Afghan Women Reunite 8,000 Miles Away for Football

That already sounds emotional. Where are they now?

They are in New Zealand.

The team has 23 players.

Many of them now live in other countries.

So this is not a normal trip home.

No, it is not.

They were once part of Afghanistan's women's team.

But after the Taliban returned in 2021, women lost many freedoms.

They could not play football as before.

That makes the reunion feel even bigger.

Yes, and FIFA changed one important rule in April.

The women can now play official matches for Afghanistan later.

Before that, they needed approval from the Afghanistan Football Federation.

So the door is open now, at least a little.

Exactly.

For this trip, they are not playing official games.

They train and play two friendly games against the Cook Islands.

And how are the players feeling?

Very strong, but also very moved.

One player, Fatima Haidari, told the team to be strong.

She said they are representing Afghan women.

There were songs, applause, and some tears.

That picture is very clear.

Football means more than sport for them.

Some players say it gave them freedom and independence.

One player, Manozh Noori, hid her medals when she fled.

She hid them in her home garden, right?

Yes, and she says she will dig them out one day.

For now, the team is simply happy to be together.

For many, this is a rare chance to train together again.

A big sales rise for a drug company.

Now we go to Ella, our LinguaWire correspondent for health.

The company had a very strong quarter.

Strong in a simple way, please.

It made more money than experts expected.

It also raised its sales forecast for the year.

That means it now thinks sales will be higher in 2026.

What is driving that change?

Two drugs are driving it.

They are Zepbound and Mounjaro.

Both saw very strong demand.

So more people are using them.

Yes.

Mounjaro sales rose a lot.

Zepbound also sold well.

The company says the market for these drugs is still growing.

And the company changed its full-year numbers too?

It did.

It now expects 2026 revenue of $85 billion to $87 billion.

That is higher than its earlier plan.

Those are huge numbers.

They are.

The company also said its shares rose 4% in morning trading.

And the chief executive said it was a very strong start.

What about the new pill?

That is important too.

The pill is called Foundayo.

It brought in $98 million in the quarter.

That was its first earnings report with pill sales included.

So this drug business is bigger now, not just two names.

Yes, and the company says the pill is growing fast.

It is also trying to keep its place in the market.

The key news is simple: sales were strong, and outlook rose.

Three words from Story 1.

Freedom means choosing your own life. The players said football gave them freedom and independence. Example: She felt freedom when she could study again.

Second, independence. It means not needing other people to control you. In the story, it was linked with football and choice. Example: A new job can give a person more independence.

Approval means official permission or agreement. The women once needed approval from the football federation. Example: We need approval before we use the room.

Now one grammar point: be able to.

We use be able to when someone can do something.

Example one: They are able to represent Afghanistan.

Example two: She was able to bring her mother and sister.

Repeat after me: be able to