IEA’s higher education minister in Russia for Tatarstan forum
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) minister of higher education Nada Mohammad Nadim is heading a delegation to Russia where he will attend an education summit.
The invitation came from the Russian Republic of Tatarstan, the higher education ministry’s spokesman Ziaullah Hashimi said.
According to Hashimi, during his visit, Nadim is also expected to visit a number of universities around the country, along with several other cities in Russia.
“He will also meet with Afghan students currently residing in the country (Russia) to listen to their concerns regarding education,” Hashimi said.
A number of experts believe that such trips can have a positive effect on improving and reforming the curriculum, increasing the quota of scholarships for students, and also gaining better governance experience.
“Every trip that takes place adds to the world view and the heads of the Islamic Emirate can adopt new methods from these trips, and also in the current situation and what message the Minister of Higher Education can give to the world,” said Mohammad Asif Nang, former deputy minister of education.
"Travel by the minister of higher education can expand Afghanistan's relations with the world and achievements by the minister of higher education in the education sector can be seen,” said Moen Chamkani, another education expert.
This trip comes amid an ongoing education ban on girls and women. While IEA officials have said that the government is working on reopening universities and high schools for girls, no timeline has been given.
Sport
ILT20: MI Emirates clinches important win against Abu Dhabi Knight Riders
MI Emirates’ captain Nicholas Pooran top scored in the match with a score of 49.
The MI Emirates produced a clinical display with the bat and the ball, handing the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders a 28-run defeat at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Tuesday.
MI Emirates had the likes of Romario Shepherd and Nicholas Pooran to thank as they played a crucial part in helping their side get to within two points of the table toppers.
Their bowlers were in fine form on the night, with four of them picking a wicket each, while Alzarri Joseph and Shepherd bagged two each to derail the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders’ chase.
Put into bat first, the MI Emirates started off well, with openers Kusal Perera and Muhammad Waseem (38) putting in a fine stand at the top.
After the duo put on a 42-run stand, the Sri Lankan Perera was the first to depart for 23, just before the end of the powerplay.
In walked Tom Banton, and along with Waseem ensured the MI Emirates kept the scoreboard ticking.
Halfway into the innings, Banton was dismissed for nine, and soon after Waseem followed suit for 38.
Skipper Nicholas Pooran was joined by Kieron Pollard, but the veteran right-hander found it tough to get going, and was eventually knocked over by Ali Khan for five. At this point, the score read 102/4, with just over 6 overs to go.
Dan Mousley was the next to fall for six, after which Romario Shepherd joined his captain for the final phase of the innings.
Pooran, who was striking it cleanly, was closing in on his half-century before Jason Holder had his number after a well-made 49.
That put the focus on Shepherd in the final few overs. The big-hitting right-hander then went through the gears and smashed three maximums along with four boundaries, to finish with an unbeaten 38 from 13 deliveries.
The MI Emirates, who had slowed down for a few overs in the middle, eventually posted 186/6.
Speaking after the game, player of the match Romario Shepherd said: “It feels good, and we knew how important this game was. I was relaxed because Nicholas Pooran was there and I was just trying to get to the last over and see what I could get. Whenever you do well in one department it gives you confidence.”
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders captain Sunil Narine said: “We were going good till the 18th over but we had to have a fielder in for the slow over-rate and Shepherd is a powerful player. And we lost a cluster of wickets, but still played good cricket, and we started off good. We need to get on top of the key moments.”
Wednesday’s match
Desert Vipers will play Sharjah Warriors on Wednesday, January 22, at the Dubai International Stadium at 7pm.
The match will be broadcast live across Afghanistan by Ariana Television.
The pre-match show will start at 6.30pm Kabul time.
The full broadcasting schedule is as below:
World
Trump declares ‘only two genders’ to be official US policy
Following the inauguration, the president is slated to depart the Capitol and head to the nearby Capital One Arena, where he will address supporters during a rally that will also feature a presidential parade.
Donald Trump declared there are “only two genders” as he was sworn in Monday as the 47th president of the United States, returning for a second term in office.
