The European Union has welcomed the appointment of Rabab Fatima as the new Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Afghanistan, saying it looks forward to working with her on issues related to the country.

“The EU looks forward to working with her in Kabul and international fora, including future steps for the ‘Doha process’,” Anouar El Anouni said in a post on X on Friday.

He added that “the world must not forget Afghanistan,” emphasizing the need for continued international engagement with the country.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Rabab Fatima of Bangladesh as his new Special Representative for Afghanistan and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

According to a statement issued by the UN spokesperson’s office on Wednesday, Fatima will succeed Roza Otunbayeva of Kyrgyzstan, who has led the mission in Afghanistan in recent years.

Following reports claiming that Yaftal-e-Paeen district in Badakhshan province had fallen, Fasihuddin Fitrat, Chief of Army Staff of the Islamic Emirate, visited the district and said that most of the alleged rioters had been arrested, while the remaining individuals would soon be detained.

Fitrat stressed that there were no security problems in Badakhshan and said that anyone attempting to disrupt security in the province would face a decisive response from the security forces.

Fitrat added that young people should cooperate with the country’s security forces and not be deceived by those who had fled Afghanistan.

He further stated that it was possible that foreign intelligence agencies had exploited the emotions of young people and played a role in disrupting security in Yaftal district of Badakhshan province.

However, he added that he could not confirm this possibility with complete certainty.

On Friday night, while the district’s senior officials were on leave, a number of irresponsible and ill-intentioned individuals attacked the Yaftal district headquarters. He said the attackers were neutralized and arrested within a few hours after security forces arrived.

President Donald Trump will attend the World Cup final on Sunday between Spain and defending champion Argentina, the White House confirmed on Thursday.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president would be in ​New York City on Friday to attend a FIFA reception at Trump Tower in Manhattan, ‌then be at Sunday’s game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J, Reuters reported.

The comments confirmed Trump’s expected participation after FIFA president Gianni Infantino said last month that he would present the trophy.

“We will be together with the president, enjoying the final and handing ​the trophy to the winner, of course,” Infantino said on June 23 on “Fox & Friends.”

Heads of state ​have a history of attending the finals and some have been part of the ⁠trophy presentation, including in Qatar in 2022 and Russia in 2018.

Neither Trump nor vice president JD Vance ​have previously attended any of the 102 games played thus far at this World Cup, which is co-hosted ​by the United States, Canada and Mexico. Members of the cabinet have appeared at games featuring the U.S. men’s national team in California and Seattle.

“His attendance will cap what has been the most-watched, most secure and most successful World Cup in American ​history,” Leavitt said.

The United States hosted the Men’s World Cup one previous time, in 1994.

Trump has attended ​multiple high-profile sporting events, including the Super Bowl, U.S. Open tennis tournament, Ryder Cup and Daytona 500, during his two presidential ‌terms. ⁠In November 2024, he was present for a UFC event at Madison Square Garden. Last month, he attended UFC Freedom 250 on the White House South Lawn, as well as Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden.

Last summer, he was at the ​same venue as Sunday’s match ​for the Club World ⁠Cup Final and shared the stage as English club Chelsea raised the trophy.

Infantino partnered with Trump to announce the World Cup draw would be last December at ​the Kennedy Center in Washington. He also presented Trump with the first FIFA ​Peace Prize.

Trump acknowledged ⁠calling Infantino to review the red-card suspension of United States striker Folarin Balogun for a foul in the 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1.

Balogun was automatically banned for the following round of 16 match against ⁠Belgium ​on July 6. Infantino acknowledged receiving a call from Trump, who ​publicly lobbied for Balogun to play, but the FIFA president said he did not interfere with the decision-making process.

FIFA suspended the one-game ban ​on July 5, enabling Balogun to play amid the controversy. Belgium eliminated the U.S. squad 4-1.