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ATN’s hat-trick! Rights in place to broadcast ICC World Test Championship 2023/25 Final

Ariana Television and Radio Network (ATN) has done it again! This time it secured the rights to broadcast the ICC World Test Championship 2023/25 Final in Afghanistan.
The 2023–2025 ICC World Test Championship is an ongoing tournament of Test Cricket which is the third edition of the ICC World Test Championship.
This event started in June 2023 with The Ashes, which was contested between England and Australia. It will finish in June 2025 with the final match planned to be played at Lord’s in London.
The tournament consists of 27 series and 69 matches in the league stage between nine countries. The top two teams in the points table will compete at the final.
Current State of Play
A draw this week in the third Test between Australia and India has spiced up the race to the World Test Championship Final especially as Australia and India continue to play catch-up with South Africa after the rain-truncated third Test in Brisbane ended in a stalemate.
South Africa had to dig deep against Sri Lanka recently, but a standout all-round performance helped them secure a series win and pushed them to the top of the standings, placing them as the front-runners for the WTC25 Final at Lord’s.
Alongside South Africa, Australia and India, Sri Lanka remains the only other team in contention for a WTC25 Final spot. However, they will need a string of favorable results – including a successful showing in their upcoming two-match series against Australia in January – to keep their hopes alive.
South Africa is top of the standings with a PCT of 63.33. They need to win one out of their two upcoming tests against Pakistan to reach their maiden ICC WTC final.
Australia and India are in second and third place respectively.
India has a PCT of 55.88 and two tests left, both of which they need to win to secure a place in the final.
Australia’s PCT is 58.89. After two tests against India. They have two more tests in Sri Lanka.
For cricket fans across the country, make sure you follow us on social media, and watch this spot, for updates and announcements on this event – along with other exciting tournaments coming up next year that Ariana Television will be bringing to you live and exclusively in Afghanistan.
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Pakistan urges global community to block arms flow to militant groups in Afghanistan

A Pakistani diplomat on Saturday called on the international community to block the flow of modern and sophisticated weapons to militant groups in Afghanistan.
“Terrorist armed groups are in possession of billions worth of illicit arms abandoned in Afghanistan,” Syed Atif Raza, a counsellor at the Pakistan Mission to the UN, told an Arria-Formua meeting of the UN Security Council, convened by Sierra Leone.
“We call upon our international partners to recover the vast stockpile of abandoned weapons, prevent their access to armed terrorist groups and take measures to close this thriving black market of illicit arms,” he said.
Pakistani officials have repeatedly claimed that attacks in the country are planned in Afghanistan and that militants use weapons left behind by foreign forces.
The Islamic Emirate, however, has denied the claim, saying Afghanistan is not responsible for Pakistan’s “security failure”.
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Gandapur says no Afghan refugee will be ‘forcefully’ expelled from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Amid rising tensions over Pakistan’s repatriation plans for illegal Afghan nationals, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapour said on Friday that no refugees will be forcibly deported from the province.
“We will not allow any Afghan refugee to be expelled by force from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. We stand firmly against such inhumane deportations,” Gandapur said at a press conference.
The remarks came as the Pakistani government ramps up efforts to repatriate undocumented Afghan refugees and Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders, following the expiration of the voluntary return deadline on March 31, 2025.
“The past situation, where Afghan refugees, including women and children, were stranded at the border, tarnished Pakistan’s image,” Gandapur said, reaffirming the provincial government’s commitment to a dignified repatriation process.
“We are setting up camps for voluntary repatriation, and anyone wishing to return will be helped. However, we will not forcibly expel any Afghan refugee,” he stated.
Afghans holding Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC) — issued by Pakistan authorities and held by 800,000 people, according to the United Nations — face deportation to Afghanistan after the deadline.
More than 1.3 million Afghans who hold Proof of Registration (PoR) cards from the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, are also to be moved outside the capital Islamabad and neighbouring city Rawalpindi.
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IEA has 46 township plans for returnees, minister tells visiting Iranian official

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has 46 township plans for returning refugees, Acting Minister of Refugees and Repatriation Mawlawi Abdul Kabir told a visiting Iranian diplomat in Kabul, calling on Tehran to give refugees time to return.
According to a statement issued by the ministry on Saturday, Abdul Kabir said during the meeting that Afghanistan and Iran are friendly neighbors that have many commonalities.
He stressed the need to further develop and strengthen relations between the two countries and said that the frequent visits of high-ranking Iranian officials show that Tehran wants positive and friendly relations with Afghanistan.
Abdul Kabir thanked Iran for its assistance and hosting of Afghan refugees, saying that Iran and Pakistan have been hosting Afghan refugees for the past few decades. He called for more leniency in the treatment of migrants.
He said that the Islamic Emirate is preparing a mechanism to provide legal documents for those migrants whose legal residence in Iran has expired.
In the meeting, Mohammad Reza Bahrami, Iran’s new Assistant Minister and Director General for South Asian Affairs at the Foreign Ministry, invited Abdul Kabir to visit Tehran, and called for repatriation plan to be shared before the trip.
He stressed on the humane treatment of Afghan refugees and appreciated the Islamic Emirate’s initiative to build 46 townships, calling it an important step forward for the return of refugees.
Bahrami noted that there are currently eight million Afghan reguees living in Iran, of whom four million are undocumented or have their residence expired.
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