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A landslide triggered by torrential monsoon rains swept away cars in mountainous northern Pakistan, killing at least five people, with more vehicles buried under the debris, officials said Tuesday.Flash floods, collapsed buildings and electrocutions have killed 221 people nationwide since the monsoon season arrived in late June with heavier rains that usual.More than eight vehicles were swept away on Monday when heavy rains triggered a landslide on a highway in Diamer district, Gilgit-Baltistan region.”One local resident and four tourists have died and among the deceased is an unidentified woman,” Atta-ur-Rehman Kakar, a senior official in Diamer, said in a video statement Tuesday. Nearly 100 homes have been destroyed in the floods, and rescue operations were ongoing, he added.The region is a popular tourist destination, marked by towering mountains, deep valleys and wide rivers.Faizullah Faraq, spokesperson for the regional government, said hundreds of visitors have been rescued.”Government teams cleared debris and escorted them off the mountain road, while local villagers provided emergency shelter and assistance,” Faraq added. Floods and landslides in the area have blocked major highways, damaged communication signals, four bridges, a hotel and a school.Washed out buses used by tourists were left abandoned on the side of the road after the destruction caused by the landslides. Rescued families holding babies and carrying rucksacks sat on rocks while rescue teams handed them food at the scene of a landslide.- Lacking disaster management -Nationwide, the death toll from monsoon-related incidents since June 26 includes 104 children, while more than 500 people have been injured, Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Agency said Tuesday.A spokeswoman for the agency told AFP that the heavy rains usually start later in the monsoon season. “Such death tolls are usually seen in August, but this year the impact has been markedly different,” she said. Monsoon season brings South Asia 70 to 80 percent of its annual rainfall, and runs from late June until September in Pakistan.The annual rains are vital for agriculture and food security, and the livelihoods of millions of farmers, but also bring destruction. Sherry Rehman, the former climate change minister, pointed out “the absence of an effective, comprehensive disaster management system in the country”, in a statement released by her office.  In late June, at least 13 tourists were swept to their deaths while sheltering from flash floods on a raised river bank. In 2022, monsoon floods submerged a third of the country and killed 1,700 people.

Grief gave way to anger in Bangladesh on Tuesday, a day after a fighter jet crashed into a school, killing 31 people, mostly children, in the country’s deadliest aviation accident in decades.The pupils had just been let out of class when the Chinese-made F-7 BJI aircraft slammed into the private Milestone School and College in Dhaka on Monday. At least 31 people have died, up from the military’s earlier toll of 27.More than 170 people were injured in the crash, with 69 of them still undergoing treatment at various hospitals.”Ten patients are in very critical condition,” Sayedur Rahman, from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, told reporters.At a protest on the school campus, students accused the government of lying about the death toll and demanded a list of those injured.”There were hundreds of students in that academic building. We saw body parts strewn all over the ground. Where are they?” a 17-year-old student, who requested anonymity, told AFP. “When students and teachers asked this question to the military personnel, they roughed us up,” he said.Some of the students carried placards that read: “We want justice” and “Where are the bodies of our brothers and sisters?”Students also stormed the national secretariat in Dhaka, prompting police to use batons and stun grenades, local media reported.Press secretary Ahammed Foyez told AFP that the government had agreed to meet the student’s demands. “We believe the demands raised by the students are legitimate and should be fulfilled,” Foyez said. – Children’s trauma -Teacher Shahadat Hossain, whose son narrowly escaped the crash, was devastated to see the school bereft of its usual buzz.  “Along with the children, the school has lost its life,” he said. “There are two swings in front of the affected building. During lunch breaks and after school, children play there. Even yesterday, around the time the plane crashed, students were on those swings,” the 45-year-old told AFP.Around 7,000 pupils are enrolled at the school, including Abul Bashar’s sixth-grade son whose best friend was killed.”He came out just two or three minutes before the accident occurred,” said Bashar. “He couldn’t sleep through the night and forced me to bring him to school this morning,” the father added, while his son stood in silence. School authorities have retrieved bags, shoes and identity cards of children from the site. Air Force personnel said remnants of the fighter jet were removed on Monday night, but they were still scouring the site for evidence.”I don’t know how long it will take to return to normalcy, to relieve the children from this trauma,” teacher Hossain said.- ‘Profound pain’ -On Monday night, school authorities held prayers at the campus.Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus expressed “deep grief and sorrow” over the incident and declared a day of national mourning.”The loss suffered by the Air Force, the students, parents, teachers and staff of Milestone School and College, as well as others affected by this accident, is irreparable,” he said. “This is a moment of profound pain for the nation.”The military said the pilot, 27-year-old flight lieutenant Towkir Islam, was on a routine training mission when the jet “reportedly encountered a mechanical failure”.He tried to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas, but crashed into the two-storey school building.

