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Exclusive: Jess Davis had been travelling Taliban-controlled Afghanistan for two weeks when her mum rang from Melbourne to call her out in a lie.

"I had lied and told them I flew elsewhere," she told 9news.com.au.

Davis had good reason to bend the truth – and her family had good reason to worry.

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She's among a growing number of Western tourists choosing to visit the Central Asian nation despite the threat of terrorist attacks, kidnappings and arbitrary detention.

Australia has it on a "do not travel" list and the Smartraveller website warns "no location in Afghanistan can be considered safe".

There are no Australian officials or consular support in Afghanistan, and airports, flights and telecommunications can be disrupted without notice.

Despite this, tourism to Afghanistan is on the rise.

Fewer than 700 tourists visited in 2021, the year the Taliban took over, but that figure rose to more than 9000 last year, according to officials.

While most Australian travel companies don't promote travel to Afghanistan, Flight Centre Travel Group global leisure chief executive James Kavanagh said some Aussies won't be deterred.

"We do receive the occasional request and book a very small number of trips each year for those determined to go," he said.

Some are travel influencers, many of whom have been accused of "romanticising" Afghanistan and downplaying potential dangers for views or sponsorships.

But many more are adventure travellers like Davis, who decided to visit after befriending Afghan refugees while travelling in Pakistan.

She said getting a visa was easy and that she never felt unsafe, as tourists like herself "basically have the safety guarantee of the Taliban".

"They want tourism, it looks good for improving their international image," she said.

"They do not want anything bad to happen to you. It doesn't look good for them."

Tahera Nassrat, founder and chief executive of the Afghan Peace Foundation, said that's exactly why the sudden spike in Western tourism to her home nation is a problem.

"Travelling to Afghanistan under the current regime risks normalising and legitimising a government that has been widely condemned for its ongoing human rights abuses," Nassrat said.

"And the idea that it's somehow a 'safe' place for tourism, especially for outsiders, is simply not accurate."

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Since the Taliban took power in 2021, many Afghan citizens have faced economic instability, fear of violence, and human rights violations under authoritarian rule.

Women and girls have become victims of what many have called a "gender apartheid", banned from receiving an education, holding most jobs, and even speaking in public.

But those profound ethical, political, and humanitarian concerns are rarely highlighted in Western tourists' curated social media posts.

Instead, their experiences and content may become part of the Taliban propaganda machine, the money they spend may end up in the pockets of Taliban authorities, and they could be subject to surveillance, intimidation, or exploitation.

That's especially true for women.

Though female tourists are afforded countless privileges and freedoms that have been stripped from Afghan women and girls, Nassrat said they're not truly safe in Afghanistan.

Davis admitted that while she never felt unsafe, being the only woman in most public places made her "uncomfortable".

As did hearing the experiences of Afghan women she met, like a young guide who said the only ways Afghan women can make money is through "sewing or sex work".

All of her friends had fled the country and she was considering doing the same.

"It's hard when I go [to Afghanistan], have a really great time and get treated well, but then I get to leave and they can't," Davis confessed.

Since returning home to Melbourne, she's been trying to spread awareness about the plight of women and girls in Afghanistan.

She shared a social media post about the issue, and mentioned fundraising efforts and supporting humanitarian organisations in her conversation with 9news.com.au.

But Nassrat said real solidarity with Afghan women comes by choosing not to participate in a system that oppresses them.

Instead, she called on Westerners to advocate from afar, amplify Afghan voices, support refugee and aid organisations, and resist the normalisation of "a regime that has rendered millions of women invisible".

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Davis said she wants her travels, which she shared on her personal Instagram account, to help dismantle negative stereotypes about Afghanistan and its people.

She rejected any suggestion that she or other tourists endorse or support the Taliban by visiting.

"Afghanistan's obviously politically tricky, but I think it's important to separate people living their everyday life from the government," she said.

"You can't help everyone, the best you can do as a tourist is bring some attention to their stories."

But Afghan refugees and members of the Afghan diaspora around the world have been working to bring attention to their lived experiences and those of the friends and family they had to leave behind for years.

Nassrat fled Afghanistan in the late 1990s when the Taliban surged to power and, like so many others, cannot safely return today.

"For Afghan refugees in Australia, many of whom carry the trauma of war, displacement, and family separation, watching foreign tourists walk freely through cities they were forced to flee can be profoundly painful," she said.

While Westerners certainly play an important role in amplifying Afghan voices and supporting humanitarian efforts, tourists promoting Afghanistan as a holiday destination are likely to do more harm than good.

Especially because what tourists see and experience is controlled by the Taliban to tell the story that suits the regime.

"Well-meaning tourists may unintentionally become tools of propaganda, helping to sanitise the image of a regime that continues to commit serious human rights abuses," Nassrat said.

