AFP Asia

India and Pakistan clash again in the Asia Cup on Sunday, renewing one of cricket’s fiercest rivalries a week after their last match was overshadowed by a handshake row.India won the September 14 group match by seven wickets in Dubai and afterwards refused to shake hands with their opponents, angering Pakistan.It was the first meeting between the neighbours since a four-day cross-border conflict in May left more than 70 people dead.The Pakistan Cricket Board lodged a protest with the International Cricket Council alleging that match referee Andy Pycroft had told skipper Salman Agha not to approach Indian counterpart Suryakumar Yadav for a handshake at the toss. The PCB demanded Pycroft be removed from their matches and threatened to withdraw from the eight-team Twenty20 competition. Their last group game was held up for an hour before the PCB said Pycroft had apologised and the match, with the Zimbabwean in charge, eventually went ahead.Pakistan beat hosts the United Arab Emirates to qualify for the next stage, the Super Fours, and set up another meeting with India in Dubai.Indian media has reported that the team plans to stick to its no-handshake policy for Sunday’s clash.India spinner Kuldeep Yadav sought to defuse the controversy. “When you step onto the field it’s just a batter in front of you. I have always approached it this way against Pakistan,” he said ahead of India’s last group game, against Oman on Friday.Agha also stuck to sport. “If we play good cricket like we have played in the last few months I think we’ll be good against any side,” the Pakistan captain told reporters.- Simmering tensions -Because of fraught political ties, nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan only meet at neutral venues during multi-team tournaments.Tensions soared ahead of the Asia Cup after the two countries engaged in their worst conflict since 1999.The hostilities in May left more than 70 people dead in missile, drone and artillery exchanges, before a ceasefire.The conflict was triggered by an April attack on civilians in Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir that New Delhi accused Pakistan of backing, a charge Islamabad denies.India resisted calls to boycott the first Pakistan match.A potential third India-Pakistan showdown looms if both sides qualify for the final on September 28 in Dubai.India lifted the Asia Cup in its last, 50-over edition and are favourites to retain the crown.India and Pakistan advanced to the next stage from Group A while Sri Lanka and Bangladesh qualified from Group B. Sri Lanka face Bangladesh on Saturday in the first Super Fours fixture.Sri Lanka, unbeaten so far, look dangerous while Bangladesh carry the underdog tag under skipper Litton Das.Along with regional bragging rights, the Asia Cup serves as build-up towards the T20 World Cup in February-March in India and Sri Lanka.

India are targeting a record medal haul at next year’s Asian Games in Japan as part of a long-term plan to boost their prospects at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.The world’s most populous nation surpassed expectations at Hangzhou in 2023, breaking the 100-medal barrier for the first time to finish fourth behind hosts China, Japan and South Korea. Powered by their cricketers, shooters and archers, India collected 107 medals at the Covid-delayed event, their best showing to date.Officials believe they can go even better at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya from September 19 to October 4 next year.”I don’t like to talk about medals ever but I can assure you that we will definitely do better than last time,” Adille Sumariwalla, spokesman for the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), told AFP with the Games one year away. “Athletics is something that I am close to and I know that we will do better there.”A former sprinter who represented India at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, Sumariwalla stressed that India’s bigger goal was the Los Angeles Games. “The focus for the athletics federation is the Olympics in LA 2028. On the way, if that (Asian Games) gives us medals, it is great,” he said.India has done poorly at the Olympics for a country of its size, winning 10 gold medals in its history. – Chopra star power -One of those was javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, the 2021 Tokyo champion.He will again spearhead India’s campaign in Japan as he chases a third straight Asian Games title. Chopra’s famed rivalry with Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, who upstaged him for gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics, is set to be one of the highlights.India’s men and women cricketers both took gold in Hangzhou and will be expected to repeat the feat in Japan.Cricket returns to the Olympics in 2028 and offers a major chance for India to add to its modest tally on the biggest stage.In Japan, the men’s hockey team will aim to defend the crown they regained in China, while India’s women will eye redemption after settling for bronze.Shooting, India’s main medal-winning sport at the Asian Games, will again be key.Manu Bhaker is set to defend her team gold in the 25m pistol after becoming the first Indian to win two shooting medals at the Olympics.Archery has also emerged as a medal-rich discipline for India. India bagged nine medals in Hangzhou in the sport, and earlier this month the men’s compound team clinched gold at the World Championships in South Korea.Traditional sports such as kabaddi are expected to keep India’s medal machine rolling after their acrimonious final against Iran two years ago.On the athletics track, the AFI is prioritising the men’s and women’s 4x100m relays, banking on recent successes. In April the men’s 4x100m relay team clocked 38.69 seconds, a time that could put them on the podium in Aichi-Nagoya.

