United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Bruno Georges Lemarquis as his new Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

Lemarquis will also serve as the UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Afghanistan, taking over from Indrika Ratwatte of Sri Lanka. The Secretary-General thanked Ratwatte for his dedicated service.

The appointment places Lemarquis in one of the United Nations’ most important regional roles, overseeing humanitarian coordination, development efforts and political engagement in Afghanistan.

Lemarquis brings extensive international experience in crisis management, peacebuilding and humanitarian operations. Since 2022, he has served as Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), where he also held the roles of Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator.

He previously served in similar senior positions in Haiti with the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) between 2020 and 2021.

Earlier in his career, Lemarquis worked with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in several leadership roles focused on crisis response, recovery and conflict prevention. His field assignments included work in Somalia, Haiti, the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Cambodia.

Before joining the United Nations in 1992, he worked with an international non-governmental organization in Haiti and Ethiopia.

Lemarquis holds an engineering degree in tropical agriculture from the Centre National d’Etudes des Régions Chaudes in Montpellier. In addition to his native French, he is fluent in English.

Senior officials from Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) have held talks in Moscow with Russian energy authorities aimed at expanding bilateral cooperation in electricity generation, infrastructure and broader energy development.

According to DABS, the power utility company’s Chief Executive Officer Abdul Haq Hamkar, accompanied by Afghanistan’s ambassador to Russia Gul Hassan Hassan, met with Russian Deputy Energy Minister Vladimir Khazov to discuss joint initiatives and future investment opportunities.

During the meeting, Hamkar emphasized the importance of strengthening bilateral ties in the energy sector, describing electricity development and improved supply capacity as major priorities for Afghanistan.

Russian officials welcomed the Afghan delegation and reaffirmed Moscow’s commitment to deeper cooperation with Kabul, noting that energy and economic engagement with Afghanistan remains an important part of Russia’s regional strategy.

Khazov said efforts are continuing to expand collaboration in electricity transmission, power generation and other key energy projects.

The Afghan delegation also stressed the need to widen cooperation beyond trade to include technical assistance, infrastructure development, engineering support and long-term energy planning, while expressing appreciation for Russia’s continued engagement.

Officials travelling with the delegation included Planning Director Naser Ahmadi, Investment Coordination Director Faridullah Sharafmal and Operating Deputy Director Emal Shinwari.

The talks are seen as part of Afghanistan’s broader push to strengthen domestic energy capacity, modernize infrastructure and attract international investment to help meet rising electricity demand.

Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru produced one of the most destructive bowling displays in IPL history as they thrashed Delhi Capitals by nine wickets in Match 39 of the TATA IPL 2026 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Monday.

RCB’s pace attack ripped through Delhi’s batting line-up, dismissing the hosts for just 75 before chasing down the target in only 6.3 overs to secure a massive win and significantly boost their net run rate.

After winning the toss, RCB captain Rajat Patidar elected to bowl first, a decision that paid immediate dividends.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar struck with the second ball of the match, removing debutant Sahil Parakh, before Josh Hazlewood produced a devastating spell to dismiss KL Rahul and Sameer Rizvi in quick succession.

Delhi’s innings quickly collapsed under relentless pressure, with Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel and Nitish Rana also falling cheaply. The Capitals slumped to 13/6 in the Powerplay — the lowest Powerplay total in IPL history.

Impact substitute Abishek Porel offered brief resistance with 30 off 33 balls, while David Miller added 19, helping Delhi crawl past the 50-run mark.

Hazlewood returned to finish off the innings with outstanding figures of 4/12, while Bhuvneshwar claimed 3/5 in a superb spell. Delhi were eventually bowled out for 75 in 16.3 overs.

Chasing a modest target of 76, Bengaluru attacked from the outset.

Jacob Bethell struck a rapid 20 off 11 balls before falling to Kyle Jamieson, but Devdutt Padikkal ensured there would be no drama. The left-hander blasted an unbeaten 34 from just 13 deliveries, including three fours and three sixes.

At the other end, Virat Kohli remained unbeaten on 23 from 15 balls and reached another historic milestone by becoming the first batter to score 9,000 runs in IPL history.

RCB raced to 77/1 in just 6.3 overs, sealing one of the fastest wins ever recorded in the tournament.

Player of the Match: Josh Hazlewood for his brilliant figures of 4/12.

Punjab Kings vs Rajasthan Royals

Attention now turns to today’s clash as Punjab Kings take on Rajasthan Royals in another key contest in the race for the playoffs.

Punjab Kings have impressed with their aggressive batting this season, led by Shreyas Iyer, Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya, while Rajasthan Royals boast dangerous match-winners such as Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag and Jofra Archer.

With valuable points at stake, both teams will be eager to strengthen their playoff hopes in what promises to be an exciting encounter.

The match will be broadcast live across Afghanistan on Ariana Television.