Afghanistan, Iran, India-Bangladesh.
Today's three stories you should know.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan has had a free and vibrant media landscape for the last two decades. Today, a long-feared blow. The ruling Taliban ordered that female TV anchors cover their faces on air. The move is the latest in a long line of restrictions on women imposed by the Taliban over the last few weeks. “It is just an outside culture imposed on us, forcing us to wear a mask, and that can create a problem for us while presenting our programs,” Sonia Niazi, an anchor with TOLOnews, told Al Jazeera. Niazi added that there was no requirement under Islam for women to cover their faces. “Every Islamic scholar and political figure has opposed this decree,” she said.
More from Al Jazeera here.
Iran
A commander in Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has been shot dead outside his home in the capital Tehran by attackers riding two motorcycles. Iranian authorities said Hassan Sayyad Khodayari was assassinated by “enemies of the revolution,” which is usually code for Israel. At least six Iranian scientists and academics linked to the country’s nuclear programme have been killed or attacked since 2010, often by men on motorcycles. Israel never comments on the accusations.
More from Middle East Eye here.
India-Bangladesh
Millions of people are stranded and at least 57 dead as widespread flooding and heavy rains batter India and Bangladesh. A staggering two million people in Bangladesh have been stranded, according to officials. In India’s Assam state, more than 850,000 people in about 3,200 villages had been affected by the floods. Thousands of homes have been damaged and vital farmland has been submerged. Experts say that climate change is making the region more susceptible to flooding.
More from The Guardian here.