Tapanuli orangutans are the world’s most endangered great ape. Fewer than 800 remain, all previously thought to be in their native Indonesia. But now an Indian zoo says it has one.An Indian court cleared the 3,500-acre wildlife facility known as Vantara on Monday of allegations including unlawful acquisition of animals and financial wrongdoing.But the decision is unlikely to quiet questions about how Vantara, which describes itself as a wildlife rehabilitation and conservation centre, has stocked its enclosures. Vantara, run by Anant Ambani, the son of Asia’s richest man, says it houses 150,000 animals of 2,000 species, far exceeding populations at well-known zoos in New York, London or Berlin. AFP spoke to seven experts on conservation and the wildlife trade to understand concerns about Vantara.Several declined to speak on the record, citing Vantara’s previous legal actions against critics. They called Vantara’s collection unprecedented.”We’ve never seen anything on this scale,” said one longtime conservation expert from a wildlife protection group.”It’s hoovering up animals from all over the world.”Some of those acquisitions are more noteworthy than others, such as the single tapanuli that arrived in Vantara between 2023 and 2024, according to the facility’s submissions to India’s Central Zoo Authority.Only officially described in 2017, tapanulis are incredibly rare, said Serge Wich, an orangutan specialist at Liverpool John Moores University.They are confined to a small range in Indonesia and are in “dire straits” because of threats including mining and deforestation, he told AFP.- ‘Surprised and shocked’ -Trade in the world’s most endangered species is prohibited by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).But there are exceptions, including for “captive-bred” animals — individuals born in captivity to captive parents. There is only one CITES record of a tapanuli orangutan ever being transferred internationally.It left Indonesia in 2023, bound for the United Arab Emirates, where Vantara says its tapanuli came from.The transfer record describes the animal as “captive-bred”.However, multiple experts said that description was implausible.”There are no captive breeding programmes for orangutans in Indonesia,” said Panut Hadisiswoyo, founder and chairman of the Orangutan Information Centre in Indonesia.Only a handful are known to be in captivity at all, at rehabilitation facilities in Indonesia, he said.A conservationist for more than two decades, Panut said he was “surprised and shocked” to learn from AFP about Vantara’s tapanuli orangutan.”We do everything to protect them,” he said. “So it’s really, really distressing information.”There is no information on where in Indonesia the animal originated. The country’s CITES authorities did not respond to a request for comment.Experts said it was possible the orangutan is not a tapanuli at all. They look similar enough to Bornean and Sumatran orangutans that DNA testing would be needed for confirmation. It could also be a mix of tapanuli and another species, perhaps discovered by a zoo in its collection — although experts questioned why a facility would hand off such a rare animal.But if the animal is a tapanuli, “it’s almost inevitable that it would have to be illegal”, said orangutan conservation expert Erik Meijaard.”It would be super sad.”- ‘Pure nonsense’ -Vantara did not respond to AFP’s request for comment on the orangutan and how it acquires animals.The tapanuli is not the first highly endangered animal to arrive at Vantara.Spix’s macaws, a vibrant blue species native to Brazil, were extinct in the wild until recently.Brazil has sought to prevent all trade and transfer of the birds.It allowed a breeding facility in Germany to acquire some on condition they would not be sold or moved without Brazilian permission, according to documents submitted to CITES. Yet in 2023, 26 Spix’s macaws from the German facility arrived in Vantara. Vantara says it is working “to ensure that the calls of these rare birds are never lost from their native habitats”.The case has rankled Brazil, which raised it repeatedly at CITES meetings.Asked about Vantara’s tapanuli, the CITES secretariat told AFP “this matter is under review”, adding it was “not in a position to provide information”.In public documents, CITES has acknowledged receiving “multiple reports” about imports of endangered animals into India. India has said it will invite CITES officials for a visit but has yet to provide “detailed information on the matter”, the secretariat noted.If Vantara does own a single tapanuli orangutan, its conservation value would be limited, said Panut, who urged the animal’s return to Indonesia.For Meijaard, conservation in their natural habitat in Indonesia provides “the only chance for this species’ survival”.”Trying to breed orangutans outside Indonesia with some kind of long-term hope that they are going to contribute to the population is just pure nonsense.”

