Afghanistan Financial News

All eyes will yet again be on Sunil Chhetri as he leads India at the AFC Asian Cup on Saturday against Australia. First things first, it is a very tough group and India’s chances of making the next stage is limited. Having said that, a good fight against Australia and Uzbekistan and a win against Syria could lay the groundwork for the World Cup qualifiers against Afghanistan in March. Chhetri talks to ET about the importance of the Asian Cup, India’s chances in the World Cup qualifiers and more. Excerpts: How important is the AFC Asian Cup. Could you help put things in context? Except the five teams from Asia that go on to play the World Cup, every other Asian team looks at the Asian Cup as the World Cup.

Rohit Sharma hit Afghan pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi's fuller-length ball towards the off-side and set off for a single while his opening partner for this match Shubman Gill was ball-watching and did not leave the crease at the other end. A horrible mix-up followed as Rohit and Shubman were both at the non-striker's end, as Rahmanullah Gurbaz -- the wicketkeeper -- struck off the bails to dismiss Rohit Sharma. Rohit Sharma hit Afghan pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi's fuller-length ball towards the off-side and set off for a single while his opening partner for this match Shubman Gill was ball watching and did not left the crease at the other end.

Henley Passport Index, released on Tuesday, India's passport has ascended to the 80th position worldwide. This elevated ranking now affords Indian citizens the privilege of unhindered exploration across 62 countries, alleviating the burden of intricate visa application procedures. The assessment of this ranking aligns with visa regulations effective as of January 11, as sourced from data provided by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). A cornerstone in displaying, organizing, and ranking global passports, the Henley Passport Index, reveals six countries — France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, and Spain — jointly holding the prestigious title of the world's most potent visa. Citizens from these nations enjoy the unprecedented freedom to traverse over 194 countries without dealing with pesky visa requirements. On the flip side, Afghanistan sits at the bottom rung of the list, granting its passport holders access to a mere 28 countries without a visa. Syria closely follows with visa-free entry to 29 destinations, trailed by Iraq with 31, and Pakistan with 34. Indian passport bearers can now revel in the liberty of visiting 62 countries, including Oman and Qatar, without the encumbrance of a visa. These destinations extend either visa-free entry or the convenience of visa-on-arrival for Indian travelers, as elucidated by the Henley Passport Index 2024. Here is the full list of destinations Indians can visit without getting a visa before travel:

CricTracker, India will win the match no matter who wins the toss. But as per Times now, the Rohit Sharma led side have a 60 percent chance of winning if they bat first but the winning percentage rises to 70 if Aghanistan bat first.

most powerful passport list for 2024, with citizens allowed to travel to 62 countries without a visa. The country shares its rank with Uzbekistan, while the neighboring nation Pakistan is positioned at 101 spot. Singapore and Japan have boasted the world’s most powerful travel documents for the last five years, granting their citizens access to more countries without a prior visa than anyone else.

Passport Index, offering their citizens visa-free access to a record-breaking number of destinations. According to data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, and Singapore now boast the most powerful passports globally, enabling their citizens to visit an impressive 194 destinations out of 227 worldwide without the need for a visa. Are you immigration ready? Find out Four EU member states—France, Germany, Italy, and Spain—have now joined them at the top. Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners and the originator of the passport index concept, highlighted the widening global mobility gap. «The average number of destinations travelers can access visa-free has almost doubled from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024. However, the top-ranked countries now have a staggering 166 more visa-free destinations than Afghanistan, which ranks at the bottom with access to just 28 countries without a visa,» he said. South Korea takes the second spot alongside Finland and Sweden, enjoying visa-free access to 193 destinations. In the third spot, four EU nations—Austria, Denmark, Ireland, and the Netherlands—share access to 192 destinations.

India head coach Rahul Dravid confirmed on Wednesday that the team will persist with Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal as openers in the run-up to the T20 World Cup, underlining the importance of a left-right pair at the pole position. Rohit has returned to India's T20 scheme of things for the series against Afghanistan, beginning here on Thursday, after a hiatus of 14 months. His previous appearance was in the 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal against England at Adelaide.

ALSO READ: IND vs AFG T20I series: Virat Kohli to miss first match due to personal reasons, confirms Rahul Dravid “He told the team management that he had mental fatigue because he had been on the road continuously and wanted to spend time with his family back home. Instead, he chose to travel to Dubai and was seen partying," Hindustan Times quoted a source as saying. But his close acquaintances say if he has been given a break, how does it matter where he spends his time? As per details, Kishan last played for India in the third T20I against Australia at Guwahati on November 28, 2023.

