Sky News Today

Five years after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Sky News reported on the Taliban's efforts to erase women and girls from public life, which has created a health crisis. Women cannot leave home without a male guardian, making medical help hard to access, and the country has stopped training female health workers, leading to a serious staff shortage. The report showed high numbers of baby deaths in a pediatric hospital, with doctors struggling to save children like Suleiman, who died shortly after filming. The Taliban have issued more than 800 edicts, at least 100 focused on women, and the UN has called the situation gender apartheid. Women described losing children in childbirth, and a former human rights lawyer now runs a sewing business after selling her jewellery. The Taliban declined interview requests, and a student studying online to be a radiologist noted improved security but criticised the ban on girls' education. One woman, with her identity hidden, said women are crying in silence, and girls still dream of becoming doctors but face unlikely futures unless Taliban policy changes radically.

Prince Harry and Meghan have returned to the UK, settling into a low-key but luxury life outside London, possibly in the Cotswolds. The report said they face rebuilding ties with family and the British public, with polls showing 57% of people do not care about their return and negative approval ratings of minus 13 and minus 34 respectively, though younger Britons are more positive. Prince Harry has the WellChild Awards in his diary, while Meghan is considering acting options, but television executives said her return to screen would be risky. Their security arrangements remain unresolved, with a former senior royal protection officer calling the threats real and huge, and royal commentator Jennie Bond suggested a compromise, possibly involving some 24-7 protection but not a full team.

Andy Burnham's flagship policy of pushing decision-making out of Westminster and giving regional mayors more power was examined in Cornwall, where half of England is not represented by a mayor. Locals expressed a desire for more local control, citing issues like transport, housing, and jobs, but opinion was divided on whether a mayor is the answer. Cornish Labour MP Perran Moon said a mayor for Cornwall would be politically and economically inappropriate, while others were more pragmatic. The report noted Cornwall's mining history and potential for critical minerals, and the debate over whether Cornwall should merge with Devon, with many opposing that idea. Burnham, now Prime Minister, wants to elect mayors across the country, but faces the challenge of applying his Manchester model to places like Cornwall.