Rashid Khan
Khaama: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has again ranked Afghan cricket star Rashid Khan as the world’s top bowler in both T20 and one-day international formats, reinforcing his position as one of the leading players in global cricket. In the latest ICC rankings, Rashid retained the number one ODI bowling ranking with 710 points, maintaining the top position he has held since October 2023. Fellow Afghan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman also entered the top 10 rankings, securing ninth place among the world’s leading bowlers, while Afghan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai ranked 21st internationally. Click here to read more (external link).
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Khaama: A woman identified as the wife of Afghan local artist Salam Maftoon was shot dead by an unidentified attacker in Afghanistan’s northeastern Badakhshan province, residents said on Thursday. Zabihullah Amiri, director of Information and Culture in Badakhshan, told Khaama Press that Lailuma was attacked around 7 a.m. while travelling to her workplace in Ishkashim district. Targeted killings and violent incidents involving women continue to raise concerns in Afghanistan, particularly in remote provinces where security oversight and law enforcement capacity remain limited. 
Afghanistan International: Hannah Neumann, member of the European Parliament, says deporting Afghan asylum seekers is not only a humanitarian failure but a strategic mistake for Europe, warning it could strengthen Taliban-linked networks. She argued that if European countries return young Afghan men to Afghanistan amid severe poverty and widespread despair, they may be forced to join Taliban structures to survive, securing basic needs such as food and shelter. 
Amu: Mohsin Dawar, the leader of National Democratic Movement and a former member of Pakistan’s parliament, has said that none of Pakistan’s attacks inside Afghanistan had killed Taliban commanders or members, questioning the military’s stated objectives. “You go as far as Kabul and Kandahar in pursuit of the Afghan Taliban,” he said at a press conference in Peshawar. “But what about their centers in Waziristan, Peshawar, Islamabad and Lahore?” Dawar accused Pakistan’s security establishment of maintaining longstanding ties with militant groups while publicly portraying them as security threats. “All those people whom you now call terrorists were your strategic assets,” he said. “They were your assets in the past, they are your assets today and they will remain so unless you abandon this Taliban project.” 
Amu: A ceasefire between Taliban and Pakistan has been reached in parts of eastern Afghanistan’s Kunar province, according to local sources, but the agreement was negotiated without the presence of Taliban officials, raising questions about its durability. Residents told Amu TV that the halt in fighting followed mediation by tribal elders from both sides of the border, rather than formal talks between Taliban and Pakistani officials. The agreement, they said, remains tentative and has not been finalized. Neither Taliban nor Pakistani officials have publicly commented on the reported ceasefire. 
Afghanistan International: The Parliament of Catalonia has condemned “structural discrimination” and “systematic violence” against Hazaras in Afghanistan, urging independent investigations and support for Hazara refugees. The Catalan parliament also emphasised support for the rights of Hazara victims and asylum seekers, including humanitarian protection, asylum policies and resettlement mechanisms.