Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Bangladesh on Sunday voiced concern over the safety of its nationals in Iran following recent attacks, urging all sides to exercise restraint and return to diplomacy to prevent further escalation in the region. In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka, the government said it remained &ldquo;deeply concerned&rdquo; about the security of Bangladeshi citizens residing in Iran in the wake of the attacks. According to state news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), Dhaka warned that any continuation of hostilities could further undermine regional peace and stability while putting civilian populations at greater risk. The government called upon all concerned parties to exercise maximum restraint and stressed the need to return to dialogue and diplomacy to resolve differences and ensure lasting peace. The statement also condemned what it described as violations of the sovereignty of several Gulf and regional countries, naming Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Bangladesh expressed hope that calm would prevail at the earliest and that peace, security, and stability would soon be restored across the region.

Activists and supporters of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami party hold posters of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during an anti-US and Israel protest at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in Dhaka on March 1, 2026. (AFP)

Bangladesh

Bangladesh expresses deep concern over the safety of its citizens in Iran after recent attacks, urging restraint and diplomacy while condemning violations of sovereignty in several Gulf states and warning against further regional escalation and instability.

Bangladesh concerned for nationals’ safety in Iran, condemns Gulf sovereignty violations

ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan Women&rsquo;s Rights Watch says it documented 411 cases of rights violations against women and girls in Afghanistan in 2025, including nearly 300 incidents described as &ldquo;direct violence against women&rdquo; allegedly attributed to the Taliban, according to the group&rsquo;s annual report released this week. The report, titled From Marginalization to Erasure, was launched on Saturday, Feb. 14, in Kayseri, Turkiye, during an event attended by academics, civil society representatives, and Afghan and Turkish women&rsquo;s rights activists. The launch was organised in cooperation with the Turkiye-based ARSA Association. According to the organization, the findings were compiled from victims&rsquo; testimonies and cross-referenced with multiple credible international documents. Killings and suicidesThe report recorded at least 76 cases described as &ldquo;intentional killings&rdquo; of women and girls in 2025, though it did not specify the alleged perpetrators. The highest number of cases 16 was reported in Nangarhar Province. Researchers also documented more than 30 cases of suicide and self-immolation among women and girls over the past year, raising concerns about worsening mental health conditions and social pressures facing women under current restrictions. Allegations of abuse in detentionThe report further cited at least three cases of sexual violence in Taliban detention centers, including two incidents reported in Balkh Province. The Taliban authorities have not publicly responded to the report&rsquo;s findings. Calls for international actionZakera Hekmat, head of Afghanistan Women&rsquo;s Rights Watch, said during the launch event that addressing systematic violence against Afghan women is not solely a domestic matter but a global responsibility. She criticized what she described as the silence and inaction of the international community in response to continuing violations of women&rsquo;s fundamental rights during nearly four years of Taliban rule. Hekmat warned that continued inaction risks reinforcing policies that exclude women from Afghanistan&rsquo;s social, educational, and political life. Bulut Reyhanoglu, a Turkish filmmaker and global solidarity ambassador advocating for Afghan women, said the systematic exclusion of Afghan women from public life has created what he termed a &ldquo;gender crisis&rdquo; extending beyond Afghanistan&rsquo;s borders. He urged the international community to move beyond diplomatic engagement and take practical steps to protect Afghan women&rsquo;s fundamental rights, warning that continued silence could normalize gender-based oppression and discrimination. Afghanistan&rsquo;s Taliban-led administration has faced sustained international criticism over restrictions on women&rsquo;s education, employment, and participation in public life since returning to power in 2021.

Women and children who have returned to Afghanistan, wait to be seen at a maternity clinic (Photo: UNFPA)

Afghanistan

The report records at least 76 cases described as “intentional killings” of women and girls in 2025, though it did not specify the alleged perpetrators. The highest number of cases are 16 reported in Nangarhar Province.

Annual report details killings, abuse of women under Taliban rule

Reuters

Europe

Sweden will invest 3.5 billion Swedish crowns ($367.11 million) in more anti-drone systems, its defence minister said on Friday, citing a growing threat posed by aerial violations.

Sweden to invest $370 million in anti-drone systems

WASHINGTON: A federal judge in Washington ordered the Trump administration on Monday to pause the layoffs of hundreds of employees from the agency that owns the US news service Voice of America, adding that government officials had shown &quot;concerning disrespect&quot; for the court&#39;s directives.&nbsp;US District Judge Royce Lamberth halted the plan while he determines whether the US Agency for Global Media complied with an injunction he issued in April that it &quot;fulfills its statutory mandate that VOA serve as a consistently reliable and authoritative source of news.&quot;&nbsp;The layoffs would affect 532 full-time staff jobs, representing the majority of the agency&#39;s remaining employees. VOA broadcasts were abruptly shut down in March under an executive order from US President Donald Trump.&nbsp;Lamberth said in his written order that he &quot;no longer harbours any doubt&quot; that the defendants, which include the agency and its acting CEO Kari Lake, &quot;lack a plan to comply with the preliminary injunction&quot;.&nbsp;Instead, they have &quot;been running out the clock on the fiscal year while remaining in violation of even the most meager reading of USAGM and Voice of America&rsquo;s statutory obligations,&quot; he said.&nbsp;Representatives for the White House and the agency, as well as attorneys for the employees who filed the litigation, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the decision.&nbsp;Trump, who clashed with VOA during his first term, picked Lake, a former news anchor, to be its director for his second term. Lake, a staunch ally of the president, has often accused mainstream media of harboring anti-Trump bias.&nbsp;Founded in 1942 to counter Nazi propaganda, VOA reached 360 million people a week in 2024, according to a USAGM report to Congress.&nbsp;Lamberth, who was appointed by President Ronald Reagan, has been hearing a batch of lawsuits challenging the legality of Trump&#39;s March executive order. The cases include one filed by Michael Abramowitz, VOA&#39;s director.

Americas

A federal judge blocked Trump administration layoffs at Voice of America, citing violations of a court injunction and failure to meet legal obligations, affecting over 500 jobs.


Articles tagged with "Violations"

Bangladesh concerned for nationals’ safety in Iran, condemns Gulf sovereignty violations

Annual report details killings, abuse of women under Taliban rule

Sweden to invest $370 million in anti-drone systems

US court suspends Trump layoff of hundreds at Voice of America