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Buttler trumps Kohli in battle of IPL tons as Rajasthan win
Jos Buttler hit an unbeaten 100 to trump Virat Kohli’s first century of the IPL season as Rajasthan Royals beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru by six wickets on Saturday.
England’s Buttler reached his ton, from 58 balls, with a six in his 100th IPL match when Rajasthan needed one for victory in their chase of 184, with five balls to spare in Jaipur, AFP reported.
Buttler, who struck form after he scored 35 across the previous three matches, put on 148 runs for the second wicket with skipper Sanju Samson, who made 69.
“Had a little bit of luck, did not time it well, just got over the rope, delighted with the win,” Buttler said of his winning hit over the deep mid-wicket fence.
“However long you’ve played the game, you still have those anxieties and stresses. The mind is a powerful thing, just keep digging in, keep working hard and you need a little bit of luck along the way.”
Earlier, Kohli reached his eighth IPL ton — the most by any batsman — in 67 balls and finished on an unbeaten 113 to take Bengaluru to 183-3.
But his effort was not enough as inaugural champions Rajasthan remained unbeaten in the season with four wins as they took top spot in the 10-team table, ahead of second-placed Kolkata Knight Riders who have three wins in as many matches.
Buttler, who now has six tons in the IPL along with Chris Gayle, started slowly before he hammered Mayank Dagar for three fours and a six in a 20-run sixth over to set up the chase.
Samson also took on the opposition attack after he joined Buttler following the loss of Yashasvi Jaiswal to the second ball of the innings.
Both Samson and Buttler brought the crowd alive at their home venue with delightful strokeplay and 16 fours and five sixes between the two.
‘Experience and maturity’
Rajasthan suffered a bit of a stutter after Samson departed and they lost two more wickets but Buttler stood firm along with Shimron Hetmyer, who made 11 off six.
Kohli, 35, hit the first hundred of the 17th edition of the IPL as he reached the three-figure mark with a single off Nandre Burger and took off his helmet and raised his bat to a cheering crowd.
“I don’t want to be over-aggressive, want to keep the bowler guessing. They want me to go hard and get me out,” Kohli said.
“It’s just experience and maturity. I play the conditions and have the game ready.”
Kohli hit his third fifty-plus score of this season as he put on an opening stand of 125 with skipper Faf du Plessis, who hit 44, to lay the foundations for the total.
Kohli reached his half-century off 39 balls with a six, hitting Riyan Parag down the ground.
Du Plessis fell to Yuzvendra Chahal as he gave a catch to long-on. Burger soon bowled Glenn Maxwell for one to check the surge.
Kohli stood firm and hit back as he finished with 12 fours, including three in the final over, and four sixes in his 72-ball knock.
The former India captain consolidated his position at the top of this year’s batting chart with 316 runs in five matches.
Kohli is still awaiting his first IPL title with Bengaluru.
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Tajik foreign minister urges international community to help Afghanistan address its challenges
Tajikistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sirodjiddin Mukhriddin, has called on the international community to step up assistance for Afghanistan as the country continues to face challenges.
Speaking at a press conference, Mukhriddin said Tajikistan and Afghanistan maintain active coordination between their law enforcement agencies to prevent security incidents along their shared border. He noted that this cooperation remains essential, as the frequency of armed attacks and criminal activity in border regions has increased in recent months.
He said that Afghan authorities had assured Tajikistan they would take necessary measures to stop further incidents and would conduct thorough investigations into any violations.
Mukhriddin emphasized that Tajikistan supports constructive international engagement aimed at improving Afghanistan’s socio-economic conditions. He highlighted that Tajikistan has provided more than 6,000 tons of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, including food and essential supplies delivered in 2025 to assist communities affected by devastating earthquakes.
The minister also pointed to growing economic cooperation between the two neighbors. Tajikistan has reopened border markets and continues to supply electricity to Afghanistan.
Tajikistan and Afghanistan share a border of more than 1,300 kilometers—over 1,100 km of which consists of waterways and about 190 km of land boundaries.
Meanwhile, Zafar Samad Director of the Drug Control Agency under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, has said that last year, 17 incidents of clashes happened with drug smugglers along the border with Afghanistan. As a result, two Tajik forces and 10 Afghan nationals have been killed, he added.
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Baradar: Afghanistan is not an easy target, but a ‘bitter tree’
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, warned during a graduation ceremony for soldiers of the Ministry of National Defense that the Islamic Emirate will respond decisively to anyone with ill intentions toward Afghanistan.
He said the country is “not an easy target, but a bitter tree that has made the throats of empires bitter and newborns can never digest.”
Baradar also announced that in the coming days, the Islamic Emirate will introduce tax exemptions of one to five years for domestic and foreign investors, based on the level of investment in new sectors. He also said that the process of distribution of land to manufacturers will be accelerated.
Baradar called on countries to engage in political and economic relations according to the values and principles of the Islamic Emirate, emphasizing that energy and resources spent on conflict would be better used to support one another and strengthen common interests.
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Fourteen former Afghan government forces killed in last three months of 2025: UNAMA
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), in its latest report on the human rights situation in Afghanistan, stated that 14 members of the former Afghan government forces were killed in the last three months of 2025.
The report noted that during this period, there were 28 cases of arbitrary arrest and detention, and at least seven cases of torture and ill-treatment targeting officials and personnel of the former Afghan government.
According to the report, some of the officials and forces who had recently returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan were among those subjected to extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, and detentions.
The report also highlighted restrictions on women’s work and movement, executions and flogging of individuals, and disruptions to internet and telecommunications services.
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