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Truck driver Muhammad Afzal was not expecting to be stopped by police, let alone fined, as he drove into Islamabad this week because of the thick diesel fumes emanating from his exhaust pipe.”This is unfair,” he said after being told to pay 1,000 rupees ($3.60), with the threat of having his truck impounded if he did not “fix” the problem.”I was coming from Lahore after getting my vehicle repaired. They pressed the accelerator to make it release smoke. It’s an injustice,” he told AFP.Checkpoints set up this month are part of a crackdown by authorities to combat the city’s soaring smog levels, with winter months the worst due to atmospheric inversions that trap pollutants at ground level.”We have already warned the owners of stern action, and we will stop their entry into the city if they don’t comply with the orders,” said Dr Zaigham Abbas of Pakistan’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as he surveyed the checkpoint at the southeast edge of the capital.For Waleed Ahmed, a technician inspecting the vehicles at the site, “just like a human being, a vehicle has a life cycle. Those that cross it release smoke that is dangerous to human health”.- ‘Self-inflicted crisis’ -While not yet at the extreme winter levels of Lahore or the megacity Karachi, where heavy industry and brick kilns spew tons of pollutants each year, Islamabad is steadily closing the gap.So far in December it has already registered seven “very unhealthy” days for PM2.5 particulates of more than 150 microgrammes per cubic meter, according to the Swiss-based monitoring firm IQAir.Intraday PM2.5 levels in Islamabad often exceed those in Karachi and Lahore, and in 2024 the city’s average PM2.5 reading for the year was 52.3 microgrammes — surpassing the 46.2 for Lahore.Those annual readings are far beyond the safe level of five microgrammes recommended by the World Health Organization.Built from scratch as Pakistan’s capital in the 1960s, the city was envisioned as an urban model for the rapidly growing nation, with wide avenues and ample green spaces abutting the Himalayan foothills.But the expansive layout discourages walking and public transport remains limited, meaning cars — mostly older models — are essential for residents to get around.”The capital region is choked overwhelmingly by its transport sector,” which produces 53 percent of its toxic PM2.5 particles, the Pakistan Air Quality Initiative, a research group, said in a recent report.”The haze over Islamabad… is not the smoke of industry, but the exhaust of a million private journeys — a self-inflicted crisis,” it said.- ‘Her basic right’ -Announcing the crackdown on December 7, EPA chief Nazia Zaib Ali said over 300 fines were issued at checkpoints in the first week, with 80 vehicles impounded.”We cannot allow non-compliant vehicles at any cost to poison the city’s air and endanger public health,” she said in a statement.The city has also begun setting up stations where drivers can have their emissions inspected, with those passing receiving a green sticker on their windshield.”We were worried for Lahore, but now it’s Islamabad. And that’s all because of vehicles emitting pollution,” said Iftikhar Sarwar, 51, as he had his car checked on a busy road near an Islamabad park.”I never needed medicine before but now I get allergies if I don’t take a tablet in the morning. The same is happening with my family,” he added.Other residents say they worry the government’s measures will not be enough to counter the worsening winter smog. “This is not the Islamabad I came to 20 years ago,” said Sulaman Ijaz, an anthropologist.”I feel uneasy when I think about what I will say if my daughter asks for clean air — that is her basic right.”