Pakistan set up another politically charged showdown with arch-rivals India at the Asia Cup after defeating the United Arab Emirates by 41 runs in Dubai on Wednesday.The match began an hour late as the fallout rumbled on from a handshake row with India.The Pakistan Cricket Board was considering pulling out from the tournament and demanded the removal of match referee Andy Pycroft for the must-win group game against the hosts.The Zimbabwean oversaw Sunday’s game with India, after which the victorious India team refused to shake hands with the Pakistan players.But following urgent talks between the PCB and the International Cricket Council, Wednesday’s encounter eventually went ahead after a delay and Pycroft remained the match referee.Fakhar Zaman scored 50 off 36 balls and fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi added a brisk 29 not out as Pakistan made a modest 146-9 after being put in to bat.Spinner Abrar Ahmed led Pakistan’s bowling charge with 2-13 as the UAE were dismissed for 105 in 17.4 overs. Shaheen took 2-16 and fellow paceman Haris Rauf 2-19.The win means Pakistan join India in the Super Four from Group A. They will meet again in Dubai on Sunday.Rahul Chopra top-scored for the UAE with a run-a-ball 35.Pakistan got off to a shaky start as Saim Ayub fell for a second-ball duck while Sahibzada Farhan made five, both falling to pace bowler Junaid Siddique.Zaman and Salman Agha (20) added 61 for the third wicket. Zaman hit three sixes and two fours before he fell to left-arm spinner Simranjeet Singh, who took 3-26.It was left to Shaheen to help Pakistan add 51 in the last five overs as Siddique finished with an impressive 4-18.Rauf said Pakistan will be more competitive in their rematch with India after losing by seven wickets in the first clash between the rivals in cricket since the countries fought a brief but deadly border conflict in May.”Yes, we were not up to the mark in the first game, but we will do our best to be competitive,” said Rauf.”Cricket is a game of expectations, fans have a lot of expectation so we will try to live up to that.”UAE skipper Muhammad Waseem played down the distraction of Pakistan arriving late to Wednesday’s match.”We were told about the delay in the match, so we kept our preparations and were not worried about the off-field matters,” said Waseem.Sri Lanka meet Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi to decide who goes through to the next round from Group B. Bangladesh are also in the running with two wins in three matches.

Pakistan’s Asia Cup match with the United Arab Emirates began one hour late Wednesday as the fallout rumbles on from a handshake row with arch-rivals India.The game in Dubai belatedly went ahead following a delay while the Pakistan Cricket Board and the International Cricket Council held talks.The PCB had demanded the removal of Andy Pycroft as match referee for the must-win group game against the hosts.The Zimbabwean oversaw Sunday’s politically charged clash with India, after which the victorious India team refused to shake hands with the Pakistan players.The PCB alleged that Pycroft told Pakistan skipper Salman Agha and Indian counterpart Suryakumar Yadav not to shake hands at the toss.Following urgent talks with the ICC on Wednesday, the PCB released a statement saying: “The ICC’s match referee, Andy Pycroft, has apologised to the manager and captain of the Pakistan cricket team.”He remained match referee for the UAE encounter.If Pakistan beat the home side they will face India again this weekend in the next stage of the eight-team regional T20 tournament.Wednesday’s game had originally been scheduled to start at 6:30 pm (1430 GMT).The PCB’s subsequent statement said: “Andy Pycroft termed the September 14 incident a result of miscommunication and apologised.”The ICC has expressed its willingness to conduct an inquiry into the code of conduct violation that occurred during the September 14 match.”Pakistan’s seven-wicket defeat to India was the first time the rivals had faced off in cricket since the countries fought a brief but deadly border conflict in May.

