the presidential palace in kabul has come under attack from militants while reporters were waiting for a press conference with president hamid karzai a plumes of smoke can be seen across the city after the assault reportedly pitched heavily armed taliban fighters against presidential bodyguards and american troops do stay with us here on r.t. we hope to get a live report from a correspondent in kabul in the very near future here on the program for the meantime though the attack on the presidential palace comes not long after the nato handed control over to afghan local forces. joining me live in the studio to talk further about this talk of thanks so much for rushing in quickly on this tuesday morning the handover of power we had this massive attack in kabul this morning and of course we have this handover of power i believe it. an initial test of the handover last week yeah i mean i suppose you could consider this an initial test of the forces there the nato led forces in kabul say that the afghans the local forces led the response to this very attack so it was very much a sort of a f

in the urban regions like kabul, things have improved. there have been significant advances in the field of women's rights, female provincial governor in afghanistan would have been unthinkable 12 years ago before september 11th, women serving in the lower house of the parliament but i like you, business leaders in afghanistan do worry. i think the role of women in afghan society has got to be preserved. women's rights has to be one of the cornerstones of national rebuilding if afghanistan has any chance of being the prosperous peaceful nation in the future. the way to lift yourself out of poverty is to empower your women but if you shot 50% of the population of the public sector and their imprisoned in their homes you are doomed so i am hoping it is not a bargaining chip at the negotiation table whenever those negotiations happen. >> host: people want to know how you go about your writing, how the creative process works with you. >> guest: is very disorganized. i know writers who outlined their entire novels, spend a lot of time outlinin

me research i thank you for sharing some of your morning with us today the presidential palace in kabul has come under attack from militants over porters we're waiting for a press conference with president hamid karzai of plumes of smoke can we see it across the city after the assault the reportedly pitched heavily armed taliban fighters against presidential bodyguards and american troops a journalist has the latest for us from kabul. scene lasted just over an hour and while no civilian casualties have been reported in the afghan forces did manage to get the attack under control relatively quickly the fact that it did happen at the presidential palace they used id cards and vehicle id cards that are what the nato and i saw forces use reportedly and the fact that they were even able to breach that gate what i saw from the outside of the gate and it's more of a blast wall around the green zone area as they were giant holes in the concrete walls and in the entire gate was destroyed apparently one vehicle was able to get inside and then one was stopped at the gate and then that's when the a

you can get programming from kabul and, my goodness, there's so much programming coming out of kabul. they have like 20 tv stations. it's true that those are a motley crew of tv stations, some owned by, dare i call them, warlords. there is a certain element of control of public information that way. but at the same time, some of these tv stations in kabul are putting out such aggressive, investigative news, you guys would be proud. they go to the places where these suicide bombings have taken place and find video and broadcast it and that has an effect on public opinion, where if you just hear, oh, you know, some place was bombed, you can manipulate the spin on that information in a different way than when you see people dying. so that's one aspect of it. the other aspect is they have aggressively called to the carpet afghan officials who are involved in punitive corruption, and they bring up documents and question them. not that has stopped any of the corruption, but i think it's important that the media exists, and people even in these distant villages can see it. on the other hand,

in kabul's tea shops, uncertainty about talking to the enemy. do you think the taliban is ready to negotiate peace? >> if they are ready, they have to stop killing innocent people. you have to stop the bombing. >> reporter: as of today, it's up to afghan forces to do the fighting. scores are being killed each week. the lieutenant and his men patrolling one of kabul's most dangerous intersections say they are ready. they're confident they can take on the taliban. duncan golestani, nbc news, kabul. >> and the pentagon has announced a timetable for one of the biggest policy changes ever undertaken by the u.s. military. integrating women into front line combat positions over the next several years, including some of the very top flight units. our pentagon correspondent jim miklaszewski has more on that story tonight. >> six. >> seven. >> reporter: it's the ultimate all boys club. [ gunfire ] >> reporter: the grueling, physically demanding training to become an elite u.s. navy s.e.a.l. has always been closed to women. but under pentagon orders, that