Angry spectators broke down barricades and stormed the pitch at a stadium in India after football star Lionel Messi, who is on a three-day tour of the country, abruptly left the arena.As a part of a so-called GOAT Tour, the 38-year-old Argentina and Inter Miami superstar touched down in the eastern state of West Bengal early Saturday, greeted by a chorus of exuberant fans chanting his name. Hours later, thousands of fans wearing Messi jerseys and waving the Argentine flag packed into Salt Lake stadium in the state capital Kolkata, but heavy security around the footballer left fans struggling to catch a glimpse of him.Messi walked around the pitch waving to fans and left the stadium earlier than expected.Frustrated fans, many having paid more than $100 for tickets, ripped out stadium seats and hurled water bottles onto the track.  Many others stormed the pitch and vandalised banners and tents.”For me, to watch Messi is a pleasure, a dream. But I have missed the chance to have a glimpse because of the mismanagement in the stadium,” businessman Nabin Chatterjee, 37, told AFP. Before the chaos erupted, Messi unveiled a 21-metre (70-foot) statue which shows him holding aloft the World Cup. He was also expected to play a short exhibition game at the stadium. Another angry fan told the Press Trust of India (PTI) that people had spent “a month’s salary” to see Messi.”I paid Rs 5,000 ($55) for the ticket and came with my son to watch Messi, not politicians. The police and military personnel were taking selfies, and the management is to blame,” Ajay Shah, told PTI.  Javed Shamim, a senior police official in the state, told reporters that the event’s “chief organiser” had been arrested, without giving any further details. “There is total normalcy,” he said, adding that authorities would look into how organisers could refund money to those who bought tickets. State chief minister Mamata Banerjee said she was “disturbed” and “shocked” at the mismanagement. “I sincerely apologise to Lionel Messi, as well as to all sports lovers and his fans, for the unfortunate incident,” she said in a post on X, adding that she had ordered a probe into the incident. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) said it was not involved in the “organisation, planning, or execution” of the “private event”. “Furthermore, the details of the event were neither communicated to the AIFF, nor was any clearance sought from the Federation,” a statement said.  Messi will now head to Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi as part of the four-city tour. His time in India also includes a possible meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Messi won his second consecutive Major League Soccer Most Valuable Player award this week after propelling Inter Miami to the MLS title and leading the league in goals.The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain attacker will spearhead Argentina’s defence of the World Cup in June-July in North America.

Political heavyweight and aspiring Bangladesh prime minister Tarique Rahman will return to the country later this month after 17 years in exile in Britain, his party announced on Friday. Rahman, 60, has lived in London since 2008, saying he fled political persecution under former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.He is heir to the longtime ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by his ailing mother, 80-year-old former prime minister Khaleda Zia.Rahman has said he will run in the general elections slated for February 12 next year and remains a favourite to be the next prime minister.”Our Acting Chairman Mr. Tarique Rahman will arrive among us on the soil of Dhaka on the 25th of December,” BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told reporters.”The day is also a very good one, as it’ll be the Christmas holiday. A fantastic day.”The elections will be the first since a mass uprising ended the 15-year hardline rule of Hasina last year.Long groomed for leadership, Rahman’s political career has been dogged by several allegations.He was arrested on corruption charges in 2007 and says he was tortured in custody.Freed later that year, he flew to London in 2008 for medical treatment and never returned.Since Hasina’s fall, Rahman has been acquitted of the most serious charge against him — a life sentence handed down in absentia for a 2004 grenade attack on a political rally, which he always denied.Zia, who is critically ill, is in intensive care in the capital Dhaka, after she was admitted to hospital last month.

YouTube has hit pause on a dating show that whisked eight men and women from deeply conservative Pakistan to a sun-soaked Istanbul villa, where the strangers mingled, flirted and searched for chemistry.What was meant to be a glittering escape into modern-day romance sparked a storm back home, turning the rose-petal drama into a cultural, traditional and religious flashpoint.Dating and sex outside of marriage are prohibited by law in the Muslim-majority country, where public displays of affection can draw penalties.The show “Lazawal Ishq”, or “Eternal Love”, aired 50 episodes before it was recently taken off YouTube in Pakistan, though it is still available elsewhere.The format, reminiscent of the British reality hit “Love Island”, pushed boundaries that Pakistani entertainment typically avoids.”Our programme might not be watchable in Pakistan due to political reasons,” the show posted on its Instagram page.It advised Pakistani viewers to use virtual private networks (VPNs) to continue watching.YouTube did not immediately reply to an AFP request for comment on why the show was suspended.The show’s trailer starts with the host, actress Ayesha Omer, entering the villa in a white dress, where she meets contestants who are to choose a partner of their liking and test their compatibility through 100 episodes.Omer swiftly came under fire online for wearing a “Western dress” and hosting a show that “promotes obscene and immoral content”, an increasingly common reaction to celebrities who deviate from Pakistan’s conservative expectations.Omer countered on Instagram that “this is not a Pakistani show… it is a Turkish production, but of course people in Pakistan can watch it.”- ‘A lot of complaints’ – The Urdu-language show proved popular, with the inaugural trailer getting over two million views.The online buzz underscored a growing divide between Pakistan’s younger, digitally connected audience and traditional gatekeepers anxious about changing values.”It was something fun to watch. A show that showed that people in Pakistan can and do date even though it is frowned upon,” said one viewer who requested anonymity to speak freely.But someone soon filed a petition to the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), it said, seeking a ban and claiming the show goes against “Pakistan’s religious and social values by showing unmarried men and women living together”.The regulator acknowledged receiving “a lot of complaints” about “Eternal Love” but said it did not have jurisdiction over digital platforms.PEMRA advised petitioning the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, which oversees online content. It did not respond to requests for comment.It is not the first time YouTube has taken down a programme deemed offensive by conservative Pakistanis.Last year, the show “Barzakh”, a family drama that touched on topics including love and spirituality, was removed on claims it promoted LGBTQ relationships.

