Taliban authorities in Afghanistan have asked television broadcasters to ensure that female presenters on local stations cover their faces when on air, an official said yesterday.

The move comes days after authorities ordered women to cover their faces in public, a return to a policy of the Taliban's past hardline rule and an escalation of restrictions that are causing anger at home and abroad.

Most Afghan women wear a headscarf for religious reasons, but many in urban areas such as Kabul do not cover their faces. During the Taliban's last rule from 1996 to 2001, it was obligatory for women to wear the all-encompassing burqa.

The Taliban says it has changed since its last rule, but recently added regulations such as limiting women's movement without a male chaperone. Older girls above 13 years old have also yet to be allowed back to schools and colleges.