to a local journalist that of course anybody who is standing by in kabul. why that's a delve deeper into the story here let's talk more about the security situation in afghanistan a stevenson is professor of international studies at the university of san francisco thank you very much for joining us here on r.t. today do you think a g g g think the attack would have taken place if nato forces were in charge of security in afghanistan perhaps rather than the locals i think the main problem with security and calm the child and of a force that they can make it and will train and take out a large and he's an attack on the presidential palace leaders of course just the past few minutes and make a big battle is over all the attackers have been killed and the result i think in any space think many ways this is more every function of the leo ongoing political problem and simply one security but how how would you assess that the ability of afghan forces to ensure security across the region it seems perhaps they've got a bit too much on their plate. this. they haven't

there are about 15,000 police officers in kabul, just the capitol city alone. trying to get your arms around that, it's really difficult to explain. here in the united states we have background checks, people know where you've been, what you've been doing since you were born. so by the time you are 18 years old, everybody knows who's who, you can go on to your facebook account and figure out what you've done for your last 18 years.

there are about 15,000 police officers in kabul, just the capitol city alone. trying to get your arms around that, it's really difficult to explain. here in the united states we have background checks, people know where you've been, what you've been doing since you were born. so by the time you are 18 years old, everybody knows who's who, you can go on to your facebook account and figure out what you've done for your last 18 years. you don't have that in afghanistan. a lot of these people that come in and want to be soldiers or policemen can only be veted by the elders in the village. so you don't know who you are. what we tried to do was bring in bio metrics and you'll probably read about that now, how do we reset and establish a good background way to determine who should be armed and who should be in uniform over there and who shouldn't be and that's some of the things we were doing. corruption is very real. but it's acceptable. we don't like it but in afghanistan, people accept corruption as a way of life. so another challenge was how do we change the mind

. >>> taliban militants are stepping up attacks in kabul. this week they targeted a key facility and supreme court staff. two separate incidents on consecutive days raised concerns that the taliban may be preparing further action targeting the afghan capital. >> a suicide car bombing on tuesday targeted buses carrying employees of the country's supreme court. local police say at least 15 people were killed and around 40 others were injured and the victims include children and female pedestrians. >> translator: the violence is increasing and we are terrified by the situation. people aretimism for the future. >> reporter: the taliban claims in a statement that the supreme court infringes upon people's rights and justifies oppressive rule by handing down rulings favoring nonmuslims. the car bombing comes one day after the assault on the international airport in kabul. afghan security forces suppress the attack and the airport escaped damage. the government says the incident proves the local security troops are improving their capabilities. but

this month kabul has witnessed a surge in taliban violence. the group earlier targeted the international airport as well as bus transporting workers from a judicial court. last week the taliban opened an office in qatar to facilitate direct talks with the united states, but the first round of talks has been postponed and not yet rescheduled. on monday afghan president hamid karzai and u.s. special envoy james dobins discuss how to move the process forward. tuesday's attack is being seen as an attempt by the taliban to undermine karzai. in a separate attack the same day, a roadside explosion hit a minibus in the southern province of kandahar. officials say militants deliberately targeted civilians. >>> computer hackers have targeted government websites in south korea. the site for the presidential office was among their targets. the cyber attack coincided with the anniversary of the start of the korean war. spokespersons for the presidential office say the hackers left messages on the site praising north korean leader kim jong-un. technicians r

>> it happened just after dawn here, about 4:00 in the morning here in kabul. you could hear explosions and gunfire across the city. waking many people up. the police tell us that a number of attackers north of the ,irport got into a building attacked a building under construction, and have a high position overlooking the military side of the airport. that is the north side of the airport. we are told the civilian side of the airport is open, as in taking passengers, but planes are not taking off or landing at the airport. isit stands right now, it called a complex attack. the police could not tell us how many attackers are attacking the airport. explosions and gunfire have been heard. >> nato does have a presence at the military side of the airport. >> absolutely. they have a large military base there. there are airplanes. there are helicopters. there is actually one of the biggest bases here. there is one runway coming in and out of kabul, chaired by both the civilian and military sides. it is the military side that is under attack, but because the airport is