Afghanistan’s International Olympic Committee member Samira Asghari has told AFP that the Taliban authorities must face the stark truth that if they are ever to be accepted internationally they must respect the rights of women to education and sport.Asghari, who at 31 is living in exile for the second time, does however favour engaging with Afghanistan’s rulers.The Taliban government have banned girls from schools beyond the age of 12, and barred women from most jobs and public services — and from playing sport.Asghari, who in 2018 became Afghanistan’s first ever IOC member, accepts her “situation is quite challenging” and beating the drum for Afghan women’s sport “does require certain precautions”.Nevertheless the former international basketball player, like many top Afghan women athletes, is undeterred in speaking out about the treatment of women under the Taliban authorities.”The reality is that when you take a public stand for women’s rights you do become a target, but I believe strongly in communication and engagement,” she said in an email interview.”As long as the Taliban remain the reality on the ground in Afghanistan, we cannot afford to waste time doing nothing.”In my role, I have tried to help smooth the discussions between the IOC and those currently in control, focusing on the sport rights of women and girls and particularly primary school girls who are still inside Afghanistan.”Asghari, one of four children born to a retired professional make-up artist mother and a father who was a manager in the Afghan Olympic national committee, says the “conversations are not always easy”.”They are not about legitimising any government,” she said.”But they are very important for creating tangible opportunities for future generations of young boys and girls in Afghanistan.”- ‘Fundamental change’ -With Afghan sportswomen spread round the globe, putting together teams is complex.However, a women’s football team, Afghan Women United, made up of players based in Europe and Australia, recently competed in FIFA Unites: Women’s Series 2025 in Morocco.”This support for athletes outside Afghanistan is just the first step, and I hope FIFA can align with the IOC’s ongoing talks with the Taliban,” she said.Asghari, who had been involved in the “project” for over a year, hopes the message gets through to Afghanistan’s rulers.    “The Taliban were given the country and now they’re trying to maintain power while ignoring fundamental human rights, particularly for women,” she said.”It’s very difficult for them to continue ruling Afghanistan this way in the long term, and the Taliban need to understand that their international acceptance is directly linked to respecting human rights, including the rights of women to education and sport.”Asghari, who attended the recent Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh where Afghan women and men competed, said she hoped for “small openings” in the Taliban’s stance. “I also believe that if we can find small openings –- like developing sport in primary schools where girls are still allowed to attend up to sixth grade -– we should take them,” she said.”This isn’t about accepting the Taliban’s restrictions, it’s about not abandoning the girls and women of Afghanistan.”We have to work with reality, while continuing to push for fundamental change.”Asghari says even achieving small breakthroughs like that could prevent the long-term harm women suffered during the Taliban’s first spell in power, from 1996 to 2001.She said had seen the impact on her return from her first period of exile, in Iran. “What concerns me deeply is that we’re creating another lost generation,” she said.”I remember when I was in sixth grade aged 12, and there was a 20-year-old woman sitting next to me in the same class because she couldn’t go to school during the previous Taliban era.”I didn’t know how to communicate with her and it was difficult for both of us, but especially for her because she had lost so many years.”I cannot accept seeing this happen again. That’s why even small opportunities matter so much.”Asghari retains hope despite the bleak outlook and believes in “continued engagement and dialogue” with the Taliban.”The future of Afghanistan is this young generation. We need to give them every opportunity we can, no matter how small, and never, ever give up on them.”

