More than 850,000 Afghan girls are not allowed to attend class past 6th grade, making Afghanistan the only country in the world where girls are excluded from secondary education. DW's Sandra Petersmann reports from Kabul.

A chief in the Swat valley who fought against Taliban militants has been killed by a roadside bomb. Recent attacks have marked a return to the the decades of violence that has left 80,000 dead.

Cubans are increasingly feeling the pinch of the country's worst economic crisis in 30 years. In the capital Havana, people wait for hours in long queues to find something to eat for the day. The pandemic has played a major role in the food shortages, which are compounded by rising inflation and a 60-year-old US embargo. Our France 2 colleagues report, with FRANCE 24's Clémence Waller and Lauren Bain.

Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis in decades. Around 30% of Sri Lankans are coping with food insecurity, and one out of four are skipping meals regularly.

The German government says some people it wanted to evacuate after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan have since died. Some deaths were violent, but none seemed linked to any cooperation with Germany, it said.

In Afghanistan, girls are at increasing risk of child marriage. As hunger and poverty surge, families are offering their underage girls, some very young, to older men in exchange for money. Volunteers from Too Young to Wed are helping girls reunite with their parents.

A deadly attack on a school van in Pakistan's Swat Valley has sparked fears of a resurgence in Taliban activity in the region. Thousands have protested against the possible return of a militant presence to Swat.

The UN has said it is "concerned" after five activists, including a woman, were detained and subjected to body searches in the Afghan capital during the launch of a women's rights organization.

Thousands have fled the fighting in North Kivu, resulting in a serious humanitarian crisis. But for those staying behind, food price increases and shortages are now threatening lives and livelihoods.

Afghanistan's ultra-conservative authorities have ordered that women should no longer be allowed to enter amusement parks. The decree comes after a wider announcement restricting access to public spaces.

Children are starving to death in Somalia where roughly half the population needs food urgently. The situation is being fueled by climate change and made much worse by Islamist extremists.

Gyms and public baths are now also off limits to Afghan women, the Taliban confirmed Sunday, days after banning them from parks and funfairs.