An Austrian man, 84, who had been arrested in Afghanistan has been released by the Taliban, the Austrian government said on February 25.
The Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) has reported that Taliban police authorities in the eastern Khost Province have banned girls from contacting local radio and television channels and warned local media outlets not to accept phone calls from girls.
Over more than three decades of "Turkmenization," the Russian language has taken a back seat in Turkmenistan. But it is still a popular choice as a second language for the political elite and their children, as well as for television viewers.
Demand for centuries-old practice of exorcism is on the rise in Tajikistan, despite a government crackdown and scandals surrounding several exorcists who were accused of fraud and molestation.
Iran's Supreme Labor Council, meeting ahead of the end of the Persian calendar year, said efforts to boost the minimum wage for state workers in next year's budget have yet to be discussed in negotiations with the government.
Belarus is holding tightly controlled parliamentary elections under heightened security at polling stations and amid calls for a boycott by the country's beleaguered opposition.