Lionel Messi will unveil a 21-metre (70-foot) statue of himself in India on Saturday as he embarks on a three-day tour of the country that has sparked a fan frenzy.The iron sculpture in Kolkata, which shows Messi holding aloft the World Cup, is part of a so-called GOAT Tour that will take in four Indian cities and a possible meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The 38-year-old Argentina and Inter Miami superstar will unveil the monument virtually rather than in person for security reasons.A “Hola Messi” fan zone has also been set up in Kolkata where on display is a life-sized replica of Messi sat on a throne.The hall also recreates his Miami home, complete with mannequins of his family members.Football fan Samir Nandy said it would be “a dream come true” to catch a glimpse of his idol.”Legends are not made by success alone. It is his resilience that made me believe in him,” Nandy, 64, said in Kolkata.”The statue is a fitting tribute to him.”Monti Paul, the statue’s main sculptor, told AFP the structure was built inside 40 days.”It’s a matter of pride to build the sculpture of Messi. It’s the tallest statue I have made,” he said.The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner will also meet Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly during his whirlwind trip to Kolkata.Ahead of his arrival, Messi said it was an honour to visit India and interact with the fans.”India is a very special country and I have good memories from my time there 14 years ago — the fans were fantastic,” Messi said in a statement.”India is a passionate football nation and I look forward to meeting a new generation of fans while sharing the love I have for this beautiful game.”After Kolkata, where Messi will play a short friendly match, he will head to Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi.In Hyderabad he will attend a concert in his honour and play another friendly.He is reportedly scheduled to meet Modi in the capital.Messi won his second consecutive Major League Soccer Most Valuable Player award this week after propelling Inter Miami to the MLS title and leading the league in goals.The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain attacker will spearhead Argentina’s defence of the World Cup in June-July in North America.

A flickering candle casts a dim light on the photo of 12-year-old Akash Patni, a pensive look on the face of the Indian boy who died in a plane crash that has left his family inconsolable.He is among dozens of people who died on June 12 when Air India flight 171 smashed into buildings in a neighbourhood of Ahmedabad, in the western state of Gujarat.Since the disaster six months ago, Akash’s parents and four siblings have gathered every day to pray in front of his picture, placed on a shelf in a corner of the small, dark space that serves as their living room.”My son was sitting near the tea stall when a part of the plane fell on him… there was smoke and fire everywhere and nobody could go near the site,” said the father, Suresh Patni, a 48-year-old tea vendor.”The boy was burnt to ashes… We could not even take him to the hospital.”The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner had just taken off for London when, for reasons that an investigation has not yet clarified, fuel was cut to both of its engines.Deprived of power, the aircraft crashed onto buildings at the end of the runway, engulfing in flames 241 of its 242 passengers and crew, and 19 residents of Ahmedabad.One passenger survived.”Everything happened before my own eyes,” said Akash’s mother Sita Patni, 45.From beneath the headscarf covering her grey hair and shoulders emerges a bare arm covered in large burn scars — the mark of her lost battle to pull her son from the flames.”I am in pain the whole day,” she said softly.”I tried to save him, but he did not survive.”- Compensation -Kiritsinh Chavda, 49, lost his brother and sister-in-law in the crash.He recalled the horror of receiving a call from his father, telling him that a plane had crashed in the neighbourhood where he lives.”He told me that my younger brother and his wife were unreachable,” said Chavda, a police officer.When he arrived at the scene, chaos awaited him.”The bodies were very badly damaged and burned,” he said.”It took nearly a week for my brother and his wife to be identified.”Relatives of the victims have been looking for answers, trying to understand what caused their loved ones’ deaths.They are also just beginning to deal with the ordeal of compensation.Air India quickly paid the equivalent of $28,000 to the families of each of the dead. The airline’s owner, Tata Group, pledged to add another $112,000.”We are yet to get the remaining amount,” muttered Chavda.Air India has acknowledged the delay but asked for patience.”The process for final compensation is underway,” a spokesperson said.”We are deeply conscious of our responsibility and are providing support and care to all families affected by the tragedy, which remains our absolute priority.”To Chavda, “they should give whatever compensation they promised. That is enough for me.”