when i was in kabul we all told the taliban the same message. if you want your resources to be unfrozen, if you want the country to enjoy again substantive development support, you also have to take steps in their direction . it goes both ways it is a dialogue. it cannot be a wall-to-wall situation. >> mister commissioner we have time for one more question. i'd like to ask you a related question. do you believe that nations that have played a significant role in afghanistan's recent history particularly the united states and some of the nato nations that had a military presence for years, do you believe these countries have a moral responsibility to accept more refugees and explore some of the need or desire from afghanistan to resettle outside their country given the current conditions ? >> i think that there's 26, 27 million refugees around the world. i'm not talking about the internal displacement, i'm talking about the refugees. less than one percent is resettled from countries, neighboring conflict or crisis to wealthier countries so this b

the last time i was in afghanistan, it was two months before the taliban took kabul. almost everyone i met then — members of the former government, human rights activist and journalists — have since led the country in fear of reprisals from the new taliban government. with routes into the country beginning to reopen, i decided to head back to afghanistan to see for myself what life was like for those who stayed behind. i had arranged to meet the dosts. they'd both lost their teaching jobs when the taliban took over. they are now living off their savings. a month before we met, this dost family organised a protest against the restrictions on girls�* education imposed by the taliban. they invited everyone they knew, but on the day, they were the only ones to show up. i was struck by the risks this family were willing to take to demand an education for their daughter. under the previous government, girls receiving an education and women working had become the norm in kabul, but there are parts of afghanistan where things were very different. i travelled 500km to ka

the afghan baby separated from his parents in kabul during the chaos of the us withdrawal — is reunited with relatives. the duchess of cambridge at a0 — three new portraits will go on display in english towns where kate has lived to celebrate her birthday. and it's a draw for england and australia in the fourth ashes test. england trail three—nil in the series, with one test to play. the education secretary, nadhim zahawi, has backed cutting the covid isolation period in england from seven to five days. he said if there's evidence it's safe, the change could reduce staffing pressures on schools, hospitals and other important sectors. the uk health security agency is reviewing thelength of the isolation period. mr zahawi said ministers are doing all they can to make sure the health service can operate during what he called "a rocky few weeks". our political correspondent jonathan blake is with me. tell us what nadhim zahawi he is not saying we should do this and do it now but he has illustrated the benefits of reducing the isolation period from seven days as it was recently reduced f

our correspondent quentin somerville is in kabul and has more. this is the story of the ahmadi family who were part of that deluge of people who fled towards kabul airport after the taliban made it into the city in august. they were moments away from salvation, a flight to the united states, but they got caught in a crush at the gates of the airport and in the panic they handed their two—month—old baby, sohail, to a us soldier. he was handed over the fence. when the family then got inside they couldn't find the baby. they were then evacuated after searching the airport, they were evacuated from kabul, made it to the united states, still kept looking for the baby in the united states in the hope that he had been put on a flight, that he had made it there somehow, and they found nothing. after months of searching and a campaign by an afghan refugee group and a story by the reuters news agency, sohail was found and he was found here in kabul alive and well. he had been picked up by a 29—year—old taxi driver, mr safi, who took the baby to rai

a long way from kabul and a very different story over here. people who genuinely felt occupied by the foreign forces and the former government, and this is what they've left behind. homes destroyed. and this is the price of freedom that these people say they have two pay. while i was in sangin, i've met a member of the taliban named abdul karim. he had previously kept his military activities a secret from his neighbours was now happy to talk openly. i was shocked by abdul�*s admission that even local children had participated in the taleban�*s fight. but he was determined to demonstrate just how instrumental these tactics were against the foreign forces. despite all the destruction and poverty in this region, there has been one constant — common�*s poppy fields have provided a vital source of income for impoverished fighters and the taliban. afghanistan controls approximately 80% of the world's opium and for the last two decades there has been a lot of talk about eradicating these fields. but it seems that these fields. but it seems th