Australian teen sensation Gout Gout advanced to the semi-finals of the 200 metres at the world championships on Wednesday and immediately vowed to keep emulating Jamaican legend Usain Bolt.The 17-year-old has been compared to Bolt, the 11-time world champion and eight-time Olympic gold medallist, for his similar age-grade progression.Bolt was in the National Stadium in Tokyo to witness the youngster’s senior international debut.”He is the GOAT (greatest of all time),” Gout Gout said of Bolt after qualifying from his heat in third spot in 20.23sec.”Usain Bolt, he’s the actor everyone looks up to, so I’ve just got to keep looking up to him and try and be like him, too.”Gout Gout showed no outward sign of nerves, instead basking in the attention alongside the likes of Olympic champions Noah Lyles, Letsile Tebogo and a clutch of other experienced sprinters.”It feels pretty good, it’s great to be out here competing on the world stage so I’m just happy to be here and I can’t wait for the semi,” said Gout Gout, born to South Sudanese parents who fled the war-torn country via Egypt and arrived in Australia in 2006.”It’s a great experience for me, running against the big dogs, it’s great to be out here and just excited for more.”I just got through to the semis so it is definitely great to know that I’m up against the top 24 in the world pretty much, so it’s just a great experience.”Nerves, he admitted, had been conquered — and a mindset fixed.”Obviously I was a bit nervous but you’ve just got to get out here, have some fun and just enjoy being out here,” he said.”There’s expectation wherever I go so it is what it is, I’ve just got to get out there and do my thing and have a bit of fun.”I definitely enjoyed myself, even though it was a bit hot, but it’s definitely great.”- ‘Run like the wind’ -Gout Gout has a personal best of 20.02sec this season and he acknowedged that dipping under the 20-second barrier — the mark of world-class 200m sprinting — was the aim in Tokyo.”Sub-20, that’s the goal, so let’s see in the semi,” he said.”I just felt that in my heat, everyone wasn’t up against me apart from the top two so I just picked who’s in control of the last 50, last 30 and just qualified, so that’s what I needed.”Gout Gout said he would continue to focus on himself, instead of being star-struck by rivals lining up in the next lanes to him.”These are the biggest athletes in the world and some that I admired when I was younger so I’m just focusing on myself and I’m doing very well so I’ll just keep doing that.”It’s not really hard, my mindset is pretty good so just go out there and do my thing.”The lanky Gout Gout played down concerns over his starts, which he admitted were “not my strong suit”.”As soon as I get into running, I’m chilling so yeah, it’s good,” he said.”I just run with freedom, free here, just go out there, run like a horse, run like the wind.”

India’s participation in military exercises with Moscow and its  purchases of Russian oil “stand in the way of closer ties” with the EU, the bloc’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said on Wednesday.”Ultimately, our partnership is not only about trade, but also about defending the rules-based international order,” Kallas said, as she announced the bloc’s strategy to strengthen EU-India ties.Alongside other Moscow allies including Iran, India has taken part in Russia’s Zapad (West) joint drills with Belarus this month, part of which took place close to NATO borders.”Participating in military exercises, purchases of oil — all these are obstacles to our cooperation when it comes to deepening the ties,” Kallas said.Despite a lack of alignment over Russia, the European Union and India are working to conclude talks on a free trade agreement by the end of 2025, amid New Delhi’s own tensions with Washington.US-India ties have been strained since President Donald Trump raised tariffs on most Indian exports to 50 percent last month in retaliation for New Delhi’s continued purchases of Russian oil.The EU is India’s largest trading partner, with trade between the two economic giants up 90 percent over the past decade, EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic said alongside Kallas in Brussels.Senior figures from India and the European Union hope to meet for a high-level summit early next year.”Now is the time to double down on partnerships rooted in shared interests and guided by common values. With our new EU–India strategy, we are taking our relationship to the next level,” EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said on X.The strategy also includes a bid to build stronger ties on defence and security as well as technology and climate issues.

