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Iran and Afghanistan called for increased cooperation during a trip to Kabul on Sunday by Tehran’s foreign minister, the highest-level Iranian official to visit the Afghan capital since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with his Afghan counterpart, Amir Khan Muttaqi, and Taliban government Prime Minister Hassan Akhund during a one-day visit to discuss relations between the neighbouring countries that spar over issues including migration and water resources.The two sides covered economic cooperation, the situation of Afghan migrants in Iran, border issues and water rights, an Afghan foreign ministry statement said.Araghchi praised the countries’ economic, trade and political relations in his talks with Muttaqi, according to an Iranian statement, adding he hoped that “during this trip we will be able to further expand the ties in line with the national interests of both sides”, emphasising security and economic arenas.Muttaqi “expressed hope that (Araghchi’s) visit to Kabul would create further momentum in relations between the two countries and they would enter a new phase of bilateral relations”, the Afghan foreign ministry said.Many countries closed their embassies in Kabul or downgraded diplomatic relations after the Taliban takeover that ousted the US-backed government, but Iran has maintained active diplomatic ties with Afghanistan’s new rulers, though it has yet to officially recognise the Taliban government. Several Iranian delegations have visited Afghanistan over the years, including a parliamentary delegation in August 2023 to discuss water rights. – Water and migration -Tensions between the countries have intensified in recent years over water resources and the construction of dams on the Helmand and Harirud rivers. Araghchi said the issues of water and migration demanded expanded cooperation and called for the full implementation of bilateral water treaties, according to an Afghan foreign ministry statement.Muttaqi said the region was suffering from climate change-induced drought and that Taliban authorities were “trying to ensure that water reaches both sides” of the Iran-Afghanistan border.Muttaqi and Akhund also called for the situation of Afghan migrants in Iran to be improved and for their “dignified” return to Afghanistan.Afghans returning from Iran have accused Iranian authorities of harassment, wrongful deportation and physical abuse.Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says Tehran is repatriating illegal nationals to their country “in a respectful manner”. Iran shares more than 900 kilometres (560 miles) of border with Afghanistan, and the Islamic republic hosts one of the largest refugee populations in the world — mostly Afghans fleeing decades of war.The flow of Afghan immigrants has increased since the Taliban took power.Iranian media announced in September the building of a wall along more than 10 kilometres of the eastern border with Afghanistan, the main entry point for migrants.Officials said at the time that additional methods to fortify the border including barbed wire and water-filled ditches to counter the “smuggling of fuel and goods, especially drugs”, and to prevent “illegal immigration”.

Kevin Sinclair led a West Indian spin trio to give the tourists a sniff of a series-levelling win in the second Test Sunday with Pakistan on the ropes at 76-4 after day two in Multan.Skipper Kraigg Brathwaite hit a half-century as the West Indies scored 244 in their second innings to set the hosts a daunting 254-run target on a spinning Multan Stadium pitch.At stumps Saud Shakeel was unbeaten on 13 and nightwatchman Kashif Ali on one. The West Indies need only six more wickets to draw the series 1-1.Pakistan need 178 runs for victory. They won the first Test by 127 runs, also in Multan.Sinclair (2-41) opened the floodgates by trapping Pakistan skipper Shan Masood leg before for two and then had the prized wicket of Babar Azam caught for a dour 31.Azam had added 43 with Kamran Ghulam, who was dropped twice, on two and six, but the lapses did not prove costly to the West Indies.Gudakesh Motie had Muhammad Hurraira for two and Jomel Warrican dismissed Ghulam for 19.The day saw 14 wickets fall, after 20 on day one.”Our captain set the stage and infused confidence in the batters to follow,” Warrican said of Brathwaite.”We have the confidence to pull off this victory, which would be a big win in these challenging conditions.”Pakistan still believe.”There is nothing impossible in this game,” said spinner Sajid Khan.”Shakeel has batted well on such pitches and then we have other batters also, so if we have that belief then we can score the required runs.”In the morning opener Brathwaite led the fight for the visitors with a gritty 52.The last four wickets added an invaluable 99 runs before the tourists were dismissed for 244 in their second innings at tea.Left-arm spinner Noman Ali finished with 4-80 — 10 wickets in the match — while partner Sajid took 4-76, six in the match.The West Indies were 129-5 at lunch when Noman dismissed Alick Athanaze for six, before the visitors put up a fight that could prove decisive.Tevin Imlach scored 35 and Sinclair 28 to boost their team’s lead during a stubborn stand of 51 for the seventh wicket, before Sajid accounted for Sinclair and Motie for 18.Pacer Kashif had Imlach but the last pair of Warrican and Kemar Roach took the total past 240, before Sajid had Warrican caught for 18.Earlier, Brathwaite led the way with two sixes and four boundaries in his 31st Test half-century.Noman broke a solid 50-run opening stand by dismissing Mikyle Louis for seven after the tourists started their second innings in the morning.Brathwaite overturned two leg-before decisions against him before he was stumped by Mohammad Rizwan off Noman.Debutant Amir Jangoo also batted well for his 30 with three boundaries, before Sajid had him caught in the slips by Salman Agha.Kavem Hodge was stumped by Rizwan off Noman for 15 as the West Indies slumped from 92-1 to 129-5.

