Taylor Simone ♢

The President Who Ran Away

Four years ago President Ashraf Ghani blindsided the world when he fled Afghanistan on August 15 2021. I wrote about a former presidential guard for…

Aug 15 • 

Taylor Simone

March 2025

Saudi Arabia 2030

Saudi Arabia opened to tourism in late 2019. This previous winter, I went to Saudi Arabia on my own— I spoke with local women I met on the road how…

Mar 20 • 

Taylor Simone

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February 2024

Web Summit Qatar

Good morning from Doha Qatar, where I’m at Web Summit — thousands of startups will gather for the one of the largest technology conferences in the world

Feb 26, 2024 • 

Taylor Simone

June 2022

Afghan startup confront challenges of international aid after severe earthquake

After a record breaking earthquake struck three provinces in Afghanistan I followed up with Afghanistan-based and remote startup ASEEL on latest updates

Jun 24, 2022 • 

Taylor Simone

20 Years: Three Afghan Journalists Describe Life Under Taliban Rule

REPORT: Human Rights Watch and United Nations continue to document disappearances of Afghans by Taliban. I went to Germany to directly hear a TOLO…

Jun 1, 2022 • 

Taylor Simone

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April 2022

Find Heidi Planck: Friends and Family Continue to Search for Answers

Far from a closed case, Heidi Planck, a financial controller disappeared without a trace six months ago in Los Angeles. While in Beverly Hills I talked…

Apr 18, 2022 • 

Taylor Simone

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March 2022

ASEEL: How Startups in Afghanistan are Navigating an Uncharted Humanitarian Crisis

Nearly seven months after Afghanistan was seized by Taliban — Afghan startups are leading a new terrain of humanitarian response internationally. I…

Mar 7, 2022 • 

Taylor Simone

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November 2021

20 Years: "Winter Is Near”

Part II: Rahela Nayebzadah is an Afghan Canadian Author of Monster Child. Rahela writes a sequel essay from her Globe and Mail Op-Ed which documents her…

Nov 10, 2021 • 

Taylor Simone

October 2021

Once a Bitcoin Miner

An Ethereum developer attended a Pyongyang conference in North Korea. While others returned home Virgil Griffith didn't— I wrote about Ethan Lou’s newly…

Oct 22, 2021 • 

Taylor Simone

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September 2021

Yield

A conversation with CEO and Founder Tim Frost: Future of decentralized finance, leading remote teams around the world, and his latest venture YIELD App

Sep 3, 2021 • 

Taylor Simone

August 2021

One window = 1000 newsrooms

Taliban firing into Kabul skies after US withdrawal on August, 30th 2021.

Aug 31, 2021 • 

Taylor Simone

20 Years

A film colleague discusses her sister being stuck in Kabul, Taliban, Afghan resettlement for refugees, and timing of Canadian elections.

Aug 18, 2021 • 

Taylor Simone