Days after escaping alongside 13,500 others in a giant jailbreak during deadly anti-corruption protests in Nepal, Avinash Rai rubbed his belly after a meal — and strolled back into prison.The 46-year-old convicted smuggler stunned relatives when he turned up at their Kathmandu home during last week’s chaos, in which protesters torched the parliament and toppled the government.The violence left at least 73 dead and saw security collapse across the capital, with inmates streaming out of fire-damaged jails countrywide.”We were in a situation where saving our own lives was a challenge,” Rai, with two small bags slung on his shoulders, told AFP just before he surrendered himself at the gates of Kathmandu’s Nakhu prison.”There were no cops here -— there was massive arson and vandalism. The gate was open after that.”He emerged from prison into violent crowds and fires burning across the city.”It was a really bad time out,” he said referring to the mayhem as he escaped. “Now I’m going in.”Youth-led protests in the Himalayan nation began on September 8, sparked by a short-lived ban on social media, but fuelled by anger at corruption and long-standing economic woes.At least 19 people were killed in a crackdown.A day later, anger over the deaths escalated, triggering an outpouring of rage nationwide — with government buildings set alight and violence erupting in multiple prisons.Rai, jailed for smuggling contraband across the India-Nepal border, has served 20 months of a 22-month sentence and appealed for the new government to “show some leniency”.- ‘Cops searching’ -More than a third of the fugitives — 5,000 out of 13,500 — have been recaptured, police said.Some were caught by Indian security forces as they tried to slip across the long, porous frontier.Many still on the run include hardened criminals.Others, like Rai, handed themselves back in — many convicted of lesser offences or near the end of their sentences.His friend Nagendra Shreshtha, who accompanied him back to jail, said Rai’s family had been shocked when he appeared at their door.”It was just crazy that all these people managed to come out of jail,” Shreshtha said. “We advised him that it made sense to return on his own.”At the prison gates, Rai was not alone.Som Gopali, 40, jailed for five years for assault and with nine months still to serve, hugged his tearful wife as he also handed himself in.”It was a shock when Som phoned me,” said his sister Preeti Yonjan, 42, who also came with him to the jail gate.”I was dumbfounded and took time to process how he was out”.Many families described anguish at their relatives’ return behind bars after a brief taste of freedom.”He couldn’t have stayed out with cops searching for him, and when he has nearly served his time,” Yonjan said.- Things must change’Nakhu prison itself still bears the scars of the unrest.Walls are scorched black, slogans of the “Gen Z” youth protesters are scrawled across the entrance, and community volunteers have been ferrying in donated mattresses, blankets and utensils.”There is burnt soot everywhere,” said local volunteer Savyata Bhakti, 22. “The first night we heard about the escape was tense, and everyone was extra vigilant about safety.”Suresh Raj Aran, 40, whose 23-year-old son Sevak surrendered, said he had fled only to escape the violence inside prison.”My son is innocent and we want him home with his parents, but only through a proper legal process,” Aran said.Outside the prison, families expressed hope that Nepal’s new interim government, leading the country towards elections in March 2026, would improve conditions.The World Bank says a “staggering” 82 percent of Nepal’s workforce is in informal employment, with GDP per capita just $1,447.”Things must change — because if not now then when?,” said Poornima Gopali, 29, waving as her brother Som returned inside.

