Afghanistan may not have won the Cricket World Cup, but their inspiring run brought them to the cusp of the semi-finals. Each win gave people back home rare opportunities for public celebration in the war-torn, Taliban-controlled country. The team has an uneasy relationship with the government. It still plays under the green, black and red national flag banned by the Taliban and is based abroad.

Women and girls are facing an increasingly dire situation in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai and Afghan activists slam the global community for merely paying lip service to women's rights.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will chair the two-day event aimed at aiding Afghan society. The prospects of progress remain uncertain as the ruling Taliban have boycotted over fear of criticism of its rule.

An 84-year-old who had been held in a prison in Afghanistan has been released. Austrian media has reported the man as being a co-founder of a far-right party that was banned in 1988.

The global community has so far refrained from recognizing the Taliban government in Afghanistan. But Kabul is attempting to expand its regional links, focusing on economic cooperation and the fight against terrorism.

Schools in Afghanistan have opened for a new academic year — but only for boys. More than two and a half years have now passed since the Taliban first banned girls over the age of 12 from attending secondary-level classes.