TALIBAN BAN’S AFGHAN WOMEN FROM FLYING ALONE

The Taliban have ordered airlines in Afghanistan to stop women from flying unless accompanied by a male relative, in the latest crackdown on basic human rights by the country’s new rulers since seizing power. The hardline Islamists have imposed sweeping restrictions on freedoms, mostly targeting Afghan girls and women, and on Sunday also ordered local television channels to stop broadcasting BBC news bulletins. Over the weekend, they also decreed that men and women could not visit parks in the capital on the same days.

After returning to power in August the Taliban promised a softer version of the harsh rule that characterized their first stint in power, from 1996 to 2001, but restrictions have crept back often implemented regionally at the whim of local officials. Similarly, women are increasingly being shut out of public life, barred from high schools and most government jobs, and ordered to dress according to the Taliban’s strict interpretation of the Koran.