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Afghanistan is scrambling to diversify its trade partners after a deadly border clash with Pakistan last month brought ties to their lowest point in years, affecting people on both sides of the frontier.The South Asian neighbours have been locked in an increasingly bitter dispute since the Taliban took over Kabul in 2021, with Islamabad accusing Afghanistan of harbouring the militants behind cross-border attacks — charges the Taliban government denies.Abdul Ghani Baradar, Afghanistan’s deputy prime minister for economic affairs, urged traders last week to “redirect their trade toward other alternative routes instead of Pakistan”. Pakistan is landlocked Afghanistan’s top trading partner, supplying rice, pharmaceuticals and raw materials, while taking in 45 percent of Afghan exports in 2024, according to the World Bank. More than 70 percent of those exports, worth $1.4 billion, are perishable farm goods such as figs, pistachios, grapes and pomegranates. Dozens of Afghan trucks were stranded with rotting produce when the frontier shut on October 12 due to deadly cross-border fire, which was followed by a fragile truce. Losses have topped $100 million on both sides, and up to 25,000 border workers have been affected, according to the Pakistan Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI), which seeks to promote bilateral trade.Baradar warned traders that Kabul would not intervene if they kept relying on Pakistan.Wary of further disruptions, the Taliban government is now hedging its bets with Iran, Central Asia — and beyond.- Pomegranates to Russia -Trade with Iran and Turkmenistan has jumped 60–70 percent since mid-October, said Mohammad Yousuf Amin, head of the Chamber of Commerce in Herat, in western Afghanistan.Kabul also sent apples and pomegranates to Russia for the first time last month. Russia is the only country to have officially recognised the Taliban administration.Taliban leaders crave wider recognition and foreign investment, but sanctions on senior figures have made investors wary.The vast market in India is a prime attraction. On Sunday, state-owned Ariana Afghan Airlines cut freight rates to the country of 1.4 billion people.Two days later, Kabul sent its commerce and industry minister to New Delhi.”Afghanistan has too many fruits and vegetables it cannot store because there are no refrigerated warehouses,” said Torek Farhadi, an economic analyst and former IMF adviser. “Exporting is the only way,” he told AFP. And quickly, before the products spoil.Kabul touts Iran’s Chabahar port as an alternative to Pakistan’s southern harbours, but Farhadi noted it is farther, costlier and hampered by US sanctions on Tehran.- ‘Distraught’ -“It’s better for both countries to end this trade war… They need each other,” Farhadi said.Afghanistan relies on Pakistan’s market of 240 million people and its sea access, while Islamabad wants Afghan transit to reach Central Asia for textile and energy trade. Pakistan says the closure curbs militant infiltration, but its economy is also feeling the pinch.The spokesman for Pakistan’s foreign ministry said on Friday that Islamabad had reached its “threshold of patience” after recent attacks.”Either we get ourselves killed or we undertake very risky trade… This is a difficult choice that we have made,” spokesman Tahir Hussain Andrabi told a weekly briefing.”Can you put a price tag on a human life, on a Pakistani life?” he said.In Peshawar, near the frontier, Afghan produce has all but vanished from markets. Grapes cost four times more and tomatoes have more than doubled to over 200 rupees (70 cents) a kilogram, an AFP correspondent found.On Monday, the PAJCCI urged Islamabad to act, warning of mounting costs as shipping containers bound for Afghanistan and Central Asia remain stuck in Pakistan.Each container is racking up $150–$200 in daily port charges, the group said, adding: “With thousands of containers stuck, the collective economic burden has become unbearable and continues to grow with each passing day.”Truck driver Naeem Shah, 48, has been waiting at the Pakistani border town of Chaman with sugar and cooking oil bound for Afghanistan.”I haven’t been paid for a month. No matter who I call, they say there is no money because the border is closed,” he told AFP.”If it doesn’t reopen, we will be distraught.”