The West Indies batted with guts and aggression against Pakistan on Sunday to set the hosts a target of 254 to win the second Test in Multan.Skipper and opener Kraigg Brathwaite led the fight for the visitors on day two with a gritty 52.The last four wickets added an invaluable 99 runs before the tourists were dismissed for 244 in their second innings at tea.The West Indies are chasing a series-levelling win on a weary Multan Stadium pitch, having lost the first Test by 127 runs at the same venue.Left-arm spinner Noman Ali finished with 4-80 — 10 wickets in the match — while partner Sajid Khan took 4-76, six in the match.The West Indies were 129-5 at lunch when Noman dismissed Alick Athanaze for six, before the tourists put up a fight.Tevin Imlach scored 35 and Kevin Sinclair 28 to boost their team’s lead during a stubborn stand of 51 for the seventh wicket, before Sajid accounted for Sinclair and Gudakesh Motie for 18.Pacer Kashif Ali had Imlach but the last pair of Jomel Warrican and Kemar Roach took the total past 240, before Sajid had Warrican caught for 18.Earlier, Brathwaite led the way with two sixes and four boundaries in his 31st Test half-century.Noman broke a solid 50-run opening stand by dismissing Mikyle Louis for seven after the tourists started their second innings in the morning.Brathwaite overturned two leg-before decisions against him before he was stumped by Mohammad Rizwan off Noman.Debutant Amir Jangoo also batted well for his 30 with three boundaries, before Sajid had him caught in the slips by Salman Agha.Kavem Hodge was stumped by Rizwan off Noman for 15 as the West Indies slumped from 92-1 to 129-5.

After working for years alongside the United States to combat the Taliban in Afghanistan, Zahra says she was just days from being evacuated to America when President Donald Trump suspended refugee admissions.She sold her belongings as she awaited a flight out of Pakistan, where she has been embroiled in a three-year process applying for a refugee scheme Trump froze in one of his first acts back in office.”We stood with them for the past 20 years, all I want is for them to stand up for the promise they made,” the 27-year-old former Afghanistan defence ministry worker told AFP from Islamabad.”The only wish we have is to be safe and live where we can have peace and an ordinary human life,” she said, sobbing down the phone and speaking under a pseudonym to protect her identity.The 2021 withdrawal of US-led troops from Kabul ended two decades of war but began a new exodus, as Afghans clamoured to escape Taliban government curbs and fears of reprisal for working with Washington.Trump’s executive order to pause admissions for at least 90 days starting from January 27 has blocked around 10,000 Afghans approved for entry from starting new lives in the United States, according to non-profit #AfghanEvac.Tens of thousands more applications in process have also been frozen, the US-based organisation said.”All sorts of people that stood up for the idea of America, now they’re in danger,” #AfghanEvac chief Shawn VanDiver told AFP. “We owe it to them to get them out.”- ‘Hopes are shattered’ – Trump’s order said “the United States lacks the ability to absorb large numbers of migrants, and in particular, refugees”, and stopped the relocation scheme until it “aligns with the interests of the United States”.But campaigners argue the country owes a debt to Afghans left in the lurch by their withdrawal — which Trump committed to in his first term but was overseen by his successor president Joe Biden.A special visa programme for Afghans who were employed by or on behalf of the United States remains active.But the more wide-reaching refugee scheme was relied on by applicants including ex-Afghan soldiers and employees of the US-backed government, as well as their family members.With America’s Kabul embassy shut, many travelled to neighbouring Pakistan to enter paperwork, conduct interviews and undergo vetting.Female applicants are fleeing the country where the Taliban government has banned them from secondary school and university, squeezed them from public life and ordered them to wear all-covering