The Trump administration is ending the Temporary Protection Program that offered deportation protection to thousands of people from Afghanistan.

The Department of Homeland Security said Monday it will end the program on July 12.

The TPS program allows migrants to get work permits and temporary reprieve from deportation if the U.S. government determines it is unsafe for them to return to their home countries due to war, natural disaster or other issues.

Over 8,000 Afghans were approved for TPS as of last year, according to federal statistics.

TPS was last extended for Afghanistan in 2023, and it was set to expire in May unless the Trump administration chose to grant another extension.

“This decision is unconscionable and will have long-lasting ripple effects,” #AfghanEvac, a group that helps relocate Afghans, said in a post on X.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to resume the Indian Premier League (IPL) following the recent ceasefire agreement between New Delhi and Pakistan. 

The tournament was suspended last week due to clashes between the two neighboring countries. However, the BCCI said on Monday night it will resume matches from this Saturday, May 17 and the tournament will run through until June 3. 

The BCCI said in a statement late Monday that “after extensive consultations with government and security agencies, and with all the key stakeholders, the board has decided to proceed with the remainder of the season.”

The remainder of the IPL matches will be played across six venues, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru will host defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday followed by one of two double-headers Sunday.

Jaipur, Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai and Ahmedabad are the other host cities for the remaining league phase matches.

The venues for the four play-off ties, including the final on 3 June, will be announced later.

The original hosts for the playoffs were Hyderabad and Kolkata, with the final at Eden Gardens on 25 May.

The first qualifier will now be on 29 May, followed by the eliminator on 30 May. The second qualifier is slated for 1 June and the final two days later.

The IPL was suspended for a week last Friday, a day after a match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals was abandoned in Dharamsala, less than 200 kilometres from the northern city of Jammu, where explosions were reported hours earlier.

A special train was arranged for players to return to Delhi on Friday as airspace was closed, while overseas stars began to head home on Saturday.

Cricket Australia (CA) meanwhile said in a statement on Tuesday that their players were shaken by the events that led to suspension of the 18th edition of the tournament. /”

As a result, the board has left it to the players to decide whether they want to return or not, even for the players who will have little time to prepare for the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final against South Africa which starts just a week after the IPL 2025 final. 

“Cricket Australia will support players in their individual decisions whether to return to India or not,” CA said in a statement.

“Team management will work through preparation implications for the World Test Championship final for those players who choose to play in the remaining IPL matches.

 “We are maintaining communication with the Australian Government and BCCI around security arrangements and safety.”

WTC-bound players

Australia’s WTC 2025 final-bound players in the IPL 2025 are Delhi Capitals’ (DC) Mitchell Starc, Punjab Kings’ (PBKS) Josh Inglis, Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) Josh Hazlewood and Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) Pat Cummins and Travis Head. 

Hazlewood is unlikely to return to India as he picked up a shoulder injury. According to an Australian media outlet, Starc’s manager said that the left-arm pacer may also not return to India for the remainder of the tournament. 

Australian SRH players will have plenty of time to return and prepare for the WTC final as their last league match is on May 25. The finalists of the previous edition are already out of the playoffs race.

Fans across Afghanistan can meanwhile tune in to Ariana Television from Saturday to watch all the remaining matches live. Fans can also follow Ariana News and Ariana Television’s social media pages for updates, news and revised schedules.

A number of domestic investors have announced plans to invest $650 million in three phases for the exploration and extraction of one of the blocks in the Hajigak iron mine.

The announcement was made during a meeting on Monday with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, who welcomed the initiative and reaffirmed the Islamic Emirate’s full support for such investments.

According to the investors, the project will be implemented in partnership with a foreign company and carried out using professional and modern mining standards. In addition to extraction, the plan includes the establishment of a sponge iron processing plant within Afghanistan, equipped with advanced technology and compliant with international standards.

The facility is expected to process up to 9,000 tons of sponge iron daily, converting it into steel billets to meet Afghanistan’s domestic demand for iron products. The project is also projected to create 6,000 direct jobs, contributing significantly to the local economy.

Mullah Baradar instructed the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum to collaborate closely with the investors and to regularly report on the project’s progress. He reiterated the government’s commitment to supporting initiatives that foster economic growth and self-reliance in the mining sector.