Nepal flew flags at half-mast during a national day of mourning Wednesday for the 73 people killed during youth-led anti-corruption protests that toppled the government.An interim government, which took over after two days of protests last week, declared the day of mourning “in honour of those who lost their lives during the protests”, the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement.Protests began on September 8, sparked by a short-lived ban on social media, but fuelled by anger at corruption and long-standing economic woes.At least 19 people were killed in a crackdown on the first day.Anger over the deaths escalated, triggering an outpouring of rage nationwide, with government offices, a Hilton Hotel and other buildings set on fire.”The changes we are witnessing today would not be possible without the courage and sacrifice of those who gave their lives during the protests,” Hami Nepal, a key organisation in the protests, posted on social media.Prime Minister Sushila Karki, a 73-year-old former chief justice, has been tasked with restoring order and addressing protester demands for a corruption-free future ahead of elections in six months.Karki has declared the victims martyrs, promising state honours at their cremations.Candlelit vigils will be held.Shopkeeper Pooja Shrestha, 22, said that the day of mourning would bring people together.”Everyone is sad about what happened, the loss of lives — all young people like us,” she said.”Things have improved now, and we hope the new government will bring the changes we need.”A fifth of people in Nepal aged 15-24 are unemployed, according to the World Bank, with GDP per capita just $1,447.- ‘Intense’ -Streets have been back to bustling business since the protests, but were quieter on Wednesday because it was declared a public holiday.But Lokesh Tamang, 17, sitting in a gift shop in Kathmandu, kept the store open hoping for business after it was closed for days during the unrest.He recalled the “intense” violence and mourned the “sad” deaths of the protesters.”We hope that it doesn’t get as bad as it did last week ever again,” he said.Police spokesman Binod Kharel said Wednesday that the death toll from the protests had risen to 73, including police officers and prisoners as they staged a mass breakout.More than a third of the 13,500 prisoners who escaped from two dozen jails during the protests have been recaptured or surrendered themselves, he added.”So far about 5,000 prisoners who had absconded have returned to the prisons, many voluntarily,” Kharel said.

India’s ban on online gambling has shuttered a billion-dollar industry serving hundreds of millions of people and torpedoed the sponsorship of the national cricket team.But players say those determined to bet will find a way to access overseas and unregulated websites while fans of fantasy sport apps can still play, although for prizes and not cash.Adarsh Sharma, an advertising professional who regularly played fantasy sports games, said offshore sites will “see a sudden boom” as Indian gamblers look for a fix.”A habit once formed cannot be broken easily,” he said. “It is an addiction and people will find ways to gamble.”India’s parliament last month passed a sweeping law banning online gambling after government figures showed companies had stripped $2.3 billion annually from 450 million people.Officials said the rapid spread of the platforms caused widespread financial distress, addiction and suicide, while also being linked to fraud, money laundering and financing terrorism.The law has been challenged in court by a top online card games platform.The ban impacts websites and apps for card games and fantasy sports — including India’s wildly popular fantasy cricket — with offenders now facing up to five years in prison.India’s online gamblers will have to use virtual private networks (VPNs) to trick overseas websites into thinking they are not in the country, and also use proxy credit cards for placing a bet.The whole process may seem too cumbersome for an average internet user, but gamblers know how to dodge the rules.”We have done this before and will do it again,” one fan told AFP, asking not to be named. “We will go back to our old ways of making money.”- ‘Love of cricket’ -Technology minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the law separates still-legal eSports “from betting, gambling and fantasy money games that exploit users with false promises of profit”.Dream11 — which boasts of being the world’s largest fantasy sports platform, with 260 million users — posted notices that “cash games and contests have been discontinued”.It now offers prizes such as cars, phones and fridges instead.Dream11 also pulled out of a $43 million deal with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), with its logo no longer splashed on the jerseys of the Indian players.Jamshed Noor, a butcher in the capital Delhi, said his top win had been 600 rupees (about $7), a day’s wage for a labourer.”We play it for the love of cricket,” said Noor. “Money was definitely an attraction, but I still play, despite money being off the table now.”The law will also shake up the wider sporting industry, including the hugely lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket competition.”Fantasy platforms are the most aggressive advertisers in IPL and world cricket,” Karan Taurani from Elara Capital said, adding that they would now likely explore the overseas market.Santosh N, of D and P Advisory, estimated that fantasy sports and crypto platforms accounted for up to 40 percent of the advertisement IPL broadcasters earned this year.”The fantasy guys will obviously reduce their ad spends because their business model is at stake — or actually destroyed due to the ban,” Santosh told AFP.That will impact the revenue of the broadcasters, meaning less cash for the league.”When the time comes for the BCCI to renew media rights in 2027, it could very well see a lower renewal premium because broadcasters can’t afford to pay that much anymore,” he said.