Floodwaters driven by torrential rains ground life in the Philippine capital to a halt on Tuesday with tens of thousands evacuated from their homes and at least two people believed missing.Schools and government offices in Manila and the surrounding provinces were closed after a night of rain that saw the region’s Marikina River burst its banks.More than 23,000 people living along the river were evacuated overnight, sheltering in schools, village halls and covered courtyards.About 44,000 more were evacuated in the metropolitan area’s Quezon, Pasig and Caloocan cities.”Usually these people are from low-lying areas like beside creeks (feeding into the river),” according to Wilmer Tan of the Marikina rescue office, who said the river had reached 18 metres (59 feet) in height.An elderly woman and her driver were swept down a swollen creek as they attempted to cross a bridge in Caloocan, said John Paul Nietes, an emergency operations centre assistant supervisor.”Their car was recovered last night. The rescue operation is continuing, but as of today, they haven’t found either of them,” he said.”The car window was broken, so the hope is that they were able to escape.”Floodwaters were receding on Tuesday afternoon, though thousands of people remained unable to return to their homes.Ongoing monsoon rains have killed at least six people and left another six missing in the central and southern Philippines since Tropical Storm Wipha skirted the country on Friday, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.The Philippine’s national weather service is predicting rain to continue through the end of the week.At least 20 storms or typhoons strike or come near the Philippines each year, with the country’s poorest regions typically the hardest hit.Deadly and destructive storms are becoming more powerful as the world gets warmer because of climate change.”This is hard, because if the rain will continue… the river will swell,” Manila street sweeper Avelina Lumangtad, 61, told AFP as she stood next to a flooded thoroughfare.”The floods are dangerous.”

A landslide triggered by torrential monsoon rains swept away cars in mountainous northern Pakistan, killing at least three people, with more vehicles buried under the debris, officials said Tuesday.Flash floods, collapsed buildings and electrocutions have killed 221 people since the monsoon season arrived in late June with heavier rains that usual.More than eight vehicles were swept away on Monday when heavy rains triggered a landslide on a highway in Diamer district, Gilgit-Baltistan region, a senior police officer told AFP.”Three dead bodies have been recovered and more than 15 are still missing,” said Abdul Hameed, the district police officer.He said at least 10 vehicles were buried under the debris and a rescue operation was underway.Faizullah Faraq, spokesperson for the regional government, confirmed the death toll to AFP.The region is a popular tourist destination, marked by towering mountains, deep valleys and wide rivers, and Faraq said hundreds of visitors were rescued.”Government teams cleared debris and escorted them off the mountain road, while local villagers provided emergency shelter and assistance,” Faraq added.Floods in the area have blocked major highways, damaged communication signals, 50 houses, four bridges, a hotel and a school.The rest of Pakistan has not been spared, with 221 killed nationwide in incidents related to the monsoon since June 26.The death toll includes “104 children and 40 women”, while more than 500 others have been injured, Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Agency said Tuesday.A spokeswoman for the agency told AFP that the heavy rains usually start later in the monsoon season. “Such death tolls are usually seen in August, but this year the impact has been markedly different,” she said. Monsoon season brings South Asia 70 to 80 percent of its annual rainfall, and runs from late June until September in Pakistan.The annual rains are vital for agriculture and food security, and the livelihoods of millions of farmers, but also bring destruction. In late June, at least 13 tourists were swept to their deaths while sheltering from flash floods on a raised river bank. In 2022, monsoon floods submerged a third of the country and killed 1,700 people.