"While genuine curiosity about Afghanistan's culture and people is understandable, the current surge in tourism — particularly under the guise of 'changing perceptions' — has more harmful than helpful consequences."

So is there any way to engage in ethical tourism to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan?

Nassrat said no, but Davis had a different perspective.

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She argued that when so many Australians have been raised on images of Afghanistan as a war zone, ethical tourism that centres the lived experiences of Afghan citizens and acknowledges the privileges afforded to Western tourists can have a positive impact.

"I know a few people who've just gone to make YouTube videos shooting guns with the Taliban and I think that is the complete wrong way to do tourism there," she said.

"But most people I met are going to bring some awareness and I think in that regard, it's, it's good.

"Nothing can change if people don't know about it."

Have you got a story? Contact reporter Maddison Leach at Google Play.

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute is drawing a volatile mix of blowback and praise for arguing that a Canadian government advertisement playing in US markets misrepresented the 40th president's words to blast US President Donald Trump's tariff policies.

It is not clear how the California-based Reagan Foundation decided to enter the fray over the ad, which was purchased by Ontario Premier Doug Ford and used portions of a 1987 Reagan speech on trade in which he questioned the wisdom of using tariffs as economic policy.

But shortly after the foundation said on social media that the ad misused "selective audio" of the former president, Trump cited the foundation when, in his own social media critique, he threatened to stop all trade with America's northern neighbour and blasted the ad as unduly interfering in US politics.

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The foundation statement seemingly aligned Reagan, a free-trade acolyte, with Trump, a protectionist who has flouted decades of US policy with high border taxes, including on goods from top US trading partners.

The foundation, which helps support the Reagan Presidential Library & Museum, also suggested it could take legal action against Ontario's provincial government, which sponsored the ad.

Reagan's speech is included in millions of administration records governed by the Presidential Record Act, signed in 1981 by his predecessor, US President Jimmy Carter.

That law puts presidential remarks in the public domain, meaning no one must seek permission from presidential foundations or libraries to redistribute them.

Ford said Friday that the ad would be phased out so the US and Canadian administrations can resume trade talks.

He said the ad had achieved its goal but would continue to air during the first two games of the World Series.

'Easily intimidated by a call from the White House'

The backlash on social media was explosive, immediate and far from unanimous.

"Incredible cynicism and betrayal of Reagan by his own foundation," Paul Novosad, a Dartmouth College economist, wrote on X.

Novosad said anyone who followed the foundation's advice to listen to Reagan's full remarks "would see he says exactly what the Ontario ad claims."

Jason Kenney, a former Canadian cabinet minister in a Conservative government, questioned the leadership of the Reagan Foundation on X.

He said the entity had been "easily intimidated by a call from the White House, yet another sign of the hugely corrosive influence of Trump on the American conservative movement."

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Trump supporters countered on social media with echoes of the president's assertions and accusations that Canada was meddling in US politics.

Foundation staff did not respond to Associated Press questions about how it has handled the matter.

But one board member said in a brief interview that he knew nothing about the statement and had not been asked to participate in any deliberations ahead of its release.

"There may have been discussions about it, but I wasn't a part of any of them," Bradford Freeman, a private equity executive, told the AP.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also did not immediately respond when asked via email whether the White House or anyone on the president's behalf asked the Reagan Foundation to intervene.

Several other board members also did not reply to AP inquiries.

An atypical role for a presidential foundation

At the least, the developments represent an unusually tense application of the foundation's typical mission, which is to buttress Reagan's legacy.

The situation also highlights the foundation as the latest US establishment institution to be drawn into the controversies of Trump's aggressive second administration.

Trump previously has elicited policy concessions from multiple US universities, including elite public and private schools, after withholding or threatening to withhold federal funding.

Presidents at Columbia University and the University of Virginia resigned as the Trump administration pressured their institutions.

Some US corporations voluntarily rolled back diversity initiatives.

More recently, high-profile firms including Amazon, Apple, Coinbase, Comcast, Google, Lockheed Martin and Meta Platforms have agreed to help finance the ballroom Trump plans for the White House after ordering the building's East Wing to be demolished.

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Many of those firms have regulatory business before Trump's administration.

On Truth Social, Trump called the Canadian ad "fake," despite the TV spot featuring clear audio excerpts from Reagan's April 25, 1987, radio address.

"CANADA CHEATED AND GOT CAUGHT!!! They fraudulently took a big buy ad saying that Ronald Reagan did not like Tariffs, when actually he LOVED TARIFFS FOR OUR COUNTRY, AND ITS NATIONAL SECURITY," he posted Friday.