a powerful blast in kabul has left at least three people dead and dozens injured on the the same day nato hands ever security to national afghan forces the attacks are believed to have targeted a high profile politician that's i'll talk to a political analyst and a former afghan m.p. tonnes of oil who's joining us live now mr sultanzoy it's not all special security been handed over to the afghans how ready is kabul to take. i think. kabul or any other city of this size may never be fully one hundred percent secure in a war of the sort these kinds of wars don't have fronts and specially in congested areas and rural areas in urban areas there are differences of of how security is held so unless we solve the problem of all together security in kabul will not be one hundred percent. desirable. there's been a huge surge in violence as a dream's move out to how can i as good forces fight the insurgency on their own. will they be able to do it you know. i think to a certain extent where you need to use. foot soldiers and infantry the military is ready but when it comes to surveillance. and

taliban fighters launched an assault on kabul's airport this week. they also attacked the office of the international organization for migration last month. the afghan government has tightened security in kabul as further attacks are expected. most foreign troops will withdraw from the country by the end of 2014. they will hand over security to local forces at that time. >>> chinese leaders are further along in their race to get a better position in space. they have launched another manned spacecraft. it's the country's fifth such mission. astronauts will conduct docking tests with a prototype space station. the spacecraft blasted off from the satellite launch center in inland china. officials say the craft has entered its planned orbit. three astronauts are on board. two men and one woman. they will conduct docking tests with the trial space laboratory module. chinese president visited. they broadcast it around the country and around the world. the flight is scheduled to last for 15 days. the flight is scheduled to last for 15 days. it will be china

in afghanistan a daring suicide attack was launched on kabul's presidential palace now the taliban is taking credit for this bombing so what does this mean for the peace talks between the u.s. and this group more ahead. and as the afghan war winds down defense contractors may have found a new battlefield for profit the senate is debating an immigration bill that would militarize the us mexico border a look at this development later in today show. it's tuesday june twenty fifth four pm in washington d.c. i'm meghan lopez and you are watching r t well looks like the international guessing game of where in the world is edward snowden is finally over for the last twenty four hours news outlets have had wall to wall coverage speculating whether or not he had left russia and where his next destination might be today russian president vladimir putin put an end to some of those questions. mr snowden has indeed learned that in most he came in the transit passengers and remains in the transit zone. so there you have it he is still in the transit area of the moscow airport in the zone between th

there hashanistan, been a massive explosion in the center of the capital, kabul, and the u.n. has said civilian casualties are up almost 25% so far this year versus one year earlier. our report. >> during rush hour. the target, the afghan supreme court. they were getting on buses to go home. the taliban says it wants to punish the afghan justice system for dealing its fighters. pakistan for the breach. >> all of the religious schools and pakistan are closed. all of the fundamentalists have come to fight. naturally, one or two get through, but we prevent dozens of attacks. >> the united nations says civilian casualties are up this year over the same period last year. to get a sense of the force of the blast here, the crater made this happenedmb, despite a series of checkpoints around the city designed to keep these kinds of attacks from getting to the heart of the city. the taliban says the attacks will intensify. afghan forces. this is their chance to prove they can keep afghanistan save. aljazeera. >> the russian president, vladimir putin, has hit on western nations, blaming

. >>> nhk world's hideki yui in kabul reports on the difficult road ahead. >> reporter: the taliban onuesday announced the opening of an office in dough haar, the capital of qatar. the new communication channel will enable negotiations to seek a peaceful solution to long running violence in afghanistan. the taliban has repeatedly demanded the united states release five of its senior members detained at guantanamo bay. their status will likely be the early focus of the negotiations. taliban leaders are also hoping that talks with the united states will give them credibility as an organization. even so, the taliban has claimed responsibility for attack on tuesday at pa bagram airbase outside kabul which killed four u.s. soldiers. the attack happened just hours after the announcement of peace talks. the taliban said it will use both force and dialogue which observers say is a tactic to pressure the u.s. >> the islamic community of fold political options and aid which are admitted to afghanistan. >> reporter: the key point for the united states is whether the taliban agrees to break ties w

