Delegation says Taliban seeks ‘dignified’ global interaction as it builds ‘strong’ and ‘developed’ Afghanistan. A Taliban delegation has arrived in Japan on what is the first visit by the group that rules Afghanistan, according to media in the East Asian country. The delegation, consisting of foreign affairs, education, economy and health officials, arrived on Sunday for a weeklong visit, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported. The visit is a rarity for the Taliban, whose diplomatic trips have previously remained close to Afghanistan since regaining power in 2021. The Taliban representatives are expected to seek humanitarian support and potentially discuss diplomatic ties with Japanese officials. Latif Nazari, a deputy minister at the Taliban’s economy ministry, described the visit as part of the group’s efforts to become an “active member of the international community”. “We seek dignified interaction with the world for a strong, united, advanced, prosperous, developed Afghanistan and to be an active member of the international community,” Nazari, who is part of the delegation, wrote in a post on X on Saturday. Advertisement Citing Afghan diplomatic sources, Japan’s public broadcaster NHK said the Taliban representatives plan to “exchange views with Japanese government officials”. Rare trip outside the region While the Taliban government makes regular visits to neighbouring and regional countries, including Central Asia, Russia and China, it rarely travels outside the region. It has officially visited Europe only for diplomacy summits in Norway in 2022 and 2023. Japan’s embassy in Kabul temporarily relocated to Qatar after the fall of the previous foreign-backed government and the takeover by the Taliban in 2021. But it has since reopened and resumed diplomatic and humanitarian activities in the country. The Taliban’s visit to Japan comes just days after ISIL (ISIS) claimed responsibility for a deadly suicide bombing outside the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing in Kabul, the latest in a series of attacks by the group. Japan’s embassy condemned the attack, posting on X on Sunday that “these attacks of terror must cease immediately”. Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/2/17/afghanistans-taliban-makes-debut-diplomatic-trip-to-japan

Two others also injured in attack strongly condemned by PM Shehbaz Sharif A levies soldier embraced martyrdom while two others were injured after terrorists attacked a security checkpost in Balochistan’s Kalat district on Sunday. The terrorists fled the scene after retaliatory fire from the brave levies personnel, a spokesperson of the provincial government said, adding that the authorities concerned launched investigations into the militants’ attack. The deceased’s body and the injured personnel had been shifted to a hospital in Quetta for medico-legal formalities and medical treatment, the spokesperson added. The security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned a terrorist attack on Levies check post in Kalat. The prime minster prayed for the high ranks of shaheed personnel and for the bereaved family to bear the loss with fortitude, PM Office said in a press release. The premier also paid tribute to martyred personnel, Ali Nawaz, and prayed for the early recovery of the injured. He said the terrorists were the enemies of the development and progress of Balochistan province and reiterated that terrorists’ nefarious designs would not be allowed to succeed. “The Levies personnel has laid down his life for the defence of the country,” he said and saluted the martyred personnel for sacrificing his life for the sake of peace in the country. The country witnessed a sharp increase in terror attacks in January 2025, surging by 42% compared to the previous month, according to data released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), a think tank. The data revealed that at least 74 militant attacks were recorded nationwide, resulting in 91 fatalities, including 35 security personnel, 20 civilians, and 36 militants. Another 117 individuals sustained injuries, including 53 security forces personnel, 54 civilians, and 10 militants. KP remained the worst-affected province, followed by Balochistan. In KP’s settled districts, militants carried out 27 attacks, resulting in 19 fatalities, including 11 security personnel, six civilians, and two militants. The tribal districts of KP (erstwhile Fata) witnessed 19 attacks, leading to 46 deaths, including 13 security personnel, eight civilians, and 25 militants. Source:https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1283441-levies-soldier-martyred-in-terror-attack-on-checkpost-in-balochistan-s-kalat