Families and teachers gathered Tuesday at a Bangladeshi school where a training fighter jet crashed, killing 25 children and two others in the country’s deadliest aviation accident in decades.Most of the victims were pupils who had just been let out of class when the Chinese-made F-7 BJI aircraft slammed into the Milestone School and College on Monday. “So far, 27 people have died. Among them, 25 are children and one is a pilot,” said Sayedur Rahman from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, updating an earlier death toll of 20.”Seventy-eight people are being treated in different hospitals,” added Rahman, special assistant to the ministry’s chief adviser.More than 170 people were injured in the crash, said the military which is investigating the cause. The usually bustling school was eerily quiet on Tuesday morning, with classes cancelled.”Along with the children, the school has lost its life,” said teacher Shahadat Hossain, whose son narrowly escaped the crash. “There are two swings in front of the affected building. During lunch breaks and after school, children play there. Even yesterday, around the time the plane crashed, students were on those swings,” the 45-year-old told AFP.Around 7,000 pupils are enrolled at the school, including Abul Bashar’s sixth-grade son whose best friend was killed. “He came out just two or three minutes before the accident occurred,” said Bashar. “He couldn’t sleep through the night and forced me to bring him to school this morning,” the father added, his son standing in silence. – Children’s trauma -School authorities have collected bags, shoes, and identity cards of children from the site. Pahn Chakma, a senior police officer, said that armed forces personnel are still sweeping the area.”They will hand over the place to the police later, and we will then collect evidence, including any human remains or belongings of students and others,” Chakma said.Air Force personnel on duty said the remnants of the fighter jet were removed on Monday night, but they are still scouring the site for evidence.”I don’t know how long it will take to return to normalcy, to relieve the children from this trauma,” teacher Hossain said.On Monday night, school authorities held prayers at the campus.Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus expressed “deep grief and sorrow” over the incident and declared a day of national mourning.”The loss suffered by the Air Force, the students, parents, teachers, and staff of Milestone School and College, as well as others affected by this accident, is irreparable,” he said. “This is a moment of profound pain for the nation.”The military said the pilot, flight lieutenant Towkir Islam, was on a routine training mission when the jet “reportedly encountered a mechanical failure”.He tried to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas but, “despite his best efforts”, crashed into the two-storey school building, the military said Monday.

India must make a crucial call on the fitness of star pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah for the fourth Test against England at Old Trafford.England can clinch the series with a victory in Manchester but they have top order questions to resolve, while Ben Stokes and Ravindra Jadeja will be looking to repeat their third Test exploits.AFP Sport looks at three talking points ahead of the first day of the Test on Wednesday:India weigh up Bumrah decisionTrailing 2-1 in the five-match series after their painful 22-run loss at Lord’s, India cannot afford another defeat if they are to win a Test trip to England for the first time since 2007.That perilous position has increased the pressure to make the right decision on the fitness of Bumrah.India coach Gautam Gambhir made it clear at the start of the series that Bumrah would only be available for three matches due to a nagging back injury.Bumrah, 31, played in the first and third Tests against England, with India losing both matches, and missed the second game, which the tourists won.If India opt to use the world’s top ranked Test bowler in Manchester, it would likely rule him out of a potential series decider in the fifth Test.”We know we have got him for one of the last two Tests. It’s pretty obvious that the series is on the line now in Manchester so there will be a leaning towards playing him,” Gambhir’s assistant Ryan ten Doeschate said.The need to play Bumrah at Old Trafford has been heightened by injuries to India all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy and seamer Arshdeep Singh.England’s brittle top orderEngland may be within touching distance of winning the series, but questions about their fragile top order remain unsolved.Polarising opener Zak Crawley could only muster scores of 18 and 22 at Lord’s.Ollie Pope, filling the number three spot, reached 44 in the first innings but perished