hideki yui, nhk world, kabul. >> the handover of security was marred by an explosion in kabul targeting a prominent lawmaker. he survived, but three civilians were killed. the bombing took place shortly before the handover ceremony just kilometers away from the site. local police say the explosion happened as the politician's convoy was passing by. more than 30 people were wounded. >> translator: i don't know what happened. nobody knows what happened. >> taliban insurgents have intensified their campaign of violence in the run-up to tuesday's security handover. the militant group last week claimed responsibility for two attacks in kabul. they included an assault on the airport on june 10th. the following day a suicide bombing outside the supreme court killed at least 15 people. >>> a chinese commerce ministry official says the country is determined to resolve a dispute over solar panels with the european union through dialogue. the eu has imposed provisional tariffs on chinese-made solar panels. u.s. officials say china is exporting solar panels at unfairly competitive prices. officials

at this development later in today show and in afghanistan a daring suicide attack was launched on kabul's presidential palace now the taliban is taking credit for this bombing so what does this mean for peace talks between the u.s. and the tal a bottom that story ahead. it's tuesday june twenty fifth five pm in washington d.c. i'm meghan lopez and you are watching r t well looks like the international guessing game of where in the world is edward snowden is finally over the last twenty four hours news outlets have had wall to wall coverage speculating where he is and whether or not he left russia and finally what his next destination might be today russian president vladimir putin actually put an end to some of those questions mr snowden has indeed landed in most he came as a transit passengers and remains in the transit zone of the airport. so there you have it he is still in the transit area of the moscow airport in the zone between the arrival gates and russia's passport control checkpoints president putin went on to say that the sooner snowden selects a final destination and departs f

even so, the taliban has claimed responsibility for attack on tuesday at bagram air base outside kabul which killed four u.s. soldiers. the attack happened hours after the announcement of peace talks. the taliban said it will use both force and dialogue which observed as a tactic to pressure the u.s. >> simultaneously, both military and political options and aid which are admitted to afghanistan. >> the key point for the united states whether the taliban agrees to break ties with al qaeda in a verifiable way. president obama says u.s. strategy will continue alongside the negotiations. >> we're going to continue to support these efforts in partnership with the afghan government. i want to repeat, we don't anticipate this process will be easy or quick. but we must pursue it in parallel with our military approach. >> reporter: the u.s. and taliban conducted negotiations behind closed doors before. for now terror and violence continues in afghanistan whether peace talks will be able to move the country towards stability remains to be seen. nhk world, kabul. >> the proposed peace talks rece

kabul air force and an intelligence headquarters are the targets. an indonesian woman was killed in a fire in saudi arabia as migrant workers tried to meet a deadline. .nd migrant workers in canada a former worker for the cia has come forward to say he's the man behind a leak exposing the u.s. surveillance program. edward snowden has been justifying his actions after revealing activities such as telephone monitoring and tapping of internet service. he's now in hong kong. but the reverberations are also being ffelt in the british parliament. now this report. >> disillusioned with his government and now willing the speaking on record, edward snowden, the defense contractor how league information about u.s. defense, spoke to a newspaper from his hongkong hotel room. >> these people against the country or against the government, but i am not. i'm no different from anybody else. i don't have special skills. i am just another guy who sits there day to day in office and what is what is happening and goes this is something that is not our place to decide. t

the taliban attacks afghanistan's presidential palace and cia headquarters in kabul. divinepray for intervention to stop flooding in northern india. could a massive construction projects be to blame -- project be to blame? the growingh diplomatic storm over the u.s. intelligence whistleblower edward snowden. russian foreign minister sergey lav rob hit back at american criticism. he is the man behind one of the biggest intelligence leaks in u.s. history. he was last said to be in a moscow airport. on monday, snowden reportedly checked in for a havana bound flight, but was not among the passengers on board. according to the foreign minister, he did not crash -- across the russian border either. towe have no relationship mr. snowden's movement across the globe nor to his relations with the u.s. dust a system. .e chose his route himself we consider unacceptable all threats and attempts to accuse us of violating u.s. laws. there is no legal basis for the u.s. official behavior. >> peter sharp has the latest from moscow. >> this was a pretty robust response from the russian

president hamid karzai making an announcement at an official handover ceremony with nato officials in kabul. at about the same time a roadside bomb killed three people and injured 30 others just a short distance away.

