You should know what happened on March 16 in Kabul

This issue: Pakistani airstrikes on Afghanistan took over my feed (thanks to my Afghan and Pakistani friends), but if you weren't on social media, you probably missed what may have been one of the deadliest days in Afghanistan in recent years. I don't want that to slip past you, so I'm breaking down why these two countries are fighting and where things stand right now.

To bring in some (much-needed) lightness: the governor of Nairobi just introduced two days of menstrual leave per month for female government employees, no questions asked. It sounds great and honestly, it probably is, but we still lack solid data on how these policies actually play out in the long run.

Also inside: a Pakistani rapper on how dance saved her, Ethiopian coffee houses, Indian-"inspired" fashion at The Oscars, rhinos are back in Uganda, Chile's 44-hour-workweek is coming to an end, Cuba's ongoing energy crisis, an update on the war in Sudan, and so much more.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have been at war for three weeks. More than 1,000 people have been killed and over 100,000 displaced

What happened:
On March 16, Pakistan launched a series of airstrikes in Kabul and Nangarhar in Afghanistan. Pakistan said it was targeting what it called "terrorist and military infrastructure." It looks like it went "catastrophically wrong," as The Guardian reports. A drug rehabilitation center was hit, killing at least 143 people according to the United Nations (UN). The Taliban authorities say the number is much higher, over 400 dead.

Why this matters: More than 1,000 people are estimated to have been killed in the past three weeks of fighting between the two countries, and over 100,000 people have been displaced, writes The Financial Times. Last week's incident was the single bloodiest one. Even by the most conservative estimates, the March 16 strike is one of the biggest mass-casualty incidents in Afghanistan's history. On top of that, according to UN agencies, Afghanistan is expected to remain one of the world's biggest humanitarian crises in 2026, with around 21.9 million people, nearly two-thirds of the population, needing aid.

Tell me more:
Pakistan denies that it targeted civilians. At the same time, the Taliban deny that they are sheltering the militant groups that Pakistan says are behind attacks inside its territory. They also claimed, without providing any evidence, that the facility was used to train drug addicts as suicide bombers. The Taliban, on the other hand, call the attack "a crime against humanity". The next day, March 17, the Taliban responded by launching a drone attack on Rawalpindi, where Pakistan's army headquarters is located. Both sides have been carrying out so-called "tit-for-tat" strikes throughout the month. On March 18, both countries agreed to pause military operations for five days during Eid al-Fitr, with mediation from Qatar, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia. Even with this pause, the tension is still high. Pakistan has made it clear it would start attacking again if cross-border strikes continued. To be continued.

How big was the March 16 strike?
Khan Nael from the Afghan Red Crescent Society said, after the bombing, a fire broke out that was so large it could be seen from miles away. When rescue workers arrived the next morning, they were still digging through the rubble, he continueD. Instead of finding whole bodies, they were recovering scattered body parts. The smell of burned flesh was literally still in the air. Georgette Gagnon, a senior UN official, said the number of people killed and injured could reach several hundred.

Why are those two countries fighting each other?
This tension goes a long way back, with some breaks here and there. Basically, Afghanistan and Pakistan are fighting mainly because Pakistan says a militant group (the TTP) is attacking from Afghan territory, while the Afghan Taliban deny responsibility and say it's Pakistan's internal problem. Pakistan claims the TTP has killed 4,000 people in the country in the last four years. Additionally, both sides suspect outside involvement in this war. Pakistan thinks India is backing anti-Pakistan militancy through Afghan territory (specifically through suspected Indian-made drones; since the Taliban took over, India has slowly reset relations with them), while the Taliban accuse parts of Pakistan's military of working with bigger powers like the U.S. against Afghanistan.

There's another bigger issue: The two never agreed on where their border actually is (mainly because Afghanistan has never officially accepted the Durand Line). There's been deep mistrust for a long time, even since Pakistan's independence in 1947. But this is a much longer issue. Rabia Akhtar from the University of Lahore in this piece for The Conversation explains it better than I ever will.

Good to know: Drones have changed "the game" in this "open war". Because the Afghan Taliban lacks a traditional air force, they rely more and more on drones to fight Pakistan's dominance of Afghan airspace. Drones have allowed the Taliban to hit targets deep within Pakistan (not just at the border), specifically big cities like Islamabad and Rawalpindi, which were previously beyond their reach. This is all fairly new. Afghanistan and Pakistan were once allies in the early 1990s, the Council on Foreign Relations writes.

Nairobi gave menstrual leave to government workers

Refresher: Back in December, Nairobi County introduced something unusual in the country: two days of paid menstrual leave per month for female employees. No forms, no medical proof, no bureaucracy. You just tell your supervisor and take the days.

What happened:
Today, it is being closely watched by other counties and even the national government, reports Africanews. Johnson Sakaja, Governor of Nairobi, told AP that Kenya's national government has expressed interest in how it goes, and other county...