for just four in the second, while Crawley’s opening partner Ben Duckett was dismissed for 23 and 12.England must decide whether to keep faith with Crawley, whose international career has been filled with highs and lows.Scores of 267 against Pakistan and 189 against Australia showcased Crawley’s ability, but the 27-year-old’s frustrating habit of surrendering his wicket cheaply has led to calls for a change at the top of the line-up.However, England have backed Crawley and Duckett to the hilt, and captain Stokes said: “They complement each other. Left-hand, right-hand. “One is a giant, one is not. It is very hard for bowlers to settle in.”Jadeja v StokesAfter England’s Stokes rose to the occasion at Lord’s and Jadeja nearly delivered a match-winning innings for India, the all-rounders will carry hefty expectations in Manchester.Stokes led by example in England’s third Test triumph, scoring 77 runs in two innings, taking five wickets and producing a vital run-out of Rishabh Pant.Significantly, Stokes was able to push his body through 44 overs, including spells of 9.2 and 10 overs on the dramatic final day.Now 34, that was the most he has bowled in over six years after being plagued by injuries.”It was an incredible effort to be able to do that, but that’s just how he’s built, I guess. He’s just desperate to be the man and make things happen,” England batsman Joe Root said.Age was no barrier for the 36-year-old Jadeja either as he kept India in the Lord’s Test until the last moments.Now an elder statesman of the team after the Test retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Jadeja’s gritty 61 not out from 181 balls took the tourists within a whisker of their 193-run target.He also scored 72 in the first innings and made 89 and 69 in the second Test at Edgbaston.”I always felt he has the ability to take pressure. With so much of experience, he normally comes with something that the team needs in any challenging conditions. Really, really valuable to the team,” India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said.

Ahmed Raza is invisible in the eyes of his government, unable to study or work because, like millions of other Pakistanis, he lacks identification papers.In the South Asian nation of more than 240 million people, parents generally wait until a child begins school at the age of five to obtain a birth certificate, which is required for enrolment in most parts of Pakistan.Raza slipped through the cracks until the end of elementary school, but when his middle school requested documentation, his mother had no choice but to withdraw him.  “If I go looking for work, they ask for my ID card. Without it, they refuse to hire me,” said the 19-year-old in the megacity of Karachi, the southern economic capital. He has already been arrested twice for failing to present identification cards when stopped by police at checkpoints.Raza’s mother Maryam Suleman, who is also unregistered, said she “didn’t understand the importance of having identity documents”.”I had no idea I would face such difficulties later in life for not being registered,” the 55-year-old widow told AFP from the single room she and Raza share.Pakistan launched biometric identification cards in 2000 and registration is increasingly required in all aspects of formal life, especially in cities.In 2021, the National Database and Registration Authority estimated that around 45 million people were not registered. They have declined to release updated figures or reply to AFP despites repeated requests.To register, Raza needs his mother’s or uncle’s documents — an expensive and complex process at their age, often requiring a doctor, lawyer or a newspaper notice.The paperwork, he says, costs up to $165 — a month and a half’s income for the two of them, who earn a living doing housework and odd jobs in a grocery shop. Locals whisper that registration often requires bribes, and some suggest the black market offers a last resort.”Our lives could have been different if we had our identity cards,” Raza said.- ‘No time or money’ -In remote Punjab villages like Rajanpur, UNICEF is trying to prevent people from falling into the same fate as Raza.They conduct door-to-door registration campaigns, warning parents that undocumented children face higher risks of child labour and forced marriage.Currently, 58 percent of children under five have no birth certificate, according to government figures.Registration fees depend on the province, ranging from free, $0.70 to $7 — still a burden for many Pakistanis, about 45 percent of whom live in poverty.”Our men have no time or money to go to the council and miss a day’s work,” said Nazia Hussain, mother of two unregistered children.The “slow process” often requires multiple trips and there is “no means of transport for a single woman,” she said.Saba, from the same village, is determined