- ‘Who is the culprit?’ -Badasab Saiyed, 60, said that for him, “compensation is secondary.”A retired academic, he lost his brother, sister-in-law, a nephew and a niece in the accident.They had initially planned to fly from New Delhi to London, but the flight was cancelled, and they took the doomed flight from Ahmedabad instead.Saiyed did not hesitate long before joining a complaint filed by a British law firm seeking answers.”The main thing is, who is the culprit responsible?” he said.”Was there lax maintenance, or was there a problem with the Boeing plane itself? Or was it a small (pilot) fault? This should not have happened.”The crash site has been cleared of all the aircraft debris. Only the charred ruins of the building that supported its tail remain, along with a few rusted shells of burned-out cars.- ‘Can’t bear it’ -Curled up in his grief, Suresh Patni cares little about getting answers.”I’m not interested in the investigation,” he said. “I don’t understand any of it.”Nor does he care about compensation.”What do we do with money?” he said. “We lost our son.”The family had had high hopes for Akash.”He was our youngest and the most adored,” his father said. “We wanted him to study and do something.””He was the brightest in our family,” added his mother, who has not had the strength to return to, much less reopen, her tea stall.”I can’t bear it, I keep on thinking about him,” she said.”I can’t bear the sound of a plane now. I keep looking down, can’t look up in the sky.”

Nepal on Thursday estimated that the country suffered losses of about $586 million in September’s deadly anti-corruption protests that ousted the government.The youth-led demonstrations, initially triggered by anger over a brief government ban on social media, were fuelled by deeper frustration over economic hardship and corruption.After a police crackdown killed young protestors, the riots spread and on the second day more than 2,500 structures were torched, looted or damaged.The committee formed to assess the damage caused during the protest submitted its report to Prime Minister Sushila Karki on Thursday, the prime minister’s secretariat said in a statement.  The report said that a total of 77 people died during the movement, 20 people on 8 September, 37 on the following day and another 20 later. “In terms of total physical damage, the committee estimates the loss to be equivalent to 84 arab 45 crore 77 lakh rupees ($586 million),” the statement said.The report said that damage to government and public buildings accounted for half of the amount. The unrest spread nationwide on its the second day as parliament and government offices were set ablaze, resulting in the government’s collapse.Within days, 73-year-old former chief justice Sushila Karki was appointed interim prime minister to lead the Himalayan nation to elections on March 5, 2026.Karki’s cabinet formed the committee to assess the damage soon after. The committee also submitted a reconstruction plan, estimating a need of $252 million.  Three months on from the September 8–9 protests, and with three months to go before elections, Nepal faces daunting challenges including rising unemployment and collapsing foreign investment.Some of Nepal’s largest companies — major contributors to state revenue — suffered heavy losses, including Bhat-Bhateni supermarkets, the Chaudhary Group conglomerate and the telecom provider Ncell.In Pokhara, one of Nepal’s key tourist hubs, Hotel Sarowar was set ablaze.”The loss is immense,” chairman Bharat Raj Pahari told AFP in an interview earlier this month. “It has directly affected 750 family members.”The World Bank in November revised its growth projections for Nepal, warning that due to the recent unrest and “heightened political and economic uncertainty, real GDP growth is projected to slow to 2.1 percent” in 2025, from an earlier forecast of 5.1 percent.  It also raised its poverty estimate to 6.6 percent of the population this financial year, up from 6.2 percent. 