. -- in the streets of kabul over the opening of the taliban office in qatar. >> [speaking a foreign language] >> today, we condemn the office of the taliban in qatar, because it is not acceptable at all for us. any other name, even if they use the islamic emirates of afghanistan, the name of the taliban when they were in power of afghanistan -- the name of afghanistan, according to the constitution, is the islam of afghanistan. also, the flag and the political office. it seems to me that is their embassy. it is assumed to be an embassy. we condemn and reject that. we ask thomas according to the constitution, and the agenda for peace, and he talk, needs to be approved by the parliament of afganistan. i think suspending the security agreement talk is not the right decision. speeding the process is a decision. 's eating the process means making more united states commitment to what they promised to the people of afghanistan. even more speed to that, signing as soon as possible this agreement, with the frame of the afghan national interest, is priority. through that, we will receive mil

it >> jane ferguson reported from kabul. thank you. u.s. president barack obama, as we just heard, is in germany where he has met chancellor angela merkel. he is expected to use a speech at the brandenburg gate to call for disarmament, some degree of disarmament, anyway, provided russia does the same. let's get more from our correspondent nick spicer. i think that is a strongly worded loop length, calling for disarmament. i think what he is going to do is perhaps call for a reduction of nuclear arsenals. that is what we are expecting, isn't it? >> absolutely right. reduction of nuclear arsenals in the united states and russia, having much of the world's nuclear weapons, by one third, brought down to 1000 warheads per country, which is still an awful lot of nuclear warheads. this time, however, barack obama would like to see included tactical nuclear weapons, which would be new and would be difficult to persuade the russians to accept because the weapons they have been talking about historically has been strategic ones. that is what is on th

this morning, the taliban launched an attack against the heavily grounded presidential compound in kabul, afghanistan. the cia afghan station and the afghan ministry of defense were also targeted. the attacks started with gunfire which was followed by a car bomb. the gun fight lasted 90 minutes. it's not known if president hamid karzai was in the compound at the time. the afghan army said all the attackers were killed. school children walking to class were caught in the gunfire, but it's unclear if there were any other casualties. >>> and the mystery surrounding edward snowden is getting deeper by the day. the exact whereabouts of the man who leaked sensitive security secrets remains unknown this morning. snowden who is trying to avoid extradition by seeking asylum in ecuador is believed to be in russia, and u.s. officials are

kabul is considered too dangerous for family members. to make it safer for diplomats in the field, the state department has created a unit that monitors high-threat posts 24 hours, a day. they've add security agents and marine guards to most dangerous u.s. missions. but, scott, agents tell us that they still did not have the resources to fix all of the security flaws highlighted in those benghazi attacks. >> pelley: margaret brennan at the state department. margaret, thank you. a young boy demonstratdq the spirit of america next. for our families... our neighbors... and our communities... america's beverage companies have created... a wide range of new choices. developing smaller portion sizes and more.. low and no-calorie beverages... adding clear calorie labels so you know... exactly what you're choosing... and in schools, replacing full-calorie soft drinks... with lower-calorie options. with more choices and fewer calories... america's beverage companies are delivering. >> pelley: we'd like to show you something that happened this wee

has more from kabul. the scene lasted just over an hour and well no civilian casualties have been reported and the afghan forces did manage to get the attack under control relatively quickly the fact that it did happen at the presidential palace they used id cards and vehicle id cards that are what the nato and i saw forces use reportedly and the fact that they were even able to breach that gate what i saw from the outside of the gate it's more of a blast wall around the green zone area as they were dry and holes in the concrete walls and in the entire gate was destroyed apparently one vehicle was able to get inside and then one was stopped at the gate and then that's when the attack began the damage actually remarkably was minimal obviously it could have been a lot worse there actually schools and offices just outside of the gate into the presidential palace area and where the cia is. and the fact that there were no civilian deaths or in injuries reported is remarkable it would seem as especially conside

as afghans will pick a new president next year and homemade karzai is not running the government in kabulsuspended talks after complaining it felt like it was being sidelined by america and the taliban the taliban response was a series of attacks across different areas of afghanistan that today reached the presidential palace in kabul stephens rooms from the university of san francisco believes the unpopularity of afghanistan's current government is actually helping extremists problem is that even if they're very well trained even if they have the very best equipment. strings of the afghan government relative to the taliban another forms of resistance doesn't have credibility with the afghan people and while this regard is not subscribe child and extremist ideology many are very frustrated with corruption and an arbitrariness of the government including ongoing attacks repression of all of the foreign presence a problem this government and this this kind of environment the rise of the extremists so it's not just security question. daoud sultanzoy a former afghan m.p. and political analyst

