UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is “deeply alarmed” by the Taliban’s ban on women in universities, his spokesman said Tuesday, as he urged authorities in Afghanistan to “ensure equal access to education at all levels.”

“The secretary-general reiterates that the denial of education not only violates the equal rights of women and girls, but will have a devastating impact on the country’s future,” his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.