“As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders -- male and female,” he said, marking the first mention of gender in an inaugural address.
"The golden age of America begins right now," Trump said minutes after he was sworn in during a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda, the first since 1985, when Ronald Reagan moved the ceremony indoors due to exceptionally frigid temperatures.
In his inaugural address, Trump also used words such as “Manifest Destiny,” "National Emergency," "Colorblind," "Sanctuary," "Horrible," "Suburban," “Betrayal” and “Weaponization” for the first time in history.
Following the inauguration, the president is slated to depart the Capitol and head to the nearby Capital One Arena, where he will address supporters during a rally that will also feature a presidential parade.
Regional
Saudi foreign minister says Trump does not raise risk of Iran-Israel war
Saudi’s Prince Faisal also said the new Syrian government had inherited a broken country with no real institutions and needed international help to rebuild and start from scratch.
Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said on Tuesday he did not see Donald Trump's new administration increasing the risk of an Israel-Iran conflict, addressing an issue the region has feared since the start of Israel's war in Gaza, Reuters reported.
Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud also said in Davos that he hoped President Trump's approach to Iran would be met with a willingness by Tehran to positively engage with the U.S. administration and address the issue of its nuclear programme.
"Obviously a war between Iran and Israel, any war in our region is something we should try to avoid as much as possible," Prince Faisal said during the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in the Swiss mountain resort.
"I don't see the incoming U.S. administration as contributory to the risk of war, on the contrary, President Trump has been quite clear he does not favor conflict."
Fears of war between Israel and Iran increased after the Tehran-backed Palestinian Hamas group led a deadly cross-border raid on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, triggering an Israeli military offensive that dragged Iran's allies, including Lebanon's Hezbollah and Yemen's Houthis, into confrontation with Israel, read the report.
Israel unleashed a devastating war against Hamas in Gaza, and Hezbollah in Lebanon, decimating the military structure of both groups, shattering Iran's network of influence in the Middle East and upending powerful alliances that led to the ousting of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, another Iran ally.
Fifteen months after the October attacks, a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas was reached.
Prince Faisal was speaking at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Switzerland on a panel along with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who helped broker the ceasefire agreement.
The Qatari premier said the decisive involvement of Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, had made a profound difference and led to significant progress in reaching the deal.
He said he hoped the Palestinian Authority would return to play a governing role in Gaza once the war with Israel comes to an end, adding that Gazans -- and not any other country -- should decide how the enclave is to be governed.
How Gaza will be governed after the war was not directly addressed in the deal between Israel and Hamas.
Israel has rejected any governing role for Hamas, which ran Gaza before the war, but it has been almost equally opposed to rule by the Palestinian Authority, the body set up under the Oslo interim peace accords three decades ago that has limited governing power in the West Bank, Reuters reported.
Saudi's Prince Faisal also said the new Syrian government had inherited a broken country with no real institutions and needed international help to rebuild and start from scratch.
"It is essential to engage, show patience, and extend effective support to the administration in Damascus by putting out a helping hand," he said.
Lifting the burden of sanctions placed on Syria due to the actions of the previous Assad government would be a key step forward. Although the U.S. and Europe have granted some waivers, further action is necessary, the minister said.
"Syria is a shattered nation in desperate need of rebuilding. The earlier we engage and the more support we offer, the greater the chances of a successful and stable transition," he said.
Qatar's Sheikh Mohammed said Trump’s return to the White House presented significant opportunities for collaboration, emphasizing the potential to work together to transform the Middle East into a region of stability and security.
"President Trump's whole notion of making America great again is something very important. We also want to see the Middle East great again." he said.
Prince Faisal, whose country shunned Lebanon for years over the strong influence of Hezbollah on state affairs, also said he would visit Beirut later this week, marking the first such trip by a Saudi foreign minister in more than a decade, read the report.
He said the election of a Lebanese president after a lengthy power vacuum was positive, but that Riyadh needed to see real reforms in order to raise its engagement in the country.
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