В Афганистане отмечают пятилетие правления талибов: жители делятся мнением о безопасности и запрете образования для девочек

KABUL — Strong statement from the ‘mouths of babes’ … Four young girls dressed in matching outfits hold Taliban flags in Afghanistan, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal and the start of Taliban rule. Some Kabul residents have said that they feel safer now that the Taliban are back in control of the government, but more job creation and schools are needed. The Taliban have forbidden girls over age 12 from continuing their education. Many believe the Taliban broke their pledge to uphold women’s rights when they banned girls from attending school beyond sixth grade and later barred women from universities and medical institutes. The restrictions have taken a heavy toll on Afghan girls’ mental health. ARGENTINA — Protecting a formerly abused predator: Members of the Four Paws animal welfare organization in Lujan, Friday, carry a tiger to a crate for its transfer from a shuttered zoo to a sanctuary in the United States. The tiger’s rescue is part of a much more challenging endeavor to remove over 60 big cats and two bears from a zoo that was closed in 2020 after authorities raised animal welfare concerns. Global animal welfare organization Four Paws accepted the Argentinian government’s request last September to assess the animals’ conditions and assume full responsibility for their care. Four Paws said many of the animals were in poor condition and needed urgent care. Veterinarians found health problems including infections, wounds, kidney disease and other conditions linked to inadequate living conditions. KEY WEST — Zest for protection of loggerheads: People gather as “Timmy,” a 270-pound reproductive female loggerhead sea turtle, is released at Fort Zachary Taylor Beach in Florida, on Friday. The turtle, estimated to be 70 to 80 years old, was found swimming erratically by recreational boaters about seven miles off the Lower Florida Keys on July 19, 2026, and rehabilitated by the Marathon Turtle Hospital. Named for its large head, the loggerhead sea turtle possesses powerful jaw muscles that can bite through hard-shelled prey such as the conch. They can be found on islands around the Caribbean Sea and along the southern U.S. coastline, from Florida to Mexico. NOAA is working on recovery plans for loggerhead turtle populations through actions that include protecting nesting beaches, reducing the threat of entanglement in and ingestion of litter, and reducing collisions with boats in coastal habitats. DAMASCUS — Noted fixer of antique cars: Syrian interior designer Wasim Haffar holds the steering wheel of a car he plans to restore at his office, where drawings he made of his children and one of his cars hang behind him, in Syria, Friday. They already restored a Volkswagen Type 181, which they called The Volkswagen Thing. “It is a hobby of mine — I’ve had this love for a long time, since long ago, since my youth, Haffar told Reuters. “Yes, of course, whenever I saw a car, I mean, I’d say, ‘I wish I had a car like that.’ And this dream has stayed with me.” Due to limited access to car loans and, like Cuba, high import duties, Syrian mechanics have had to adapt to continually repairing cars now considered classics. Unlike Cuba, economic reforms in 1991 eased some restrictions and allowed more newer cars into the country, though older vehicles remain common. Subscribe to Continue Reading