mounting concern over taliban gunmen arresting women's rights advocates in kabul. some actvists say they have gone into hiding to escape the taliban crackdown. ♪ the u.s. singer meat loaf, best known for his 1970's hits, has died at the age of 74. we will take a look back at his legendary career. ♪ brent: to all of you around the world, it is good to have you with us on this friday. we are ending a couple of weeks of high stakes diplomacy in switzerland. antony blinken and the russian foreign minister met for 90 minutes to discuss the threat of a russian invasion of ukraine. when the talks were over, both countries said there is no change in position but a willingness to keep trying diplomacy. no common ground, but no battlegrounds, either. russia says it has no plans for an invasion despite the presence of tens of thousands of russian troops near the border. >> at least they are talking. with relations between the u.s. and russia at a extreme low point, the top diplomats had radically different goals. the u.s. to avoid russian military action in ukraine. >> we

farahnaz forotan was at the talks, reporting for itv, a news channel in kabul. she is well known as an activist in helmand and has a social media campaign called myredline. she travelled the country asking people what they could and could not accept in a peace deal — their red lines. at the talks in doha, farahnaz interviewed a member of the taliban, she was not wearing a veil and this attracted a lot of media attention. two months later, she got a call saying she was on a hit—list, her life was in danger. she's now living in the united states. like dozens of young professionals fearing they could be targeted, she left afghanistan but it was not an easy decision. at the start of the year, a new american president took office. preserve, protect and defend... ...the constitution of the united states. ...the constitution of the united states. so help you god. so help me god. congratulations mr president. the question on everyone's mind was with no political solution in sight, would the new president stick to the may one deadline to withdraw troops? meanwhile, i

those were frozen instantly when the kabul -- taliban swept into kabul in august 2021. there were frozen because the international community and the white house did not want that money falling directly into the hands of the taliban and the leadership that had marched into kabul that day posted effectively by freezing that money, we have also seen sanctions that have come with it, also seen the economic system and afghanistan collapse. it became either and legal or extremely risky legally to send money in and out of afghanistan stop as a result, there were basically financial constraints on every bank in afghanistan. i do believe this is still the case now but it might be even worse because it changes day-to-day, families and banking cupholders were told they could get $200 a month of their own money out of the banks. so the banking system as a result of the collapse and much of that money would have been used by a governmenof afghanistan to pay their workers. as with many countries around the world, the governments are the main employer whether you are a road sweeper or

quentin sommerville, bbc news, kabul. "unsafe, unhealthy buildings" — a bbc investigation into accommodation for asylum seekers has uncovered a range of long—running concerns about the conditions in which they are being housed. refugee organisations say getting help through a national phone line can also be extremeley difficult. dominic casciani has this report. crying look, this one. and this one. the same, broken. a domestic crisis — the family living here are seeking asylum and safety. the father is recording video for the government's national support line. and look, the electricity. a bbc investigation has discovered evidence of some homes provided to asylum seekers with serious safety concerns. homes like this one. when a family housed in west yorkshire warned of a crumbling ceiling, it was temporarily repaired, and then it collapsed. the mother suffered concussion as she protected her baby. i was in the room upstairs, me, and all of a sudden i heard a noise, and she shout like, "ow!" and then i ran down, mrs

has kabul ever been this hungry before? ., has kabul ever been this hungry before?_ what i has kabul ever been this hungry before?_ what is i has kabul ever been this hungry before?_ what is the | before? no, never. what is the messaue before? no, never. what is the message to _ before? no, never. what is the message to the _ before? no, never. what is the message to the rest _ before? no, never. what is the message to the rest of - before? no, never. what is the message to the rest of the i message to the rest of the world? , , ., , , ., world? they should see us, how we are going — world? they should see us, how we are going to _ world? they should see us, how we are going to live _ world? they should see us, how we are going to live here, i world? they should see us, how we are going to live here, they i we are going to live here, they should see our challenges, they should see our challenges, they should see our problems, and the problems are increasing day by day here. living costs is increasing day by day here, and it is... new laws and new challenges make o