Reagan used the radio address to explain why he was imposing targeted levies on some Japanese products as leverage in the country's trade dispute over computer chips.

That gives Trump and his backers a hook to argue that Reagan might not oppose at least some of the current president's moves on trade. Yet Trump has imposed tariffs, often at unusually high rates, far more broadly than Reagan and other recent US administrations.

And even while explaining his Japan policy, Reagan spent much of the 1987 speech – less than 10 minutes long – emphasising that he remained an opponent of tariffs, a characterisation the Ontario ad appeared to accurately represent.

Reagan's speech affirmed his broad tariff opposition

"Throughout the world, there's a growing realisation that the way to prosperity for all nations is rejecting protectionist legislation and promoting fair and free competition," Reagan said.

He expounded:

"You see, at first, when someone says, 'Let's impose tariffs on foreign imports,' it looks like they're doing the patriotic thing by protecting American products and jobs. And sometimes for a short while it works — but only for a short time.

"What eventually occurs is: First, homegrown industries start relying on government protection in the form of high tariffs.

"They stop competing and stop making the innovative management and technological changes they need to succeed in world markets. And then, while all this is going on, something even worse occurs.

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'High tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars. The result is more and more tariffs, higher and higher trade barriers, and less and less competition.

"So, soon, because of the prices made artificially high by tariffs that subsidise inefficiency and poor management, people stop buying.

"Then the worst happens: Markets shrink and collapse; businesses and industries shut down; and millions of people lose their jobs."

The Reagan Foundation is a tax-exempt nonprofit that helps fund his library, which is part of the National Archives and Records Administration.

As part of its tax-exempt status, the foundation is prohibited from endorsing political candidates and, generally, must be nonpartisan in its activities.

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The hives contained live bees, with the colonies being worth more than $33k.

Homemade food products that may still be circulating in the community are believed to be behind a cluster of rat poisoning cases in Queensland's south-east.

Queensland Health has issued an alert for people to be aware of two homemade, unlabelled products – a homemade capsicum and chilli paste and a homemade marinated eggplant containing a capsicum and chilli paste – that may be circulating in Logan.

The alert comes after five people from Logan, including a child, went to hospitals last week with symptoms consistent with having ingested brodifacoum, a common ingredient in rat poison.

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After an investigation with Queensland Police, Queensland Health has found three of those five people had consumed these homemade products and product samples have tested positive for brodifacoum.

These food items may have been purchased or gifted in the Logan area from mid-September onwards.

Anyone who has these products at home is advised to throw them away immediately in the bin, so that animals cannot get to them.

Queensland Health has advised the Logan community be alert for symptoms consistent with brodifacoum poisoning, particularly if they may have consumed products recently matching the description.

Chief Health Officer Dr Catherine McDougall said there did not appear to be broad risk to the community.

"No other possible cases of brodifacoum poisoning have been identified since the five individuals were reported last week," Dr McDougall said.

"The identified products are homemade and do not appear to be widely distributed. It is believed they are available only very locally in the Logan community.

"We do not believe there is a widespread risk to the broader community however we encourage people in the Logan area to be alert.

"The investigation remains ongoing, we are continuing to make further enquiries and will keep the community updated."

If people believe they may have consumed the identified products or are experiencing bleeding that can't otherwise be explained, they should visit their local GP, local satellite hospital or urgent care clinic for testing, or call 13 HEALTH for further advice.

Brodifacoum is the active ingredient in rat poison that inhibits Vitamin K, which is essential for blood to clot.

It can cause bleeding-related complications if ingested by humans.

Symptoms include bleeding gums, unexplained bruises, blood in urine or stool and swelling of joints.

A man from Sydney's east has been charged after he allegedly impersonated an Australian Federal Police officer and was caught with a series of prohibited replica firearms.

An AFP investigation began on September 23 after a member of the public handed in an AFP badge and identification to Bondi Police Station.

The badge and identification were seized for further investigation after a small quantity of cocaine was allegedly found behind the identification card.

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Investigations led the police to a 50-year-old man from Double Bay.

A search warrant was executed at his home yesterday, where hats and t-shirts with AFP insignia, four replica firearms, 11 gel blasters, allegedly fraudulent badges and identification from other law enforcement agencies were all seized.

Large amounts of steroids and 14g of cocaine were also allegedly found and seized.

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"Falsely representing yourself as any kind of law enforcement or Commonwealth official poses a genuine danger to public safety," AFP Detective Superintendent Peter Fogarty said.

"This type of behaviour is extremely concerning, and if anyone has information about the fraudulent use of police identification, please contact your local police station. We thank the member of the public who handed in the badge and identification."

The man was arrested and charged with possessing prohibited firearms, supplying an indictable amount of a prohibited drug and impersonating a Commonwealth public official.

