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The Trump administration’s attack on Venezuela has alarmed leaders of countries hostile to the United States. The question now being raised is: which country and which leader will be next?

The Taliban’s Supreme Court said it publicly flogged three people, including one woman and two men, in Maidan Wardak province on charges described as “illicit relations”.

An Iranian lawmaker said a suspect has been arrested in connection with the killing of a former Afghan military officer in Tehran.

The Taliban have suspended the operations of a gold mining company in Chah Ab district of Takhar province and detained two people on suspicion of murder following deadly clashes with local residents, a Taliban official said.

Bank Alfalah said it has accepted a proposal from Ghazanfar Bank to acquire its operations in Afghanistan, signalling a potential exit from the Afghan market after nearly two decades.

A group of Afghan human rights activists, educators and women protesters have called for an end to what they describe as systematic discrimination against the Persian (Dari) language in Afghanistan.

Anti-government protests in Iran entered their 11th day on Wednesday, despite a widening security crackdown that has left dozens dead and more than 2,000 people arrested, according to rights groups.

Pakistan’s defence minister has said Islamabad does not trust the Afghan Taliban, citing their growing ties with India. He warned that Pakistan is prepared to confront both India and the Taliban if required.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesperson, has condemned recent comments by Pakistan’s military spokesperson as “irresponsible, provocative and baseless propaganda”, saying they bear no relation to the reality of Afghanistan.

The Taliban have confirmed clashes between local residents and miners over gold extraction in northern Takhar province, saying a delegation has been dispatched to investigate the violence.

Pakistan’s military spokesperson said Afghanistan became the region’s primary hub for terrorism in 2025, accusing militant groups based there of driving a sharp rise in violence. He added that Pakistan’s concerns have gained international acceptance.

Iran’s president has instructed officials to intensify efforts to secure the country’s water rights from Afghanistan, Iran’s energy minister said, amid ongoing negotiations with the Taliban authorities.

Pakistan’s leading business body has named its representatives to a newly formed committee aimed at managing border affairs with Afghanistan and addressing ongoing disruptions to cross-border trade.

The Taliban said its courts publicly flogged nine people in western and eastern Afghanistan this week, continuing the use of corporal punishment under the group’s rule.

The Taliban’s Supreme Court said its primary courts have publicly flogged 16 people in the provinces of Parwan, Kabul, Kunar and Balkh, imposing corporal punishment alongside prison sentences.

Protests in Iran have spread to at least 78 cities across 26 provinces, with the death toll rising to 19 after security forces opened fire on demonstrators, according to HRANA, a human rights-focused news agency.

Protesters in northern Afghanistan set fire to gold mining equipment linked to the Taliban after clashes with security forces and company personnel escalated in Takhar province, local sources said.

Pakistani security forces have seized about two tonnes of explosives from a cargo truck in the southern port city of Karachi, authorities said, calling it one of the largest such recoveries in recent years.

The foreign ministers of China and Pakistan have called for stronger measures to prevent terrorist organisations from using Afghan territory to carry out attacks against other countries.

At least four people were killed during clashes between local residents and a Taliban-linked gold mining company in northern Takhar province, local sources said on Monday.

Abdul Ghani Baradar says the Taliban believe that political and economic participation is essential for Afghanistan’s progress and claims that strong participation has existed during the group’s four years in power.