or taliban fighters of attack security forces near the presidential palace in kabul hours before president cause i was to hold a news conference there it comes as the u.s. helps afghanistan pursue peace talks with the insurgent group which is refusing to renounce violence journalist courtney booty is in kabul for us. the scene lasted just over an hour and while no civilian casualties have been reported in the afghan forces did manage to get the attack under control relatively quickly the fact that it did happen at the presidential palace they used id cards and vehicle id cards. nato and i saw forces use reportedly and the fact that they were even able to breach that gate what i saw from the outside of the gate it's more of a blast wall around the green zone area as there were giant holes in the concrete walls and and the entire gate was destroyed apparently one vehicle was able to get inside and then one was stopped at the gate and then that's when the attack began it would seem as especially considering this attack happened right when the peace talks are being negotiated with the taliban

she's recently back from kabul. back last week, tell us a little bit about these twinings that are happening today how much of a difference does it make that there's a hand over and is afghanistan ready and how much difference does it make. >> it's been really quite a set of stunning developments, when i was there just a few weeks ago everything was gloom and doom, the taliban were exhibiting extraordinary ferocity and reach and going after international charities, even going after international red cross, supreme court, they really seemed to be going for broke. so this obviously we're now learning that there was a double track going on and they have been quietly negotiating with american officials and others the whole time. but they're very good at playing games. so we are not going to -- >> ifill: taliban you mean? >> yes. saying that they want to talk they have been wanting to talk with the americans a long time. >> ifill: which leads to my next question, how karzai prepared to go to that table also to accept sec

times of london reporter jeremy kelly is on the phone live from kabul.there? >> reporter: john, i can tell you this is some six hours after this rather fierce battle ended, and the afghan security forces that pretty much could have handled this matter on their own have been receiving a fair deal of praise from president karzai to the u.s.-led military coalition, and probably most appropriately from the afghan public, they're being applauded from the battle that went on for four hours with only two civilians receiving minor injuries. >> this is a brazen attack on a civilian population. are we seeing an increase of attacks on american targets in afghanistan as the military really prepares to pull out. >> reporter: since march, 17 u.s. soldiers have died, including one who died in an unrelated bomb attack in the east of the country. however, it bucks the trend of what we've been seeing since 2003, which is the taliban preferring to target afghan security forces who they concede as being softer and easier to hit. >> jeremy kelly on the ground for us in kabul

we'll take you live to kabul, up next. >>> welcome back. the u.s. hold talks now with the taliban. confirmation coming just today. this is after afghan forces took over security responsibilities for their own country. >> it's just the most recent war. these talks with the taliban something many americans might find a bit surprising. what does this say about the u.s. position and the taliban. >> reporter: the taliban's position is they're winning this war. so far there is no clear cut winner and the outcome will probably surface clear down the road. today the taliban sounding very confident in their first press conference in a long time in their new office. this is where they plan to hold meetings. they out lined what their goal is. they want a peaceful solution to the afghan conflict and end to the occupation. this is something washington wanted to hear the dal ban saying they will not allow anyone to use their soil to launch attacks. afghan officials and u.s. officials say they recognize this office in the coming days. they say they'll hold talks.

jennifer glass as life were as in kabul. what more do we know? three nato soldiers have been killed in eastern afghanistan. that is an insider attack. it was by somebody wearing an afghan army uniform. the fourth soldier was killed in an attack in western afghanistan. we are not exactly sure what happen there. this has killed three nato soldiers. this has been a recurring problem for nato. they have gone to great links to try to stop this problem with including having guardian angels watch nato forces. nato forces being able to car armed weapons. -- carry arms weapons. >> what are the implications of the impending isaf withdrawal? >> isaf is scheduled to start its blast trench of transition to afghan security forces in the next 10 days. we are expecting it. isaf has been trying to mitigate these programs by distancing themselves from the army. isaf moving forward as it moves forward to the end of 2014. the mission now is to train and assist afghan forces. any force like this centers trust as well. they are slated to take over security for the ent