to register her three children, starting with convincing her in-laws of its value. “We don’t want our children’s future to be like our past. If children go to school, the future will be brighter,” said Saba, who goes by just one name.Campaigns in the village have resulted in an increase of birth registration rates from 6.1 percent in 2018 to 17.7 percent in 2024, according to UNICEF.This will improve the futures of an entire generation, believes Zahida Manzoor, child protection officer at UNICEF, dispatched to the village.”If the state doesn’t know that a child exists, it can’t provide basic services,” she said.”If a child does not have an identity, it means the state has not recognised their existence. The state is not planning for the services that the child will need after birth.”Muhammad Haris and his brothers, who have few interactions with the formal state in their border village in the mountainous province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have not registered any of their eight children.”The government asks for documents for the pilgrimage visa to Mecca,” a journey typically made after saving for a lifetime, he told AFP.For him, this is the only reason worthy of registration.sam-jma-la-vid/sbh/ecl/lb/dhw

A Bangladeshi fighter jet crashed into a school in the capital Dhaka on Monday, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 170 in the country’s deadliest aviation accident in decades.Many of the victims were young students who had just been let out of class when a Chinese-made F-7 BJI aircraft slammed into the Milestone School and College.An AFP photographer at the scene saw fire and rescue officials taking away the injured students on stretchers, while army personnel helped clear the mangled wreckage.A military statement said 20 people were killed, including the pilot, and 171 others injured when the jet crashed following a mechanical failure.An 18-year-old student, Shafiur Rahman Shafi, said he heard a huge blast that felt like an earthquake.”There were two fighter planes… Suddenly one of the two planes crashed here (in the junior playground),” he told AFP. “It created a boom, and it felt like a quake. Then it caught fire,” he added.The well-known private school offers education to children from kindergarten through to senior secondary.Most of the injured were aged between eight and 14, said Mohammad Maruf Islam, joint director of Dhaka’s National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute where many victims were treated.Grieving relatives of the victims thronged the hospital, while dozens of volunteers lined up to donate blood.Tofazzal Hossain, 30, broke down in tears on learning that his young cousin had been killed.”We frantically searched for my cousin in different hospitals,” Hossain told AFP.”He was an eighth grader at the school. Finally, we found his body.”- ‘Deep grief and sorrow’ -Mohammad Sayedur Rahman, a Health and Family Welfare official, said at least seven bodies remained unidentified.The military said the pilot, flight lieutenant Towkir Islam, was on a routine training mission when the jet “reportedly encountered a mechanical failure”.”The exact cause remains under investigation,” it said in a statement.The pilot tried to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas but, “despite his best efforts”, crashed into the two-storey school building, the military added.It was Towkir’s first solo flight, his uncle Motakabbir told AFP.”His mother was nervous yet happy and had been eagerly waiting for the completion of her son’s first solo flight,” said Motakabbir, who uses only one name.Shuvra Ghosh, the aunt of one of the injured students, said her eight-year-old niece was rescued by a teacher who broke open a window to bring her out.”We are mentally traumatised,” she told AFP.The interim government of Muhammad Yunus announced a day of national mourning on Tuesday.Yunus expressed “deep grief and sorrow” over the incident in a post on X. “The loss suffered by the Air Force, the students, parents, teachers, and staff of Milestone School and College, as well as others affected by this accident, is irreparable,” he said. “This is a moment of profound pain for the nation.”The crash was the worst aviation accident in the country in several decades.The deadliest ever disaster happened in 1984 when a plane flying from Chattogram to Dhaka crashed, killing all 49 on board.Last month, a commercial aircraft crashed in neighbouring India, killing 260 people. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “deeply shocked and saddened at the loss of lives” in Dhaka. Relations between the neighbours have been strained since protesters in Bangladesh last year ousted leader Sheikh Hasina, an old ally of New Delhi.”India stands in solidarity with Bangladesh and is ready to extend all possible support and assistance,” Modi wrote on X.

