Afghanistan
With the attention of the international media starting to wane and the reality of its governance setting in, the Taliban continues to roll back its promises on women’s rights. The new mayor of Kabul, Hamdullah Nomany, has ordered female municipal workers to stay at home unless no man can be found to do their jobs. Nomany said they should stay at home “until the situation is normalized”, without elaborating on what he meant. The Taliban this week closed the women’s affairs ministry.
More from Euronews here.
Philippines
Manny Pacquiao, one of the greatest boxers of all time, has announced he is running for president in the Philippines. Pacquiao, a senator, will run for one faction of the ruling party while current President Rodrigo Duterte’s daughter is frontrunner to be nominated by a rival faction. Duterte himself, barred from another term under the constitution, will run for vice president. Pacquiao's announcement is sure to worry the Dutertes but Sara Duterte-Carpio is leading in opinion polls.
More from Rappler here.
Hong Kong
Less than 5,000 Hong Kongers went to the polls today to vote for members of an election committee who will then select the Chinese territory’s next leader. The vote is seen as a farce by many after Beijing introduced reforms to ensure that only those deemed “patriots” could run for the committee. The changes were part of a vast crackdown by China after pro-democracy protests overwhelmed the city in 2019.
More from Reuters here.