president what mid karzai provided over the hearing in kabul. it was met with a new round of violence. american forces will now move entirely into a supporting role before their full withdraw next year. >>> massive demonstrations in brazil, more than a hundred thousand people in at least eight cities took to the streets monday to protest for public services, public violence and government corruption. in ree yo, there were clashes as demonstrators threw rocks at police and set fire to cars and government buildings. >>> in northern mexico, at least one person has died due to excessive rain throughout the weekend and monday. they've received over 17 inches of rain, about 60% of the season's annual rainfall. it has left at least 40,000 people homeless. more rain is expected for the region. >>> and now for a look at the weather closer to home, nbc's bill karins is here. >> good morning. we had some downpours around here, but nothing like that. the dallas/ft. worth area, you've been getting and seeing noormus lines of thunderstorms overnight. one was

the taliban hits one of the most secure parts of kabul. and our nbc news crew is there when the suicide attack happens. >>> the fugitive edward snowden's exact whereabouts unknown and the u.s. at odds with russia, china and ecuador. >>> hockey heaven. chicago blackhawk fans celebrating the team's second stanley cup victory in four years. >>> plus, an update on that escaped red panda. fireworks at the trial of george zimmerman. and paula deen's empire gets a little smaller. "early today" starts right now. >> announcer: this is "early today" for tuesday, june 25th. >>> good morning, everybody. i'm betty ngyuen. we begin with persisting violence in afghanistan. amid the pursuit of peace talks. the taliban is claiming responsibility for yet another wave of deadly violence. late monday, suicide bombers blew up a car bomb outside afghanistan's presidential palace in kabul. that is supposed to be one of the most secure areas in the capital. our own duncan gol stanny was there when it all happened. >> this is a daring attack right in the part of t

i think in the urban regions like kabul there have been significant advances in the field of women's rights and there is a female provincial governor in afghanistan that would have been unthinkable before september 11th, the women serving in the lower house of parliament. but i, like you and those business leaders in afghanistan do worry. i think that the role of women in afghan society has to be preserved and tested be one of the cornerstones of national rebuilding if they have any chance of being a prosperous peaceful nature. the way to lift people out of poverty is to empower women if you have 50% of the population of the public sector and if they are in prison in their homes you are doomed. so i'm hoping that isn't a bargaining chip at the negotiating table whenever those negotiations have been. >> i think people would want to know how you go about your writing, how the creative process works with you. >> it's very disorganized. i know writers that outlined their entire novels and spent a lot of time outlining every chapter and spent three months writing the book and in some way

now, to afghanistan where today, the deadliest attack in more than a year to place in kabul. 16 people were killed when a convoy of buses was attacked by suicide attacker. >> once again, the sound of sirens cut across the midsummer air of kabul. once again, a suicide bomber had evaded the security ring. this time, the target was a convoy of buses carrying office workers home from the supreme court. people whose job was delivering justice, murdered by a suicide bomber. they did not stand a chance. >> these are the enemies of afghanistan. they have committed yet another crime by targeting civilians. packed flatshtly of the housing estates close by, people were injured in their homes by flying glass. nearby hospitals quickly refilled with the injured in a series with -- in a city where the doctors have a familiarity with the civilian cost. heavily armed police arrived quickly at the scene. this time, there was no armed taliban and attacker holed up in a building, just one suicide bomber, one bomb, and heavy casualties. government employees are vulnerable, traveling as they do on identifia

beauty parlor and couple -- in kabul -- when taliban fighters arrived in 1996, they came straight forwomen like her. >> i had to do the makeup of five brides that day. they smashed the windows. they told me to close the shop. >> the strict rule of the taliban made women cover entirely. beauty parlors were for -- forbidden. i used to come out in a burqa, and i wore makeup secretly. customers came secretly. >> after the taliban was pushed out of power by foreign forces in 2001, many beauty parlors reopened for business. the past 12 years have been good. those foreign forces are now packing up, and she is nervous about what will happen. across the road, another parlor is doing good business. for women, beauty parlors are about more than getting dolled up. many of these businesses are owned and worked in by women, tipping them a degree of economic freedom they never had under taliban rule. every woman i've spoken to today says she is worried that those freedoms could be taken away in the coming year. >> here customers and staff alike say they fear the modest gains made for women will be l