He faces a maximum penalty of two years in prison and is set to face Parramatta court today.

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The 'Balenciaga bikie' has been arrested at a Sydney Airbnb after weeks on the run and a manhunt that spanned across two states.

At about 7pm last night, police arrived at an Airbnb in Dundas Valley, where Tarek Zahed was found and arrested.

$12,800 in cash was also allegedly discovered.

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The 45-year-old was wanted on an outstanding revocation of parole warrant for assault and hindrance offences across both NSW and Victoria. 

He was taken to Gladesville Police Station, where officers executed the warrant.

He has since been transferred into the custody of the Department of Corrective Services NSW. 

A 38-year-old man was also arrested at the address but was later released without charge.

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A desperate search for a 25-year-old man is under way after a boat flipped off Victoria's Mornington Peninsula coast late last night.

A five-and-a-half metre fibreglass boat with two fishermen on board overturned around one kilometre offshore of Mornington, according to police.

Emergency services were called to Schnapper Point Drive about 11.15pm.

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One man was rescued by another boat.

He was assessed by paramedics and was taken to hospital with hypothermia.

An immediate search commenced involving Water Police, Air Wing and Uniform officers, with assistance from HEMS, Life Saving Victoria and the coast guard.

It continues this morning.

Police are investigating whether a potential wake from another vessel caused the boat to capsize.

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Donald Trump has torn down the White House's East Wing to create his big "beautiful" ballroom, but his staff insist the US president's project is a "bold, necessary addition" that continues a long-standing legacy.

The East Wing — the entrance for visitors and where first ladies worked, planned state dinners and promoted causes for the past 123 years — is now a pile of rubble and history itself.

The two-storey structure is being razed to make way for a new 8361 square-metre ballroom, which is almost twice the size of the White House.

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Trump, who has long complained about the lack of space in the East Room and the tents erected on the South Lawn to host larger events, said it is "going to be probably the finest ballroom ever built".

The cost of the project was bumped up to $300 million (AUD$460.5 million), with Trump saying it is being privately funded by "me and some friends of mine".

Construction is expected to be completed before the end of his term in office in January 2029.

Democrats, preservationists and critics have raised concerns about a lack of transparency, approval and the destruction of the building, with many aghast to see images of a bulldozed East Wing.

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The White House said Trump is merely continuing a "proud presidential legacy", with Republicans pointing to a long list of past leaders who also made changes to the building in its 200-year existence.

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told the American people to "just trust the process".

Presidents have been remodelling and expanding the White House for more than a century, from Richard Nixon installing a bowling alley, John F. Kennedy creating the modern Rose Garden, and Barack Obama resurfacing part of the tennis court for a basketball court, to more significant changes, including creating new wings and rebuilding the interior.

But all those changes have all gone through a review process, even though it is not technically required, while Trump's ballroom did not. 

His project is also the largest renovation since former president Harry Truman's complete interior renovation in 1948.

Let's take a look back at some of the past major remodels.

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1902 — Theodore Roosevelt builds the East and West wings

This is believed to be a renovation that modernised the White House for the 20th century, taking all the previous alterations to create one big cohesive building.

Perhaps one of Roosevelt's biggest changes was moving his office from the second floor to the newly built executive office building, later named the West Wing.

This was an intentional space for the president and his closest staff to work from. 

Roosevelt also added a colonial garden and an east terrace, which served as an entryway for guests. This was later dubbed the East Wing.

1909 — William Taft remodels the West Wing and builds the Oval Office

Taft immediately remodelled and expanded his predecessor's executive building, adding an oval-shaped room at its centre to serve as the very first main presidential office.

This was, of course, named the Oval Office. 

Before the establishment of a main office, presidents would work from different areas of the White House.

This was used by every succeeding president until 1934.

1934 — Franklin Roosevelt expands the West Wing, moves the Oval Office and rebuilds the East Wing

Roosevelt added more office space to the West Wing and relocated the Oval Office to the south-east corner of the building overlooking the Rose Garden.

That is where it remains today. 

He also rebuilt the East Wing to conceal a new underground emergency bunker.

Roosevelt added a privately-financed indoor swimming pool to help with his therapy for the effects of polio.

This was later covered up and turned into the current press briefing room by Richard Nixon in 1970.

1948 — Harry Truman reconstructs the interior

Truman oversaw one of the most significant changes to the White House, prompted by structural deficiencies.

He completely gutted the entire interior and rebuilt it from the inside, leaving only the exterior intact.

1975 — Gerald Ford installs an outdoor swimming pool

As an avid swimmer who wanted to maintain his regimen, Ford ordered the installation of an outdoor swimming pool on the South Grounds.

This was also financed entirely by private donations.

— With the Associated Press

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