On any Friday, when the Afghan weekend begins, dozens of drivers gather in the Kandahar desert to charge their SUVs up steep ochre dunes, kicking up rooster tails of sand to the delight of spectators.Sometimes they don’t make it, and have to carefully roll down backwards as other 4x4s surge past just an arm’s length away. Accidents are rare but not unheard of.It’s an anarchic ballet where drivers can stomp on the gas and let loose not far from the historic bastion of the ruling Taliban.”This desert is half of Kandahar’s beauty, its charm lies here in the dunes,” said Abdul Qadir, a 23-year-old shopkeeper from Kandahar, the country’s second-largest city.Like scores of other men — no women are allowed under the Taliban’s strict interpretation of Islam — Qadir was relishing a party that lasts well into the night.”We came in a small car and are just here to watch and enjoy,” he told AFP, as fellow fans drank tea and ate snacks on blankets spread around fire pits.- No fear -Mohammad Rahim, a 25-year-old partner at a Kandahar car dealership, has been climbing the sheer sand walls for the past “four or five years”.”We’ve been driving on these dunes for a long time, so the fear that young drivers usually have is gone. Anyone who comes here and drives no longer feels afraid,” he said.Many of the SUVs look like new, even after hours of roaring up dune crests so steep the trucks look on the verge of tipping over backwards.Some drivers have customised their vehicles with “snorkel” air intakes that rise over the bonnet to keep sand out, while others add spotlights for when the sun goes down.The cheapest cars on show cost around $8,000, while pricier models fetch up to 10 times that amount, said Haji Abdul Samih, a 39-year-old customs agency employee who came to watch. “The poor cannot afford such cars,” he acknowledged.”The good thing is that Kandahar’s young men use their own vehicles to bring many underprivileged people here to the dunes and the picnic area, and after the gathering they take them back to their places.”- Fun and fireworks -The thrill-seekers say no one has ever been hurt or killed during the rallies, in a country where road accidents are a main cause of death, according to UN Habitat Afghanistan.”Accidents do happen here, but the good thing is that when a collision happens, no one asks for compensation,” Samih said.”No matter how damaged the vehicles get, people don’t demand payment from each other.”Like in North America and Europe, the trucks attract fans from all walks of life, offering a bright moment of unity in a country where the UN estimates 45 percent of the population will need humanitarian assistance next year.And in a country wracked by decades of war, where the Taliban authorities have banned music, films and other entertainment since 2021, the increasingly popular gathering offers a rare chance for loud fun in the sun.When the bright orange moon rises, fans start shooting fireworks over the drivers as their motors keep revving into the night.

Warmer seas and heavier rains linked to climate change, along with Indonesia and Sri Lanka’s unique geographies and vulnerabilities, combined to produce deadly flooding that killed hundreds, scientists said Thursday.Two tropical storms dumped massive amounts of rain on the countries last month, prompting landslides and flooding that killed more than 600 people in Sri Lanka and nearly 1,000 in Indonesia.A rapid analysis of the two weather systems carried out by an international group of scientists found a confluence of factors drove the disaster.They include heavier rainfall and warmer seas linked to climate change, as well as weather patterns such as La Nina and the Indian Ocean Dipole.The research could not quantify the precise influence of climate change because models do not fully capture some of the seasonal and regional weather patterns, the scientists said.Still, they found climate change has made heavy rain events in both regions more intense in recent decades, and that sea surface temperatures are also higher due to climate change.Warmer oceans can strengthen weather systems and increase the amount of moisture in them.”Climate change is at least one contributing driver of the observed increase in extreme rainfall,” said Mariam Zachariah, one of the study’s authors and a research associate at Imperial College London.The analysis, known as an attribution study, uses peer-reviewed methodologies to assess how a warmer climate may impact different weather events.The scientists found extreme rainfall events in the Malacca Strait region betwen Malaysia and Indonesia had “increased by an estimated 9-50 percent as a result of rising global temperatures,” said Zachariah.”Over Sri Lanka, the trends are even stronger, with heavy rainfall events now about 28-160 percent more intense due to the warming we have already experienced,” she told reporters.While the datasets “showed a wide range,” Zachariah added, “they all point in the same direction, that extreme rainfall events are becoming more intense in both study regions.”The scientists said other factors were also at play, including deforestation and natural geography that channeled heavy rain into populated flood plains.The two tropical storms coincided with the monsoon rains across much of Asia, which often brings some flooding.But the scale of the disaster in the two countries is virtually unprecedented.”Monsoon rains are normal in this part of the world,” said Sarah Kew, climate researcher at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, and study lead author.”What is not normal is the growing intensity of these storms and how they are affecting millions of people and claiming hundreds of lives.”