clothes.”I had a lot of hopes for my sisters, that they should graduate from school and pursue education,” said one of five daughters of an ex-government employee’s family seeking resettlement from Pakistan.”All my hopes are shattered,” said the 23-year-old. “I have nightmares and when I wake up in the morning, I feel like I can’t fall asleep again. I’m very anxious.”The European Court of Justice ruled last year that Afghan women have the right to be recognised as refugees in the EU because Taliban government curbs on women “constitute acts of persecution”.This week, the International Criminal Court chief prosecutor said he was seeking arrest warrants for Taliban government leaders because there are grounds to suspect they “bear criminal responsibility for the crime against humanity of persecution on gender grounds”.Moniza Kakar, a lawyer who works with Afghan refugees in Pakistan, said some women told her they “prefer suicide than going back to Afghanistan”.The Taliban government has announced an amnesty and encouraged those who fled to return to rebuild the country, presenting it as a haven of Islamic values. But a 2023 report by UN rights experts said “the amnesty for former government and military officials is being violated” and there were “consistent credible reports of summary executions and acts tantamount to enforced disappearances”.- ‘No life left for me’ – Last summer, Pakistan’s foreign ministry complained as many as 25,000 Afghans were in the country awaiting relocation to the United States.Islamabad announced a sweeping campaign in 2023 to evict undocumented Afghans , ordering them to leave or face arrest as relations soured with the Taliban government.At least 800,000 Afghans have left since October 2023, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council. But Afghans awaiting refugee relocation have also reported widespread harassment to leave by authorities in Pakistan.A foreign ministry spokesman told reporters this week Trump’s administration had not yet communicated any new refugee policy to Pakistan.Islamabad is following “the same old plan” where Washington has committed to taking in refugees this year, Shafqat Ali Khan said.Afghans awaiting new lives abroad feel caught between a cancelled future and the haunting prospect of returning to their homeland.”I don’t have the option of returning to Afghanistan, and my situation here is dire,” said 52-year-old former Afghan journalist Zahir Bahand.”There is no life left for me, no peace, no future, no visa, no home, no work: nothing is left for me.”

Some 200 Taliban supporters rallied in central Afghanistan on Sunday against the International Criminal Court chief prosecutor’s request for arrest warrants for two Taliban leaders. The rally followed the announcement by the ICC on Thursday that chief prosecutor Karim Khan was seeking arrest warrants for Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani over the persecution of women.The Taliban government has imposed a raft of restrictions on women and girls, which the United Nations has described as “gender apartheid”, since sweeping back to power in 2021. Demonstrators in Ghazni city condemned Khan’s move, chanting slogans that included “Death to America” and “long live the Islamic Emirate” — the Taliban authorities’ name for their government. “We have gathered here to show the West that their decision is cruel and rejected by Afghans,” said Ghazni resident Noorulhaq Omar.”It will never be accepted because the Afghan nation will sacrifice their life for their emir,” he said, referring to Akhundzada.Hamidullah Nisar, Ghazni province’s head of the information and culture department, joined residents at the rally.”We totally reject what the ICC has said against the leadership of the Islamic Emirate, and we want them to take back their words,” he said.Most demonstrations have been suppressed in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover, with the exception of those by the authorities’ supporters.Afghanistan’s Taliban government dismissed Khan’s arrest warrant requests on Friday as “politically motivated”.Rights groups and activists have praised the ICC move. 