Virat Kohli will not be there for the first match at Punjab's Mohali on January 11 due to personal reasons. The news was confirmed by India's head coach Rahul Dravid on January 10 while addressing a press conference.

Taliban-appointed prime minister met on Monday with one of Pakistan's most senior politicians in an attempt to reduce lingering tensions between the two countries, a spokesman for the Taliban government said. Fazlur Rehman, whose Jamiat Ulema Islam party is known for backing the Afghan Taliban, is the first senior Pakistani politician to visit Kabul since the Taliban seized power in neighbouring Afghanistan in August 2021 as US and NATO troops withdrew from the country after 20 years of war. The Pakistani delegation met with Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund in Kabul, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been picked for the home series against Afghanistan beginning on January 11, it is a given that the famed duo will be a part of India's squad for the ICC showpiece in the US and Caribbean in June. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will mark their return after playing their last T20I more than a year ago. With the T20 World Cup approaching, their return will bolster India's attempt to fight the right combination for the mega tournament.

asylum in Germany last year rose to 3,51,915, an increase of 51.1 per cent compared with the year before. The largest number of asylum-seekers came from Syria, with 1,04,561 applications, followed by Turkish citizens with 62,624 asylum pleas and 53,582 Afghans, Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees said Monday. Migration has become a huge political problem for the government and a hot-button topic in Germany as local communities are struggling to house the many newcomers.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli on Sunday made a high-profile comeback to India's T20 squad for the three homes against Afghanistan with the former also named captain for the series beginning in Mohali on January 11. Rohit and Kohli last appeared in a T20 for India in the World Cup semifinal against England in November 2022. Back then, the two veterans along with KL Rahul were seen to be playing archaic cricket in the powerplay and the team needed to move on from that approach with Hardik Pandya earmarked as the new T20 skipper.

T20 International format. MSK Prasad, the former chairman of selectors and wicketkeeper, stated on Sunday that if both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have declared themselves fit for the T20 World Cup in June, then they need to be included in the T20I squad for the forthcoming series against Afghanistan. After the ODI World Cup, they were supposed to return to T20Is. India had matches against South Africa and Australia, but they missed both of those matches as well, which sparked debate over whether they would even play in the World Cup in June, which the USA and the West Indies would be co-hosting. If news about the ICC tournament in 2024 is to be believed, Kohli and Rohit have both committed to participate.

India vs Afghanistan: The Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) on Sunday released Team India's squad for the upcoming IDFC First Bank T20 international series against Afghanistan. The T20 series will mark the return of skipper Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli, who will play the shortest format of the game after 14 months. The selectors have decided to give some rest to India's star pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj who bowled some impressive spells in South Africa.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli didn't play much T20 cricket in 2023, but Rohit Sharma's aggressive performance in Asia Cup 2023 and ODI World Cup 2023 displayed that he is more than ready for T20 cricket. Virat Kohli has been phenomenal in all formats of the game last year, but his average in T20 format may push the selectors to re-think his position in the squad. "If you have Rohit, Shubman Gill, Virat, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik constituting your top five then where is your left-hander? Now, let's assume you drop Kohli and play Gill at No.3 with Yashasvi Jaiswal opening with Rohit.

Sourav Ganguly on Sunday backed stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to feature in India's squad for the T20I World Cup in June. The duo, who have not featured in any T20I for about 14 months, have made themselves available for the sport's shortest format, and it remains to be seen if they are picked for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, beginning January 11 in Mohali. «Of course Rohit should captain the team in the T20I World Cup.

ALSO READ: India vs Afghanistan T20 series: Complete schedule, how to watch and more According to an Indian Express report, the selectors were scheduled to meet on Friday and pick the squad for the three T20Is against Afghanistan and the first two Tests of the five-match series against England, which begins from January 25 onwards. However, the announcement was not made on Friday. Amid the T20 World Cup announcement by ICC on 5 January, it is uncertain whether the two stalwarts – Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli – will return to format after 13 months.

cricket series against Afghanistan has sparked widespread interest. Fans are particularly eager to see if Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will return to the national team. Their participation is considered crucial for the upcoming T20 World Cup, where India will compete in Group A alongside Ireland, Canada and the USA.

Joe Biden's first 2024 campaign speech, Donald Trump accused him of «fearmongering and claimed that Biden was attacking him on the democracy issue because he couldn't run on other matters, The Hill reported. Biden described Trump as a clear threat to democracy who could not be trusted with a second term, it added.

The International Cricket Council's recent release unveiled a schedule comprising 55 matches to be played at various stadiums across the U.S., including Texas, New York, and Florida, from June 1-29.