Tawhedi and his brother-in-law, Abdullah Haji Zada, were arrested Oct. 7, 2024 at a rural Oklahoma location after purchasing two AK-47 rifles and 500 rounds of ammunition, the FBI reported in a court affidavit. The purchase came during a meeting with an undercover FBI employee and two FBI sources. Tawhedi admitted after his arrest that the two bought the guns to commit an attack on Election Day "targeting large gatherings of people," according to the affidavit. Tawhedi said they expected to die in the Nov. 5 attack and be martyrs. Earlier in 2024, Tawhedi used his Google account to access webcams for the White House and Washington Monument, according to the affidavit. Under a deal, Tawhedi pleaded guilty to a felony conspiracy count for his attempt to provide support to a foreign terrorism organization. He also pleaded guilty to a felony count of receipt of guns and ammunition to commit terrorism. Before agreeing to a plea deal, Tawhedi had faced three felony counts with a maximum punishment of 55 years. At the time of the arrest, Tawhedi was living with his wife and daughter in an Oklahoma City apartment. He arrived in the United States in 2021 from Afghanistan and moved to Oklahoma in December 2023. He had been working as an auto mechanic. He had worked for the CIA in Afghanistan as a security guard, NBC News reported last wife filed for divorce in Cleveland County District Court in January, one day after their second child was born. The case is pending. Zada, now 18, pleaded guilty in April to a felony count of receipt of guns and ammunition to commit terrorism. He is awaiting sentencing. He is the brother of Tawhedi's wife and also is an Afghan national. He has been in the United States since 2018. At the time of his arrest, Zada was living in Moore with his parents and siblings. He was a virtual student at Southmoore High School. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond pointed to the plot to carry out a mass shooting in support of ISIS when he called for the expulsion of all Afghan refugees from Oklahoma. ISIS was largely defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019 by a U.S.-led military campaign. The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, however, continues to attract people from across the world to join its ranks. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: ISIS supporter who played Election Day attack pleads guilty in OKC
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Chinese social media posts falsely claim German right-wing leader praises China
China's former consul general to Belfast Zhang Meifang shared the 13-second clip of Weidel speaking in German on her account on X on May 21, 2025. "Co-chairwoman of Germany's AfD Weidel said only China's strength can defeat the United States' arrogance and force it sit down and negotiate!" its caption says. "Throughout history, the United States has only sat down for equal negotiations twice -- once during the Korean War, and again during the trade war. China was on the other side of the negotiations both times." Simplified Chinese text overlaid on the clip largely repeats the claim. The post appeared alongside a tide of false claims about the trade war between Washington and Beijing circulating online, which were amplified by Chinese state media outlets (archived link). The two sides announced a truce on May 12 that halted tit-for-tat tariffs announced since President Donald Trump's return to the White House, with a further "framework" agreement reached on June 10 (archived link). China would supply rare earth minerals to the United States, which in turn would allow Chinese students to remain in US universities. Posts suggesting Weidel spoke about the trade war were shared elsewhere on X, TikTok and Weibo. Social media users appeared to believe the circulating claim, with one saying, "She is the guiding light of Germany". Another wrote, "Such an outspoken woman!" Despite having lived and worked in China, Weidel rarely publicly comments on the country (archived link). However, her subtitled speeches circulate widely on Chinese social media, with German broadcaster Deutsche Welle attributing her popularity to AfD and Beijing having similar stances on issues such as European military aid for Ukraine (archived link). The circulating video in fact shows Weidel criticising the German government, not praising China. A reverse image search found the clip was taken from a livestream of her speech at an AfD rally in Thuringia on August 31, 2024, a month before regional elections in Germany (archived link). During her remarks, she called the government's deportation of 28 Afghan nationals -- who German authorities said were "convicted offenders" with no right to remain -- a day before the AfD rally a "gimmick" (archived link). The false clip can be seen at the 55:04 mark of the livestream, where she went on to say, "Nothing is achieved. It should be up to a thousand people, not just 28." She did not mention China during the speech. German media reported Weidel told rally-goers that AfD would "ban Antifa as a terrorist organisation" if her party came to power during her speech (archived link).
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
Chinese social media posts falsely claim German right-wing leader praises China
China's former consul general to Belfast Zhang Meifang shared the 13-second clip of Weidel speaking in German on her account on X on May 21, 2025. "Co-chairwoman of Germany's AfD Weidel said only China's strength can defeat the United States' arrogance and force it sit down and negotiate!" its caption says. "Throughout history, the United States has only sat down for equal negotiations twice -- once during the Korean War, and again during the trade war. China was on the other side of the negotiations both times." Simplified Chinese text overlaid on the clip largely repeats the claim. The post appeared alongside a tide of false claims about the trade war between Washington and Beijing circulating online, which were amplified by Chinese state media outlets (archived link). The two sides announced a truce on May 12 that halted tit-for-tat tariffs announced since President Donald Trump's return to the White House, with a further "framework" agreement reached on June 10 (archived link). China would supply rare earth minerals to the United States, which in turn would allow Chinese students to remain in US universities. Posts suggesting Weidel spoke about the trade war were shared elsewhere on X, TikTok and Weibo. Social media users appeared to believe the circulating claim, with one saying, "She is the guiding light of Germany". Another wrote, "Such an outspoken woman!" Despite having lived and worked in China, Weidel rarely publicly comments on the country (archived link). However, her subtitled speeches circulate widely on Chinese social media, with German broadcaster Deutsche Welle attributing her popularity to AfD and Beijing having similar stances on issues such as European military aid for Ukraine (archived link). The circulating video in fact shows Weidel criticising the German government, not praising China. A reverse image search found the clip was taken from a livestream of her speech at an AfD rally in Thuringia on August 31, 2024, a month before regional elections in Germany (archived link). During her remarks, she called the government's deportation of 28 Afghan nationals -- who German authorities said were "convicted offenders" with no right to remain -- a day before the AfD rally a "gimmick" (archived link). The false clip can be seen at the 55:04 mark of the livestream, where she went on to say, "Nothing is achieved. It should be up to a thousand people, not just 28." She did not mention China during the speech. German media reported Weidel told rally-goers that AfD would "ban Antifa as a terrorist organisation" if her party came to power during her speech (archived link).