Police arrest employers after child’s death at Holy Family Hospital A 12-year-old domestic worker, allegedly subjected to severe torture by her employers, succumbed to her injuries at Holy Family Hospital, police and hospital sources told Geo News on Wednesday. The incident occurred in Rawalpindi’s Asghar Mall area within the jurisdiction of Banni Police Station. The victim, identified as Iqra, was critically injured and rushed to the hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries. Police have arrested the primary suspects (the maid’s employers), Rashid Shafiq and his wife, Sana. According to authorities, a case has been registered against them on the complaint of the deceased’s father, with the first information report (FIR) including murder charges along with seven other sections of the CrPC.PauseUnmute Current Time 0:12 / Duration 1:22 Loaded: 65.60%Quality LevelsFullscreen Iqra, a resident of Mandi Bahauddin, was employed as a domestic worker for a monthly salary of Rs8,000. Police revealed that the accused had previously misled authorities by falsely claiming that the girl’s parents were deceased. According to the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) estimates, there are at least 8.5 million domestic workers in Pakistan, the vast majority of whom are women and young girls. Although domestic work is one of the biggest sources of employment in the informal economy, it is unregistered and excluded from the scope of labour legislation as it takes place in private households. Many domestic workers report working in environments that lack proper sanitation and safety measures. In 2022, the ILO released a study, which mentioned that in Pakistan, one in every four households employs a child in domestic work, predominantly girls, aged 10 to 14 years. As per Unicef, about 3.3 million Pakistani children are trapped in child labour, depriving them of their childhood, health and education, and condemning them to a life of poverty and want. Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1281973-12-year-old-maid-succumbs-to-injuries-in-rawalpindi

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2025/2/12/live-trump-says-us-will-take-gaza-un-estimates-53bn-needed-to-rebuild

Deadly crash is the third aviation disaster in the US in little over a week. The wreckage of a small plane that went missing in the United States with 10 people on board has been found with no survivors, authorities have said. The United States Coast Guard in Alaska said on Friday that it had found the wreckage of the aircraft near Nome, about 885 kilometres (550 miles) northwest of Anchorage. Coastguard spokesperson Mike Salerno told a news conference that two of its personnel had gotten close enough to the wreckage to see three bodies inside. “Unfortunately, it does not appear to be a survivable crash,” Salerno said. Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy said he and his wife were “heartbroken”. “Our prayers are with the families, friends, and communities mourning this tragedy,” Dunleavy said on X. “We are grateful to the search teams who worked tirelessly to locate the aircraft. I ask all Alaskans to keep those affected in their thoughts and prayers.” Senator Lisa Murkowski, who represents Alaska, also expressed her sadness at the news. “Alaska is a big small town. When tragedy strikes, we’re never far removed from the Alaskans directly impacted. But that also means we come together as a community to grieve and heal,” Murkowski said on X. Advertisement The privately operated Cessna 208B Grand Caravan carrying nine passengers and one pilot went missing on Thursday afternoon while en route from Unalakleet to Nome. The plane’s last known location was over a stretch of water about 50 kilometres (30 miles) southeast of Nome. The crash is the third aviation disaster in the US in little over a week. On January 28, a regional commercial jetliner collided midair with a US army helicopter near Washington, DC, killing 67 people. Two days later, a medical transportation plane crashed into a busy Philadelphia neighbourhood, killing the six people on board and one person on the ground. Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/2/8/missing-alaska-plane-found-with-all-10-people-on-board-presumed-dead