from kabul, our corrspondent quentin sommerville sent this report. after 20 years of war, afghanistan faces a long, harsh winter and a cold and hungry peace. victorious, the taliban now guard food queues. more than half the country is going hungry. women, barred from work and education, have lost another fundamental right — the ability to feed their families. here in wardak province, we meet pari. as a second wife, she supports a family of six alone. this wheelbarrow of basics is meant to last them 17 days, but maybe less. there was no rice today. translation: winter is very difficult. - we don't have money to buy food or firewood. we just fill the room with smoke to feel warm, but still, it's cold. her granddaughter is always hungry. the baby's mother can't produce milk. baby formula is beyond the reach of almost everyone here. the taliban are international pariahs, so the economy is being crushed by sanctions. only humanitarian aid is allowed. so, in kabul, even the well—to—do are queueing for world food programme hand—outs. these wheelbarr

quentin sommerville, bbc news, kabul. what a remarkable story that was, indeed, from our correspondent quinton there. moving on another story for you today. it's usually one of the biggest nights in hollywood but sunday's golden globes ceremony in la will take place with none of the nominees present and behind closed doors. colin paterson explains why. # it all began tonight... tonight, west side story is one of the big favourites to win at the golden globes. but none of its stars or its director, steven spielberg, will be there. the same goes for belfast, which is tied for the most nominations — seven. we're looking to cleanse the community. you wouldn't want to be the odd one out in this street. touch my family and i'll kill you. | it is based on the childhood of its director, sir kenneth branagh, who has never won a golden globe. if he does tonight, the way he will find out is on his computer. it is doubtful that he will even care. the golden globes are normally a star—studded event, but they have been beset with p

quentin sommerville, bbc news, kabul. now to the sport, where the day began with dramatic scenes in the fourth ashes test. john watson has the details. many thanks, that is where we begin the fourth test match where england secured a draw in sydney to avoid a possible 5—o series whitewash. australia have already won the ashes, but couldn't take the ten wickets they needed on the final day for victory. patrick gearey reports. five days of cricket decided in one ball, the ashes might be gone but this still matters. england's job with simple but not easy, survive. as he parried could not do it and his place is in doubt, as previously was zak crawley�*s —— haseeb hameed. he was in trouble, making 77 before it popped. the rain was coming, the cloud had helped england but could their stars question the injured ben stokes fought hard in such pain that every run stunned. joe root went but ben stokes batted on with a wounded side but willing heart. 13 balls left, tee wickets left when jack leach became one of them. now the

a report from kabul. an struck by the saudi led coalition on a prison in yemen has killed dozens of people. ♪ nada: and tributes are paid to the u.s. rockstar meat load, who died -- loaf, who died at the age of 74. welcome to "world news america" on pbs and around the globe. we have no plans to invade. that was the message from the russian foreign minister today afr his meeting with the u.s. secretary of state on ukraine. secretary blinken said their discussions in geneva had been frank and substantive, but he also warned of massive consequences if moscow were to attack. russia currently has 100 thousand troops along its border with ukraine, leading to great concerns for the international community. one of president bodmer putin's strongest demand -- vladimir putin's strongest demands is that ukraine will not become part of the nato military alliance. over the years, the alliance has expanded eastward, incorporating new nations. many of those countries were formerly parts of the soviet union and under r

an afghan baby separated from his parents in kabul during the chaos of the us withdrawal is reunited with relatives. the golden globe awards take place tonight in hollywood, but there's no red carpet, no stars and it's not on tv. we'll look at the reasons why. and it's a draw for england and australia in the fourth ashes test. england trail 3—0 in the series, with one test to play. good afternoon. welcome to bbc news. the education secretary has said he would support cutting the coronavirus self—isolation period from seven days to five in england if the move was recommended by experts at the uk health security agency. nadim zahawi said the reduction would help with staff absenteeism. also he denied that there were plans to stop supplying free lateral flow tests after a report in a sunday paper. our health correspondent dominic hughes has more. the good news is that booster jabs are holding fast against the omicron wave. even as new cases have surged, hospital admissions remain a long way off the peak seen this time last year. but each day, hundreds of thousands of people are havi