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto looked on as guest of honour at India’s annual military and cultural parade in New Delhi held to mark the country’s 76th Republic Day on Sunday.Republic Day marks the adoption of India’s post-independence constitution in 1950 with the parade being held at a revamped colonial-era boulevard that also hosts important government buildings.”May this occasion strengthen our efforts towards preserving the ideals of our Constitution and working towards a stronger and prosperous India,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Sunday on social media platform X.The annual show is a colourful and tightly choreographed spectacle featuring the country’s missile systems, fighter jet fly pasts, motorbike stunts and floats representing different Indian states.An Indonesian military marching contingent also took part in the celebrations.The event coincided with Prabowo’s two-day state visit to India, his first to the country since becoming president in 2024.Indonesia was the guest nation at India’s first Republic Day, Modi said Saturday, adding that it was a matter of “great pride” to have the country part of the parade again.India and Indonesia signed a series of agreements on cooperation on health, maritime security, digital technology with both leaders calling each other “brother”.”To increase cooperation in the defence sector, we have decided we would work together on defence manufacturing and supply chain,” Modi said in a joint press statement on Saturday. Prabowo said his administration would send “a high-level defence delegation” soon.India’s arms exports were worth $2.63 billion last year, a tiny amount compared to established players but a 30-fold increase over a decade.

Skipper Kraigg Brathwaite hit a fighting half century Saturday to lead the West Indies to 129-5 at lunch on the second day of the second Test against Pakistan in Multan.The tourists negotiated Pakistan’s spin attack aggressively to take their slender nine-run first-innings lead to 138 at the break in their bid to pull off a series-levelling win.Pakistan lead the two-match series 1-0 after winning the first Test by 127 runs, also in Multan.Left-arm spinner Noman Ali brought Pakistan back in the game with 4-59, trapping Alick Athanaze leg before for six on the cusp of lunch, while Justin Greaves was unbeaten on five.With the Multan Stadium pitch offering slow spin in comparison to day one, Brathwaite led the way with two sixes and four boundaries in his 31st Test half century.Noman broke the solid 50-run opening stand by dismissing Mikyle Louis for seven after the tourists started their second innings in the morning.Brathwaite overturned two leg before decisions against him before he was stumped by Mohammad Rizwan off Noman for a well-made 52.Debutant Amir Jangoo also batted well for his 30 with three boundaries, before Sajid Khan had him caught in the slips by Salman Agha.Kavem Hodge was stumped by Rizwan off Noman for 15 as the West Indies slumped from 92-1 to 129-5.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday threatened bounties on the heads of Afghanistan’s Taliban leaders, sharply escalating the tone as he said more Americans may be detained in the country than previously thought.The threat comes days after the Afghan Taliban government and the United States swapped prisoners in one of the final acts of former president Joe Biden.The new top US diplomat issued the harsh warning via social media, in a rhetorical style strikingly similar to his boss, President Donald Trump.”Just hearing the Taliban is holding more American hostages than has been reported,” Rubio wrote on X.”If this is true, we will have to immediately place a VERY BIG bounty on their top leaders, maybe even bigger than the one we had on bin Laden,” he said, referring to the Al-Qaeda leader killed by US forces in 2011.Rubio did not describe who the other Americans may be, but there have long been accounts of missing Americans whose cases were not formally taken up by the US government as wrongful detentions.In the deal with the Biden administration, the Taliban freed the best-known American detained in Afghanistan, Ryan Corbett, who had been living with his family in the country and was seized in August 2022.Also freed was William McKenty, an American about whom little information has been released.The United States in turn freed Khan Mohammed, who was serving a life sentence in a California prison.Mohammed was convicted of trafficking heroin and opium into the United States and was accused of seeking rockets to kill US troops in Afghanistan.The United States offered a bounty of $25 million for information leading to the capture or killing of Osama bin Laden shortly after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, with Congress later authorizing the secretary of state to offer up to $50 million.No one is believed to have collected the bounty for bin Laden, who was killed in a US raid in Pakistan.- Harder line on Taliban? -Trump is known for brandishing threats in his speeches and on social media. But he is also a critic of US military interventions overseas and in his second inaugural address Monday said he aspired to be a “peacemaker.” In his first term, the Trump administration broke a then-taboo and negotiated directly with the Taliban — with Trump even proposing a summit with the then-insurgents at the Camp David presidential retreat — as he brokered a deal to pull US troops and end America’s longest war.Biden carried out the agreement, with the Western-backed government swiftly collapsing and the Taliban retaking power in August 2021 just after US troops left. The scenes of chaos in Kabul brought strong criticism of Biden, especially when 13 American troops and scores of Afghans died in a suicide bombing at the city’s airport. The Biden administration had low-level contacts with Taliban government representatives but made little headway. Some members of Trump’s Republican Party criticized even the limited US engagements with the Taliban government and especially the humanitarian assistance authorized by the Biden administration, which insisted the money was for urgent needs in the impoverished country and never routed through the Taliban.Rubio on Friday froze nearly all US aid around the world.No country has officially recognized the Taliban government, which has imposed severe restrictions on women and girls under its ultra-conservative interpretation of Islam. The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor on Thursday said he was seeking arrest warrants for senior Taliban leaders over the persecution of women.

