TAPI Energy Build: Taliban officials say the Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India gas pipeline’s Herat section is now 52% complete, with 80 km of pipe laid and 126 km of land prepared, aiming to finish the 130 km segment by end-2026—an important boost for Afghanistan’s transit revenues and regional energy trade. Education & Construction: Kabul-backed development continues in the north as Afghan authorities launch three school building projects in Takhar’s Rustaq district, targeting improved access for hundreds of students. Drug Enforcement: Afghan counter-narcotics police dismantled a methamphetamine lab in Baghlan’s Tala wa Barfak district and arrested six suspects, adding to recent lab seizures in Uruzgan and Farah. Trade & Connectivity: Afghanistan’s economy is also in the spotlight through maritime disruption concerns, with reports tying the Hormuz crisis to delays in aid delivery and pressure on humanitarian lifelines. Food Security Shock: The World Food Programme warns the Iran war is worsening hunger, citing higher fuel and food costs and fertilizer disruptions—impacting Afghanistan among other vulnerable countries. Cross-Border Tensions: Afghanistan accuses Pakistan of airstrikes in Kunar, Khost and Paktika that it says killed 13 civilians, including 11 children, as both sides trade blame. Security & Law: In the UK, two small-boat pilots—an Afghan and a Sudanese national—were jailed as the first offenders sentenced under a new offence targeting those who endanger lives during Channel crossings.