the two activists were at the forefront of a protest held in kabul on sunday for womens�* rights. caroline hawley has the latest. in video, sharing before her apparent arrest. she is inside her home, and the taliban were on the other side of the door. she is pleading with them. she says her sisters are at home and she begs the taliban to come back the following day. but her desperate pleas seem to be in vain. she was taken by the taliban on wednesday night. and notjust her, another prominent campaigner for women's rights was arrested too, they say, although the taliban deny it. i asked them about the incident and he told me that he will take it up with the intelligence department and the ministry, all of them said that there is no incident like this. both of the women had been at the forefront of a protest in kabul, demanding that women be allowed to study and work, demonstrating for their rights, demonstrating for their own personal bravery as they did so. as much if i am proud of them, and they're brave. how long if the international community does not stand with them and does n

quentin sommerville, bbc news, kabul. here in the uk prime minister borisjohnson is facing increasing pressure over allegations that he attended a garden party for staff at 10 downing street during the first lockdown in may 2020. the government is refusing to either confirm or deny eyewitnesses' accounts that he and his wife were at the gathering of 30 people, which appeared to contravene covid restrictions in england at the time. here's bbc�*s deputy political editor vicki young. amongst tory mps there are a range of opinion, today i spoke to some of his long—time critics who are absolutely furious, incredibly rude about him and think you should go. more worrying for the prime minister though is amongst some of those who previously backed him. they really think there is a lack of grip in downing street, the hate the way these stories keep coming out and they feel they should have been more transparency from the beginning but do not forget of course, borisjohnson have an 80 seat majority and there is a lot of anger bu

quentin sommerville, bbc news, kabul. two men have been arrested in connection with the disappearance of a teenager who went missing 15 years ago. andrew gosden, from doncaster, was 14 when he was last seen in september 2007 apparently travelling to london. the case became one of the most high—profile missing person investigations in the north of england. the two men, aged 38 and 45, who were arrested in london on suspicion of kidnap and human trafficking, have both been released under investigation. surgeons in america have made history after a pig's heart has been successfully transplanted into a human for the first time. the 57—year—old man is said to be doing well — four days after the surgery. if it does prove to be successful, it could mean animal organs are used more frequently in human transplants. this report from our medical editor fergus walsh contains pictures of the operation. this is the gene—edited pig heart ready for transplant into a human. the organ looks perfect, a good size and the extraction

we returned to kabul several months into taliban rule, to find dr. shefajo changed, her spirit diminished,nd the futures she dreamed for her daughters? gone. after their takeover, the taliban banned all girls from attending public school. a few months later, they relented, allowing those under age 12 to go for an education. dr. shefarjo decided to send none of her girls, encouraging solidarity among the sisters. you're an educated woman, working in an elite field, with a 14-year-old daughter who's not allowed to go to school. how does that feel? >> my two kids are small, and they are allowed to go to school. they are under sixth grade. but my eldest daughter is at eighth grade, so she is not allowed to go to school. that's why i do not allow the two youngest ones as well. she will feel that "i am at home and not allowed to study, and my sisters are at school," and she will be disappointed. >> reporter: she encourages them to study independently at home, but knows an even more painful choice lays ahead. >> although i love my country, i love women, i l

outside the outskirts of kabul, and there are -- that are there. instead of sending one women group projects, or back to them. it is because -- like recipes, we don't have that incentive. the human capacity, most importantly, stop listening to people who can speak english. i know i can speak english, but i speak very good passionate, too. talking to people with different passports. and it comes off as strong, but it is very understandable. we have to lead. and going back, because my family lived it. the second and most important thing is afghanistan is not a project, it is a crunchy. it needs to be treated like a country. the people need sustainable jobs. they are feeling happy about it, even if it is the u.s., the u.n., whoever. let us have those accounts. you legitimized the taliban. make them accountable. the least the u.s. can do is make 30 to 40 people in afghanistan who would have to speak english. or actually have solutions. how to focus on the humanitarian response, health care, education, clean water, heating problems. that is a big proble