ISPR says Afghan authorities being approached to take over slain terrorist’s body One of the terrorists killed in a recent security operation in Datta Khel was found to be an Afghan national, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Saturday. The military’s media wing identified the individual as Luqman Khan, also known as Nusrat, son of Kamal Khan. He was killed by security forces during an operation on February 6 and was a resident of Spera District, Khost Province, Afghanistan. Being an Afghan citizen, the Interim Afghan government authorities were being approached to take over his body of the individual, it added. “Such incidents are irrefutable evidence of involvement of Afghan nationals in terrorist activities in Pakistan. Interim Afghan government is expected to fulfill its obligations and deny the use of Afghan soil by terrorists for perpetuating acts of terrorism against Pakistan,” the ISPR said. At least three terrorists were killed a day earlier during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the Datta Khel area. The military’s media wing said that the terrorists were attempting to escape wearing women’s attire (burqa) when they were engaged by security forces. It may be noted that the Pakistani authorities handed over a terrorist’s body to the Afghan counterparts, last month as well. As per ISPR, the 48-year-old Afghan national Muhammad Khan Ahmedkhel was killed on January 11 in the Sambaza area of Balochistan’s Zhob. The security operations are part of a sustained effort as the country witnessed a surge in violent attacks since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, particularly in the bordering provinces of KP and Balochistan. Islamabad has time again urged Kabul to not allow its territory to be used by terrorist groups to carry out attacks against Pakistan. The country witnessed a sharp increase in terror attacks in January 2025, surging by 42% compared to the previous month, according to data released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), a think tank. The data revealed that at least 74 militant attacks were recorded nationwide, resulting in 91 fatalities, including 35 security personnel, 20 civilians, and 36 militants. Another 117 individuals sustained injuries, including 53 security forces personnel, 54 civilians, and 10 militants. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) remained the worst-affected province, followed by Balochistan. In KP’s settled districts, militants carried out 27 attacks, resulting in 19 fatalities, including 11 security personnel, six civilians, and two militants. The tribal districts of KP (erstwhile Fata) witnessed 19 attacks, leading to 46 deaths, including 13 security personnel, eight civilians, and 25 militants. Balochistan also experienced a surge in militant activity, with at least 24 attacks, which claimed 26 lives, including 11 security personnel, six civilians, and nine militants. In Punjab, two militant attacks were reported, leaving one security official injured. On the last day of January, militants launched a major assault on a police check post in DG Khan’s Jhangi area, but security forces repelled the attack without any casualties. Sindh and the federal capital, Islamabad, each witnessed one attack, though neither resulted in fatalities. The month also saw two suicide bombings, both in Balochistan. The banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for one, while the proscribed Balochistan Liberation Army took credit for the other. Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1280656-terrorist-killed-in-north-waziristan-found-to-be-afghan-national

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2025/2/7/live-3-israelis-183-palestinians-to-be-freed-in-latest-gaza-truce-swap

Wave of attacks overnight also targeted houses and businesses belonging to Hasina’s Awami League supporters. Thousands of protesters in Bangladesh have demolished and set fire to the home of the country’s founding leader, as his daughter, ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, delivered a fiery social media speech calling on her supporters to stand against the interim government. The attack on Wednesday night was prompted by a speech Hasina planned to give to supporters from exile in neighbouring India, where she fled last August after a deadly student-led uprising against her 15-year rule. Critics had accused her of suppressing dissent. The house in the capital, Dhaka, had been home to Hasina’s late father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who led the country’s independence from Pakistan in 1971. He was assassinated there in 1975. Hasina later turned the home into a museum. According to news reports, several thousand protesters, some armed with sticks, hammers and other tools, gathered around the historic house and independence monument, while others brought a crane and excavator to demolish the building on Wednesday night. Photos posted on social media and published by news organisations showed the building almost levelled to the ground, while parts of it were completely burned. The country’s leading English-language Daily Star reported early on Thursday that a wave of attacks overnight also targeted several houses and businesses belonging to Hasina’s Awami League supporters. The rally was organised alongside a broader call, dubbed “Bulldozer Procession”, to disrupt Hasina’s scheduled online address on Wednesday night. ‘Symbol of fascism’ Protesters, many aligned with the Students Against Discrimination group, had expressed their fury over Hasina’s speech, which they viewed as a challenge to the newly formed interim government. Hasnat Abdullah, a student leader of the group, had warned media outlets against Hasina’s speech and announced on Facebook on Wednesday that “tonight Bangladesh will be freed from the pilgrimage site of fascism”. Another protester, Mohammad Arefin, said there was no reason for the house to remain standing. “Since we, the students, have formed the government through revolution, we find it legitimate to demolish it.” The protesters also chanted slogans criticising India, where Hasina has lived in exile since fleeing Bangladesh last August. An interim government in Bangladesh led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus has sought Hasina’s extradition but India has not responded. Many of the protesters also chanted slogans demanding Hasina’s execution for hundreds of deaths during last year’s uprising against her, one of the country’s worst upheavals since independence. Hasina has urged a United Nations investigation into the deaths. The ousted prime minister has also been accused of overseeing extrajudicial killings and suppressing opposition voices during her 15-year rule. In her speech on Wednesday, Hasina remained defiant, saying, “They can demolish a building, but not the history. History takes its revenge.” She also urged the people of Bangladesh to stand against the interim government, accusing them of seizing power in an unconstitutional manner. The student-led movement behind the protests has voiced plans to dismantle the country’s 1972 constitution, which they argue embodies the legacy of her father’s rule. Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/2/6/bangladesh-protesters-torch-family-home-of-ousted-pm-sheikh-hasina