More than 20 top British universities have pledged to offer Afghan women free courses for as long as the Taliban ban females from attending universities in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan's ruling Taliban announced last month that women would no longer be able to study at universities and higher education establishments. Institutions were told to implement the ban as soon as possible.
Now, a number of British universities have teamed up through FutureLearn to offer the women in Afghanistan free access to digital learning platforms.
Girls and women with internet access will be able to study more than 1,200 courses from top institutions at no cost to themselves.
FutureLearn, which was set up by the Open University in 2012, delivers courses on behalf of about a quarter of the world’s top 200 universities.
Twenty-six of the top 30 UK universities are FutureLearn partners, including 21 of the 24 Russell Group institutions.
They include Trinity College, Dublin, University of Nottingham, York University, University of Leeds, London's Goldsmiths and UCL.
Through FutureLearn all the universities offer various online courses.
Jo Johnson, chairman of FutureLearn, said the move would provide a “lifeline” for those wanting to learn.
“For girls and women who can access the internet and afford the time, this could be a lifeline,” he said.
“While this is of course no silver bullet — poor connectivity, poverty and language barriers mean many women may not be able to access the material — it can nonetheless play a valuable part in enabling women in Afghanistan to assert their inalienable human right to education.”
Lord Mark Malloch-Brown, president of the Open Society Foundation, welcomed the initiative to give women access to education, free of charge.
“The Taliban think the world has forgotten them; we mustn’t,” he said.
“This commendable move by FutureLearn to open up its platform to women denied their rights under this regime will play a useful part in keeping education within reach of those with an internet connection.
“It is a welcome sign that our commitment to fighting for human rights for all Afghans remains strong.”
The move to ban females from higher education is one of the latest measures by the Taliban to increase restrictions on women's rights since their takeover of Afghanistan, after the US-led international withdrawal in 2021.
It has sparked international condemnation, as well as protests in the country.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia have led calls for the decision to be reversed.
Foreign Ministers from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, the UK, the US and the High Representative of the EU have also strongly condemned the move.
“A stable, economically viable, and peaceful Afghanistan is only attainable and sustainable if all Afghans, including women and girls, can fully, equally, and meaningfully participate in and contribute to the country’s future and development,” they said in a joint statement.
There are fears that up to 35 of Afghanistan's 140 private universities could face closure as a result of the move — which will affect up to 70,000 female students.
One of the Taliban's higher education ministers, Nida Mohammad Nadim, has defended the ban, saying it is necessary to prevent the mixing of genders in universities. He claimed some subjects are a breach of Islamic and Afghan values.
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21 Lessons for the 21st Century
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
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