England batsman Harry Brook has warned India that his team “don’t always have to be nice” as they prepare to resume hostilities at Old Trafford on Wednesday.After England battled to a fiery 22-run victory in the third Test at Lord’s, the teams will lock horns again with the series on the line in Manchester.England on Monday named just one change to that side with Hampshire’s left-arm spinner Liam Dawson making his first Test appearance in eight years at the expense of the injured Shoaib Bashir, while Jofra Archer remains in an unchanged pace attack.  An England win would put them 3-1 up with one game to play, while India must take the last two matches to secure their first Test series triumph on English soil since 2007.It promises to be another fiercely-fought encounter after India’s fielders clashed with England batsmen Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett in a time-wasting row at Lord’s.That lit a fire under England when it was their turn to field, with Archer giving a pumped-up send-off to India’s Rishabh Pant.As the tension mounted in England’s 22-run win, Brydon Carse and India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja were involved in a mid-pitch collision.But Brook is adamant Ben Stokes’ side did not go to far with their spikey approach in pursuit of victory.”I’ve had a lot of compliments. Everybody said it was awesome to watch. It was good fun, I have to admit. It was tiring but it made fielding a lot more enjoyable,” he said on Monday.”I think it put them under a little bit more pressure. The opportunity that arose for us to not be the nice guys was because of what they did. We just thought ‘we’re not standing for that’.”We had a conversation and said ‘it’s time to not be those nice guys that we have been before’. You don’t always have to be nice. Who knows, that might have played into our favour. It was good fun.”We were doing it within the spirit of the game. We weren’t going out there effing and jeffing at them and being nasty people. We were just going about it in the right manner.”- ‘Wily old fox’ -India pace bowler Mohammed Siraj was fined 15 per cent of his match fee and given one demerit point for his angry send-off of Duckett during England’s second innings, which ended with the pair brushing shoulders.Brook revealed it was at his urging after some choice words from head coach Brendon McCullum that they decided to fight back.Asked whether that aggressive approach will continue as England look to win the series, Brook said: “God knows. We’ll see whether it happens again and whether it works.”I brought it up the night before the last day: ‘Baz said the other day we’re too nice, I think tomorrow is a perfect opportunity to really get stuck into them’.”Bashir took the final wicket at Lord’s but the Somerset spinner’s broken finger has opened the way for Dawson’s Test recall.The 35-year-old, who has starred in county action for Hampshire leapfrogging the centrally-contracted Jack Leach as the replacement for Bashir, played the last of his three Tests in 2017.He was a member of England’s ODI World Cup winning squad in 2019 and was recalled to the T20 side against the West Indies in June.Apart from his bowling Dawson is a more than handy lower order batter with 18 first-class hundreds and an average of just over 35. “He is a wily, old fox, very experienced and a very skilful cricketer,” Brook said.”He’s willing to always fight for the team, he’s very competitive and it’s good to have him here.”Archer, who took five wickets in his comeback Test at Lord’s while bowling at high pace, retains his place in the bowling attack alongside Brydon Carse and Chris Woakes who were preferred to the fit-again Gus Atkinson. 

India’s Mohammed Siraj expects fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah to feature in the vital fourth Test against England at Old Trafford this week.Bumrah, the world’s top-ranked Test bowler, is only slated to play three of the five matches against England as he battles a back injury.He has already featured in India’s defeats at Headingley and Lord’s, leaving the tourists 2-1 down in the series.With doubts over the availability of India seam bowler Akash Deep due to a groin injury, Siraj believes Bumrah will feature in Manchester on Wednesday rather than hold him back for next week’s final Test at The Oval.”So far, we only know that Jassi (Bumrah) will play,” Siraj said on Monday.India must make at least one change as Nitish Kumar Reddy will miss the last two Tests because of a knee injury.India are also sweating on the fitness of wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, who suffered a finger injury last week.Siraj was last man out as India fell to an agonising 22-run defeat in the third Test at Lord’s.The pace bowler played Shoaib Bashir’s delivery on to his stumps before slumping to his knees in frustration.Siraj took heart from India’s lower-order fight as he lasted 30 balls and Reddy and Bumrah more than 50, with Ravindra Jadeja contributing an unbeaten 61.”It took a long time to get over. That match felt like we could’ve won. I’m very emotional,” he said.”We fought hard. Jadeja did great and even Bumrah batted 54 balls. Still, we lost. But I told myself, it’s 2-1 now, not over yet. That gave me motivation to do better.”At one point it looked like we’d lose by 80 runs but we took it deep and made it close, losing by just 22. That fight meant a lot.”