outside the outskirts of kabul, and there are -- that are there. instead of sending one women group projects, or back to them. it is because -- like recipes, we don't have that incentive. the human capacity, most importantly, stop listening to people who can speak english. i know i can speak english, but i speak very good passionate, too. talking to people with different passports. and it comes off as strong, but it is very understandable. we have to lead. and going back, because my family lived it. the second and most important thing is afghanistan is not a project, it is a crunchy. it needs to be treated like a country. the people need sustainable jobs. they are feeling happy about it, even if it is the u.s., the u.n., whoever. let us have those accounts. you legitimized the taliban. make them accountable. the least the u.s. can do is make 30 to 40 people in afghanistan who would have to speak english. or actually have solutions. how to focus on the humanitarian response, health care, education, clean water, heating problems. that is a big proble

our reporter quentin sommerville sent us this report from kabul. after 20 years of war, afghanistan faces a long, harsh winter and a cold and hungry peace. victorious, the taliban now guard food queues. more than half the country is going hungry. women, barred from work and education, have lost another fundamental right — the ability to feed their families. here in wardak province, we meet pari. as a second wife, she supports a family of six alone. this wheelbarrow of basics is meant to last them 17 days, but maybe less. there was no rice today. winter is very difficult. translation: we don't have money to buy food and firewood. _ we feel the room with smoke to feel warm, but still it is cold. her granddaughter is always hungry. the baby's mother cannot produce milk. baby formula is beyond the reach of almost everyone here. the taliban are international pariahs, so the economy is being crushed by sanctions. only humanitarian aid is allowed. so in kabul, even the well—to—do are queueing for world food programme hand—outs. these wheelbarrows

it popped up within days of the fall of kabul. >> this is that shining place for them to come to. >> reporter: brigadier general daniel gabrieli volunteered for this deployment as part of his national guard service. after three tours of duty in afghanistan, his sense of obligation to these afghans, who he sees as comrades in arms, is palpable. you said of your 33-year career, this is the most gratifying. why? >> i think it is because we're taking care of people who have taken care of us. right? what they have sacrificed for our security, which is a large amount. >> what would you say to those who are like, why are we taking in these foreigners into our country? >> my grandfather came over after world war i from italy. there's no difference between this migration and that migration. it's just the latest in the great american story. >> reporter: to the general and so many here, this compound is a modern-day ellis island. laila and youssef are today's immigrants. >> this looks great. >> reporter: those donated clothes help them and all residents get on their feet. she fled with nothing

quentin sommerville, bbc news, kabul. one of the biggest illegal dark net websites has gone offline after two years of selling class a drugs, counterfeit cash and malware used to hack and disable computers. the administrators of torrez shut it down over christmas. but new illegal sites are popping up all the time, and research by the bbc highlights the success of the online drugs economy. our cyber reporterjoe tidy has more details. this is a humanist burial ground. i come up and see how the tree is doing, give it a kick, tell him off. claire campbell's16—year—old son luke died after taking strong ecstasy tablets at a youth disco. what was luke like as a person? he didn't have a bad bone in his body. he was naughty and cheeky, but he... there was nothing nasty about him. there was no maliciousness. he was full of life. luke's friends bought the pills from a marketplace on the dark net. dark net markets are a small and often overlooked part of the drugs economy. these sites, only accessible through special internet bro

money that's come in on the program, their pictures of them flying into kabul airport. every family designated as vulnerable by an afghan partner organization to the program for coming with a card, given 4000 afghans, less than $40 a month to live on. those people were in rural areas, it's been completely failed, there was no wheat or corn because of the draft. it's a perfect storm, he got freezing temperatures from there's drought, the worst drought they remember. people have lost their jobs and economic crisis, the crisis has brought up a lot. i told you they were given 4000 afghans from a flower is now 2500. that's more than half your month eight just on flower. it's really desperate, some of the people said they've been eating grass the last few weeks because there's nothing else. in one of the people i spoke to in this might be interesting for different view of how this happened, how the taliban took over so quickly, there is a big army base where there was soldiers and one was working on strategy and he said to me of course people didn't fight because we all knew

