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Nearly five years after the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, the United Nations (UN) has said the country is suffering one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises – compounded by “years of conflict, economic fragility, underinvestment in basic services and the rapid erosion of rights”. More than four million people are now estimated to be “a step away” from famine, according to the UN. The World Food Programme has described record levels of hunger and malnutrution.

The BBC’s South Asia and Afghanistan correspondent Yogita Limaye has been to the city of Chaghcharan, in Ghor province. She spoke to parents so desperate, they were considering selling their own children to pay for food.

International aid to the country has been drastically reduced, amid global economic problems and a refusal by many nations to recognise the Taliban government. The US – which previously accounted for more than 40 percent of all foreign assistance – cut nearly all of its aid to Afghanistan in 2025, following President Donald Trump’s dismantling of the US Agency for International Development.

The Taliban government has rejected any responsibility for donors walking away, stating instead that “humanitarian assistance should not be politicised”.

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US President Donald Trump left Beijing after a two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping saying he had struck “fantastic trade deals, great for both countries”, but few details have emerged on what the two superpowers agreed.

Trade was near the top of the agenda despite recent tensions over the Iran war, and businesses hoped for key deals as well as an extension of the tariff truce that is due to expire in November.

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