India skipper Shubman Gill will miss the must-win second Test against South Africa on Saturday because of the neck injury he sustained in the opening match.The hosts will be led by wicketkeeper and deputy Rishabh Pant in Guwahati as they attempt to rescue the two-Test series.”He is doing fine, he is getting better,” Pant said on Friday of Gill.”He was keen on playing this Test match but his body didn’t allow it.”The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said Gill “will head to Mumbai for further assessment of his injury”.Batsman Gill suffered neck spasms in the first innings of the opening Test and pulled out of the remainder of the match, spending a night in hospital.He travelled with the team to Guwahati but was forced out as the medical staff believed playing him would risk aggravating the injury.”From a captaincy point of view, when you see his resilience that even when your body is not supporting, but you want to push it for your team, that’s the kind of mindset we want to inculcate and he did it from the front,” said Pant.Top-order batter Sai Sudharsan is expected to replace Gill in the team, which will be announced at the toss.India lost a low-scoring opener after they were bundled out for 93 in a chase of 124 at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens.It was India’s fourth Test defeat in six matches at home after New Zealand registered a rare 3-0 whitewash on Indian soil last year.”It’s been a tough Test match, the last one, and coming out of it we just want to do whatever is required to win this Test match,” said Pant.A flamboyant left-hand batter, Pant returned to India’s squad for the South Africa Tests after missing the home series against the West Indies last month as he recovered from a foot fracture.The deputy captain said: “One-off matches is not the best scenario as a captain… but whenever you are leading your country it is the proudest moment especially in Test cricket.”At the same time I don’t want to think about it too much. I do not want to take that undue pressure of captaincy in my mind.”The Kolkata pitch drew criticism — it had turn and inconsistent bounce, the Test ending inside three days.The best individual score was South African skipper Temba Bavuma’s unbeaten 55 in the second innings.”This wicket will play better. Definitely it is a better wicket to bat on,” said Pant.”Obviously it will eventually turn after a few days but it is going to be a good contest.”South Africa are chasing a first series win on Indian soil since Hansie Cronje’s team triumphed there in 2000.

Miss Mexico was crowned Miss Universe in Thailand on Friday, strutting to victory after several dramatic missteps before the final round, including staging a walkout when an organiser of the beauty pageant chastised her.Contestants from Ivory Coast, the Philippines, Thailand and Venezuela also made it to the final stage, selected from more than 120 women vying for the title in a contest considered one of the “big four” of global beauty pageants.However, chaos reigned before Miss Mexico Fatima Bosch was crowned, from allegations of an insult to her intelligence to judges quitting and participants falling on and off the stage.Bosch staged a dramatic walkout this month from a meeting where she was lambasted by Miss Universe Thailand director Nawat Itsaragrisil.Nawat appeared in a livestream of the event to single her out during a dispute over her apparent failure to post promotional content on her social media accounts.Bosch, flanked by Miss Iraq, walked out of the room after Nawat called for security to intervene.Others appeared to rise in solidarity with Bosch, before freezing as Nawat warned that those still wanting to participate should “sit down”.”What your director did is not respectful: he called me dumb,” Bosch told reporters at the time. “The world needs to see this because we are empowered women and this is a platform for our voice.”The newly crowned winner told a press conference on Friday that she would like to be remembered as “a Miss Universe that wasn’t afraid to be herself” and “a person that changed, a little bit, the prototype of what is a Miss Universe”.Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum had called Bosch an “example of how we women should speak out” in the face of aggression after the incident with Nawat.”In public events, I say women look prettier when we speak out,” Sheinbaum said.Nawat later apologised.He initially declined to comment when asked about Bosch on Friday, telling reporters he’d “rather not talk about her”.”It’s better to let pageant fans discuss it. I respect the result anyway,” he said.Nawat then congratulated her later in the same news conference.”I do support, and congratulations again to Mexico’s fans,” he said.