Tilak Varma anchored India’s chase with an unbeaten 72 to lead the hosts to a thrilling two-wicket victory over England in the second T20 international on Saturday.Chasing a tricky 166 for victory, India lost regular wickets but Varma kept calm in his 55-ball knock to steer the team home with four balls to spare in Chennai and lead the five-match series 2-0.England fast bowler Brydon Carse returned figures of 3-29 to hurt the hosts, who slipped to 146-8, but Varma hung on with number 10 Ravi Bishnoi and hit the winning boundary.The chase went down to the wire as India needed 20 off 18 balls and then 13 off the final 12 as Bishnoi also hit two fours in his unbeaten nine to lend support to left-hander Varma who hit four fours and five sixes.England’s new ball pair of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood removed the openers inside three overs before Carse made an instant impact with the ball in his first two overs.Carse had India skipper Suryakumar Yadav bowled for 12 after the batsman inside edged a quick in-coming delivery onto his stumps and then dismissed Dhruv Jurel in his next over.Jamie Overton sent Hardik Pandya trudging back to the pavilion for seven as India lost half their side on 78 in 9.1 overs.Washington Sundar survived a reprieve on 10 when Adil Rashid dropped a catch at mid-on off Wood and the left-hand batsman smashed the speedster for a six and two fours in the over.Carse bowled Sundar and India lost two more wickets but Varma was unstoppable.Earlier England skipper Jos Buttler hit 45 and Carse 31 off 17 deliveries to help the tourists to 165-9 after being invited to bat first.Spinners Axar Patel and Varun Chakravarthy took two wickets each.Buttler, who made 68 in the opening defeat, started aggressively despite England losing openers Phil Salt for four and Ben Duckett for three.Left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh struck with the fourth ball of the match to have Salt caught for his 98th T20 wicket in 62 matches.Sundar got Duckett with his first ball, luring him into an attempted reverse sweep, but Buttler and Harry Brook then took up the attack with a flurry of sixes and fours.Brook lasted eight balls for his 13 before Chakravarthy bowled the England vice-captain.Wickets kept tumbling as left-arm spinner Patel dismissed Buttler and then Liam Livingstone out for 13.Jamie Smith smashed 22 off 12 balls, but it was Carse who took on the spinners and hit two successive sixes off Chakravarthy before being run out.The third match is in Rajkot on Tuesday.

Attacking knocks by skipper Jos Buttler and Brydon Carse helped England reach 165-9 against India in the second T20 international on Saturday.Buttler hit 45 and Carse 31 off 17 deliveries in as the tourists look to level the five-match series in Chennai after India won the opener.Spinners Axar Patel and Varun Chakravarthy took two wickets each.Buttler, who made 68 in the first match, started aggressively despite England losing openers Phil Salt for four and Ben Duckett for three.Left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh struck with the fourth ball of the match to have Salt caught for his 98th T20 wicket in 62 matches.Spinner Washington Sundar got Duckett with his first ball, luring him into an attempted reverse sweep, but Buttler and Harry Brook then took up the attack with a flurry of sixes and fours.Brook lasted eight balls for his 13 before first-match hero Chakravarthy bowled the England vice-captain.Wickets kept tumbling as left-arm spinner Patel dismissed Buttler and then Liam Livingstone out for 13.Jamie Smith smashed 22 off 12 balls, hitting one four and two sixes in his T20 debut before falling to Abhishek Sharma’s left-arm spin.Carse then took on the spinners and hit two successive sixes off Chakravarthy but was run out after a mix-up with Jofra Archer, who stood unbeaten on 12 off nine balls.