the paper says borisjohnson's aide watched cricket as kabul fell to the taliban. the express leads on the uk's response to the crisis in ukraine — with britain sending more troops, jets and warships. and the guardian says the government are accused of what it calls a levelling—up stunt to save the prime minister's job. we'll crack on straightaway and start off with, and typically i have just lost my list, are, there we go, the times. rishi sunak and boris johnson together with this editorial and, well, the editorialising in the sunday times but it looks like they have a united front, something that we haven't seen for a while, jo? m0. we haven't seen for a while, jo? no, not at all. — we haven't seen for a while, jo? no, not at all. and _ we haven't seen for a while, jo? no, not at all, and it _ we haven't seen for a while, jo? no, not at all, and it is _ we haven't seen for a while, jo? iirr, not at all, and it is interesting because it is widely rumoured that rishi sunak is not hugely impressed by the goings—on with partygate, and evenin by the goings—

quentin sommerville, bbc news, kabul. some newsjust in — the us actor and comedian bob saget has been found dead in a hotel room in orlando, florida. he was best known as the jovial dad in the us television sitcom full house. the 65—year—old had just begun a new stand—up tour and had earlier tweeted about his show in jacksonville, expressing his delight at being back performing. he had earlier made his mark as a stand—up comedian in the first place. the orange county sheriff's office said there were no signs of foul play or drug use in his death. it's usually one of the biggest nights in hollywood, but sunday's golden globes ceremony in los angeles is taking place behind closed doors and with none of the nominees present — that's because much of the film industry has decided to boycott the event, and the broadcaster that usually shows the ceremony has dropped the programme from its schedule. it follows continuing criticism of the organisers, the hollywood foreign press association, both for a lack of diversity

quentin sommerville, bbc news, kabul. it's usually one of the biggest nights in hollywood but sunday's golden globes ceremony in los angeles is taking place behind closed doors and with none of the nominees present — that's because much of the film industry has decided to boycott the event and the broadcaster that usually shows the ceremony has dropped the programme from its schedule. it follows continuing criticism of the organisers, the hollywood foreign press association, both for a lack of diversity among its members, and tokenism in trying to address that problem. we can now go live to los angeles and the golden globes ceremony, which isjust wrapping up, and speak to sam asi, who's producer and presenter of bbc cinematic at bbc arabic, as well as being a member of the hollywood foreign press association. sam, thanks for joining sam, thanks forjoining us. i mean, it seems like an odd question to say what is the atmosphere like there, but what is the atmosphere like there? it's very calm. it's actually very nice. i'm

quentin sommerville, bbc news, kabul. steven spielberg's remake of west side story has won the golden globe for best motion picture at the ceremony taking place in los angeles. a scaled—back private ceremony has replaced the usual red carpet event in response to heavy criticism last year after it emerged that the voting panel — of around 100 people — had no black members. the coronavirus pandemic also affected the evening. sam asi is producer and presenter of bbc cinematic at bbc arabic, as well as being a member of the hollywood foreign press association. he's in los angeles. good to see you there, sam. we know some of the winners but first of all, give us a flavour as to how the evening went. you know, it as to how the evening went. you know. it was. — as to how the evening went. you know. it was. i _ as to how the evening went. you know, it was, i think, _ as to how the evening went. 7m, know, it was, ithink, better for cinema because people were focused on the winners, they were focused on the clips and on the

an afghan baby who was handed over a wall to soldiers at kabul airport during last summer's evacuation has been found and reunited with his family. the boy disappeared in the mayhem at the airport as thousands of people tried to flee afghanistan when the taliban took over. our correspondent greg mckenzie has the details. reunited after a frantic five—month search, baby sohail was just two months old when he was handed over to soldiers at kabul airport in august, as thousands of people rushed to leave afghanistan as it fell to the taliban. translation: today is a historical day for us as i receive my grandson in front of the media, i am so grateful. in the confusion and chaos of the american evacuation of afghanistan, it was a local taxi driver who discovered the baby alone, and took him home to raise as his own. translation: | entered | the airport and saw a baby was lying down on the ground in a very bad condition. i looked around and showed this child to many people. but i couldn't find anyone related to him. i called my wife at home and decided to take the child home. but after mo