- ‘Secret’ vote -Mexican media and social networks were awash with coverage of Bosch after the incident, heightening anticipation.In Villahermosa, Bosch’s hometown, thousands of people gathered at a baseball stadium to watch the pageant live.”Mexico, Mexico!” chanted the crowd, which erupted in cheers and applause when she was crowned, while fireworks lit up the sky, according to Mexican media reports.Other drama in the run-up to the final round included two judges quitting this week, one alleging that the contest was rigged by a “secret and illegitimate vote” held without the official jury.”This vote was conducted by individuals who are not recognised members of the official judging panel,” French composer Omar Harfouch wrote in a statement posted on Instagram.The Miss Universe Organization has denied Harfouch’s claim, saying that “no impromptu jury has been created”.Former professional footballer Claude Makelele also withdrew as a judge, citing “unforeseen personal reasons” in a statement on social media.Miss Britain Danielle Latimer tripped and fell flat on the stage during the costume round on Wednesday while wearing an outfit inspired by the Cockney character Eliza Doolittle.And Miss Jamaica Gabrielle Henry was hospitalised after she fell off the main stage during an evening gown showcase, president of the Miss Universe Organization Raul Rocha said in a statement.Miss Universe Jamaica public relations director Shannon-Dale Reid told AFP on Wednesday that Henry was “resting under medical observation” and had not suffered serious injuries.burs-sco/ami

Dev Karan recalls the first time he saw a purple pond, “filled with dyes and chemicals, and choked with plastic”.”It was heart-wrenching,” the 17-year-old from Haryana state in northern India told AFP in an interview.That sight during a school trip two years ago made him realise that “the climate crisis is happening everywhere”.He decided he had to act.Speaking on the sidelines of the annual Young Activists Summit (YAS) at the United Nations in Geneva, Karan described his path to becoming the youngest of five laureates at this year’s event.He won on Thursday for his efforts to restore India’s traditional ponds, which help prevent floods and soil erosion by storing water.Ponds are “often used by villages as a source of drinking water during droughts, help in carbon sequestration, nourish groundwater and they are biodiversity hotspots”, he said.- ‘Climate literacy’ -Yet there is far less attention on protecting and preserving these vital small water bodies than on oceans and rivers, he said.He and his friends noticed that even when huge investment goes into cleaning up ponds, they often slip back into decay after a few years due to lacking maintenance.Karan co-founded Pondora, an organisation that helps villages monitor their water quality using IT-based sensors and mobile tools.The team visits schools and teaches students how to use their kits, consisting of Bluetooth-connected monitors with sensors registering things like temperature, salinity and pH levels, as well as chemical strips to detect various compounds.They have trained an army of “Pond Ambassadors” to support local maintenance.”We focus on climate literacy and basically show them the importance of preserving such water bodies,” Karan said.”They now go around themselves and take the data from the ponds… (they are) going from being passive observers to activists.”YAS hailed Karan’s “replicable model for water ecosystem restoration — one pond at a time”.- ‘Your voice matters’ -The aspiring engineering student told AFP that exploring how digital technologies could simplify pond monitoring and using social media to spread the word had come naturally to him.”Growing up in a generation which had phones in their hands from a very long time, my thought process always goes to how we can use this as the medium,” he said.Karan said Pondora was currently seeking to create a database for all Indian ponds, pointing out that in New Delhi, half of those on paper had disappeared, with many covered up to make room for an expanding population.The goal is to raise awareness about the need to protect remaining ponds, including through a social media campaign urging people to post their photo with the one nearest them.Karan had one message for other young people: “Your voice matters.””Even if you contribute something which is small, it has ripple effects,” he said.”Everyone can be a leader. You just have to have the courage to start.”

Bangladesh’s Mushfiqur Rahim joined an elite club on Thursday by scoring a century in his 100th Test, achieving the feat against Ireland in Mirpur.Resuming on 99 overnight, Mushfiqur reached his hundred with a single in the second over of the morning session on day two of the second Test.The 38-year-old batsman removed his helmet, raised both hands in the air and dropped to the ground in celebration. His knock placed him among an exclusive group of players to have marked the 100-Test milestone with a hundred.The others are Colin Cowdrey (104 runs), Javed Miandad (145), Gordon Greenidge (149), Alec Stewart (105), Inzamam-ul-Haq (184), Ricky Ponting (120 & 143 not out), Graeme Smith (131), Hashim Amla (134), Joe Root (218) and David Warner (200).It was the 13th Test ton for Mushfiqur, who is now level with Mominul Haque for the highest number of centuries in Test cricket for Bangladesh. He eventually fell to left-arm spinner Matthew Humphreys for 106, edging to second slip where Andy Balbirnie completed a sharp catch.The Ireland team offered warm applause as Mushfiqur left the field to loud cheers from the home crowd at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. Mushfiqur faced 214 balls and struck five fours during his milestone innings, which helped ease the early pressure after Bangladesh slipped to 95-3 on the opening day.Bangladesh won the first Test by an innings and 47 runs.

Bangladesh’s police have unveiled new uniforms in a symbolic bid to signal reform and rebuild deeply eroded public trust, just weeks ahead of the first elections since a mass uprising.The police force was cast into turmoil after the 2024 overthrow of the autocratic government of now-convicted fugitive Sheikh Hasina, which left at least 1,400 dead and thousands maimed — many by police gunfire.”Bangladesh Police have been facing an unprecedented crisis,” police spokesman Sahadat Hossaine told AFP. “The policymakers suggested… that a new uniform may bring a positive change.”Police are now trading the familiar turquoise-and-blue uniforms for iron-grey shirts and chocolate-brown trousers.Whether a new colour scheme can mend a shattered reputation remains doubtful.”Whenever I see a policeman, I feel like biting his flesh off. I don’t know if I’ll ever get over this hatred,” said Nazma Akhtar, 48, whose 17-year-old son Golam Nafeez was killed during the uprising.Akhtar’s son was shot, denied entry to a hospital, and died from blood loss on August 4, 2024.”How can a new uniform change their attitude?” Akhtar added. “I saw them beating teachers just for demanding a pay rise.”The nation of 170 million people is expected to hold elections in February 2026, with the security forces critical to ensuring they are peaceful.- ‘Struggling’ -Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina was sentenced to death by a Dhaka court on Monday, for charges that included ordering the security forces to use deadly force against protesters.Hasina’s bid to cling to power failed after she ordered the army to crush the protests and they refused. Vandalism and arson attacks in the chaotic aftermath of her fall targeted roughly 450 of the country’s 600 police stations, according to officials.”They left the police stations immediately after the previous government stepped down, and now they are struggling to get back on their feet”, Hossaine said.Researchers have documented widespread brutality by police during the uprising.That included the killing of unarmed teenage student Ashiqur Rahman Hridoy, who was “sandwiched between two groups of police and shot from point-blank range,” Fawzia Afroz of Tech Global Institute policy group told AFP.Around 1,500 police personnel now face criminal charges, mostly for murder, with dozens in detention. The former police chief, who pleaded guilty in the same trial as Hasina, was sentenced to five years.Police say an estimated 55 senior officers, also wanted for murder, have fled to India.But serving officers express their own frustrations: 44 officers were also killed during the unrest, yet the interim government has agreed “legal immunity” for protesters.Sultana Razia watched as her husband, a police inspector, was beaten to death by a mob in the chaos after Hasina fled. “He wasn’t supposed to die this way,” Razia said.A mid-ranking officer speaking on the condition of anonymity told AFP that “police are also human beings”.- ‘Political tools’ – The interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, formed a police reform commission, but progress has been slow.Allegations of excessive force persist and public trust has fallen so sharply that in many areas mobs now routinely take justice into their own hands, often times abducting suspects and killing them.”I don’t see many changes,” said Abu Ahmed Faijul Kabir of the human rights organisation Ain o Salish Kendra, noting that “around 28 people died in custody in the last 10 months”.Nearly 300 people were killed in political violence in Bangladesh in the year since the uprising, human rights group Odhikar said in November.”Police were used as political tools by successive governments,” said Alamgir Hossain, 60, a motor rickshaw driver.  “They never bothered about the law of the land,” he added.