the headlines: borisjohnson says human beings were prioritised during the fall of kabul — after suggestions he was personally involved in rescuing animals from a charity in afghanistan. this whole thing is total rhubarb. i was very proud of what our armed services did with 0p pitting. and in the next half hour, we'll be speaking to the former international development secretary rory stewart. do stay with us for that. also this afternoon: campaign groups welcome the easing of care home restrictions in england, allowing for unlimited visits from today. i would urge care homes to do everything they can to allow as many visitors as they can. face coverings are no longer mandatory in england — but some big retailers ask customers to continue wearing them. a second man admits his involvement in an assault on england's chief medical officer professor sir chris whitty, in a london park last year. it's holocaust memorial day — marking 77 years since the liberation of auschwitz—birkenau. seven holocaust survivors have had portraits painted in a project commissioned by prince charles. and tribut

attack at the kabul airport, tragically killed 10 civilians, including seven children. yet d.o.d. only admitted this after a "new york times" report challenged the military's claim that the targeted vehicle was carried explosives to be used in a terrorist attack. ms. harris, i appreciate that secretary austin has directed general michael garrett to conduct an independent review of the march, 2019, strike in syria. i also understand that the air force inspector general has reviewed the august 29 strike in kabul and found that the personnel involved, quote, truly believed at the time that they were targeting an imminent threat to u.s. forces. but nonetheless, as the united states of america, we need to do a better job of protecting civilians and acknowledging our mistakes. so that they may be corrected. so i'd like to ask, what steps is d.o.d. taking following these two incidents to protect innocent life and ensure that civilian casualties are appropriately documented and reported and will you commit to providing our committee with a briefing following the conclusion of g

quentin sommerville, bbc news, kabul. the new zealand navy has started distributing humanitarian aid to the people of tonga following last weekend's volcanic eruption and tsunami. the un estimates that more than 80% of tonga's population has been affected — about 84,000 people. at least three people have died. the un says they remain �*seriously concerned�* about access to safe water for some 50,000 people throughout the country with many areas coated in a thick layer of volcanic ash. new zealand�*s defence minister, pee—nei hen—ar—rae, says the navy ships have arrived in tonga just in time. it was one of the challenges that the poor communication lines between here and tonga, making sure that we could respond in a timely manner. but two of the vessels are there now and the third is already set sail in the early hours of this morning here in new zealand to make sure that they can continue to respond to their need at this time. the navy divers in the equipment on the ground or at least under the ground or at

quentin sommerville reports from kabul. women chant in body and spirit, afghan women are under attack from the taliban. here, fighting for the right to work, to education, they are pepper—sprayed by taliban fighters at this protest last week. "women have value", they shout. "it takes raw courage to stand up to armed men who want to take away almost everything you've achieved in life". "please help! the taliban have come to my house. my sisters are at home," pleads tamana, one of the protesters, days later. "we don't want you here now", she screams. tamana has been missing for two days now. we went to her home to try and find her. neighbours say women were taken away from here by armed men. you can see a footprint, a bootprint, on the door. three women were taken away, and they still haven't returned. friends and family say they haven't heard from them either. other women protesters were targeted that night. another is missing. still, the taliban denies it took them. if they had detained them, they would say we have detain

millions are in dire need; not just in the capital, kabul. john ray of independent television news is there. >> reporter: there is a timeless side to afghanistan-- restant to change. resilient in crisis. but, this is a test of their deepest reserves. shafiqa has her winter larder stored underground. it's the difference between eating and starvation. "this is all we have," she says. much of this vast land is cut off. the big freeze follows the worst drought in 30 years. this villiage was in the front lines the taliban wants international recognition. it wants aid. but it wants it all on its own terms. >> ( translated ): in respect of women's rights, we never prevented anyone going into education or the workforce. but it must be under the framework of islamic principles. >> reporter: a middle class who once fared well under the old regime now struggle; in kabul, they are queuing for food. we have teachers, doctors, engineers, in the private sector, and now they lose their jobs and they are about to have the food assistance. >> reporter: they ha