Temba Bavuma’s South Africa are aiming for their first Test series victory in India in 25 years when the second match starts on Saturday in Guwahati.The visitors stunned India in a low-scoring first Test at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens to extend their fine run after being crowned World Test champions in June.The victory was South Africa’s first in India since they won the opener of a two-match series in 2010.South Africa, who recently drew 1-1 in Pakistan, are now chasing a first series win on Indian soil since Hansie Cronje’s team triumphed there in 2000.”We won a World Test Championship final earlier in the year against Australia at Lord’s, but this was right up there for us,” coach Shukri Conrad said of the Kolkata win.”Coming to India, playing at Eden Gardens, doing something we haven’t done for 15 years, this is right up there.”What we lack in (ability) we certainly make up in the ability to play as a unit and the resilience that we show. We never give up.”Led by skipper Bavuma, South Africa defied the odds on a turning pitch with inconsistent bounce at Eden Gardens to beat India at their own game of spin.Bavuma’s gritty 55 not out in South Africa’s second innings paved the way for a thrilling win inside three days after the tourists bundled out India for 93 in their chase of 124.Bavuma’s half-century was the only fifty between the two teams on a track where bowlers dominated.South Africa have added Lungi Ngidi to their squad after fellow quick Kagiso Rabada missed the opener with a rib injury and is doubtful for the final match.Rabada watched his fellow bowlers rattle the Indian batting with spinner Simon Harmer taking a match haul of eight wickets.- Gill to miss out? -India are sweating on the fitness of skipper Shubman Gill as they look to rescue the two-match series.Gill suffered neck spasms in the first innings and pulled out of the remainder of the first Test, spending a night in hospital.The top-order batsman travelled with the team to the northeastern city of Guwahati but Indian media said he will not play the second match, with vice-captain Rishabh Pant to lead.India’s ploy to have a turning pitch at Eden Gardens has met with severe criticism from pundits after the hosts faltered badly in their chase.The defeat was India’s fourth at home in six Tests having been whitewashed by New Zealand 3-0 last year.”I completely believe that (coach) Gautam Gambhir and his team in India must play on much better wickets than what they played at Eden Gardens,” former captain Sourav Ganguly told TV channel India Today.Gambhir is under pressure after replacing Rahul Dravid following the T20 World Cup triumph last year.The going has been tough for the former opener, losing nine out of 18 Tests since being appointed coach of a team in transition.Stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma quit T20 cricket after the World Cup win in Barbados and earlier this year called time on their Test careers.Gill was appointed Test captain and drew a tough Test series in England 2-2 before leading India’s 2-0 whitewash of the West Indies at home.Play in Guwahati at India’s newest Test venue will start at 9:00 am (0330 GMT) because of early sunsets, with the order of the session breaks reversed — meaning tea will be before lunch.

Australia and Manchester City winger Mary Fowler has claimed a teammate at French club Montpellier gave her and another black player bananas as a farewell gift.In a book released this week, “Bloom”, the 22-year-old speaks of her unhappiness in southern France, saying she even pondered leaving the game altogether.Fowler, who left Montpellier in 2022 at the age of 19 after a two-year stay, said the team held a presentation after their final home game at which flowers were handed out to departing players.But she said neither she nor her friend, Dutch winger Ashleigh Weerden, were mentioned at the ceremony.”Afterwards, when we got inside the changing room, some of our teammates questioned why we hadn’t received any flowers. We shrugged our shoulders, just as clueless as they were,” she wrote.”A few of the girls laughed about it and then one of the other players came over and handed my friend and me some bananas, saying, ‘Here, have these.’ That was the cherry on top.”Fowler said she and Weerden had discussed the alleged incident since.”Not receiving flowers was one thing, but as two of only six black girls in the squad, receiving bananas wasn’t something I could laugh off and forget about. “Was it an accident? Was it the only thing in the dressing room she could give us? Did she mean well by it?,” she wrote.- ‘Holding those bananas’ -“I’ve tried to justify it in many different ways, trying to find any indication that it was an honest mistake. But when I add in the many other times at the club when we were left feeling a similar way, it was hard to see it as merely a simple error.”Fowler said she wished they had done something at the time “to stand up for ourselves”.”But instead we just sat there holding those bananas.”Fowler described a struggle with loneliness at Montpellier and said she “genuinely considered quitting football” there.The Matildas star recounted how the Australia team doctor had told her to get her heart checked out before playing again after she experienced chest pains when running. But she claimed the Montpellier doctor gave her a five-minute check-up and some anti-inflammatory tablets, and told her she was fine to keep playing.”It wasn’t exactly the check-up I’d been hoping for,” she said, adding that a young physiotherapist at the club later told her that the coaching staff thought she was making up the pain to avoid playing.Fowler said more extensive heart checks had since concluded that the chest pain was most likely a muscular or skeletal issue.The Australian player said she and Weerden were also questioned by the coach for driving home together.  “She’d answer that we were friends and I didn’t have my driver’s licence yet. Moments like these made it hard for us to not notice we were being treated differently to other players.”AFP has contacted Montpellier for a comment.

India captain Shubman Gill has responded well to treatment for a neck injury, the BCCI said Wednesday, but it remains to be seen if he plays the second Test against South Africa in Guwahati.Gill suffered the injury on the second day of the first Test in Kolkata and spent one night in hospital, taking no further part in the match, which South Africa won by 30 runs.Ahead of the second Test on Saturday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India said: “Shubman has been responding well to the medical treatment provided and will travel to Guwahati with the team (on Wednesday).”He will continue to be monitored by the BCCI medical team and a decision on his participation in the 2nd Test will be taken accordingly.”Top-order batsman Gill retired hurt on four and did not return to resume his innings and nor did he field, with vice-captain Rishabh Pant leading the hosts for the remainder of the first Test.

India’s $60-billion Bollywood industry is facing a deepening credibility crisis, as insiders warn that manipulated film reviews and inflated box office numbers are distorting public perception, ultimately hurting ticket sales.Streaming platforms have disrupted traditional cinema but industry veterans say Bollywood’s woes are also self-inflicted — including the trend to declare a film a “hit” even before its release.”If you don’t engage these influencers and critics, they will write bad reviews, even if the film is good,” producer-distributor Suniel Wadhwa told AFP.”If the film is bad, they will write good things about the film, provided the producer or studio has paid them.”Trade analyst and veteran distributor Raj Bansal said audiences have grown sceptical of early rave reviews.”As soon as the media gives four stars, people message me saying, ‘Sir, that means the movie is not good,'” Bansal said.”And, even if the film is good, they don’t trust it.”That distrust is now visible at the box office.”Regular cinema-goers wait to know the correct reports,” Bansal said.That means ticket sales during the vital opening shows “take a major dip” as film fans wait for word of mouth or “genuine reviews” to come out, he added.Industry insiders allege that some influencers have “rate cards”, with prices rising for films that generate low pre-release buzz.Producers, meanwhile, are accused of bulk-buying tickets to inflate opening-week numbers.”Everything is bought and manipulated,” Bansal said, referring to both reviews and social media personalities.- ‘Bleak’ -Sudhir Kasliwal, owner of Jaipur’s Gem Cinema, recalled seeing hundreds of online bookings for one of superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s releases, but only a fraction of the audience showed up in person.”Producers, directors and actors themselves buy tickets… the future of Bollywood looks very bleak if this practice continues,” Kasliwal said.”The wrong messages are conveyed to people and unless good content is produced, things will never improve.”Recent controversies include Bollywood A-lister Akshay Kumar’s fighter jet action movie “Skyforce”.The film’s director denied allegations of so-called “block booking” to boost first-week numbers, but a Mumbai-based trade analyst claimed its gross was inflated from about $6 million to over $9 million.”Online booking platforms showed full houses, but many theatres were nearly empty,” the analyst told AFP, requesting anonymity.Bansal said that critics who refuse to play along also risk being sidelined, while those who comply “flourish”. “Whenever I (post) that the film has opened with weak collections (ticket sales), I receive a barrage of calls from actors, producers asking me to remove it,” he said.- ‘Appetite to buy’ -Producer-distributor Wadhwa said that the box office collection of the 2025 romantic comedy horror “Thamma” was also manipulated, claiming true sales were around $15 million while the film reported $18 million.Thamma director Aditya Sarpotdar defended the $18 million figure, calling it the “most accurate”, having come from distributors and exhibitors.”When a film is still in theatres, the collection figures between producers and the trade will vary,” Sarpotdar told AFP.”Producer numbers are always the honest numbers.”Experts warn that falsifying box office data has lasting consequences, from inflated star salaries to shrinking opportunities for new talent.”You can’t take the audience for granted. They know the truth,” said Wadhwa, adding that to have both reviews and ticket sales manipulated was “a very sad situation.”Streaming platforms, now major players in film distribution, have begun demanding audited box office figures before striking deals which has added pressure on producers.”Streamers have now become sharp and careful about the film they are choosing,” said Wadhwa.Despite the backlash, few expect the trend to end anytime soon.”This practice will continue” Wadhwa said, until producers and studios lose their “appetite to buy tickets.”