AFP Asia

Dozens of troops and civilians were killed in a fresh round of border skirmishes between Pakistan and Afghanistan on Wednesday, officials on both sides of the frontier said, as clashes entered their second week.Violence between the two neighbours has flared since explosions in Afghanistan last week, including two in the capital Kabul, that were blamed on Pakistan.The Taliban government in Kabul launched an offensive along parts of its southern border in retaliation, prompting Islamabad to vow a strong response of its own.Islamabad has accused Afghanistan of harbouring militant groups led by the Pakistani Taliban Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) on its soil, a claim Kabul denies.In the latest violence, Pakistan’s military accused the Afghan Taliban of attacking two major border posts in the southwest and northwest.It said both assaults were repelled, with about 20 Taliban fighters killed in attacks launched near Spin Boldak on the Afghan side of the frontier in southern Kandahar province early on Wednesday.”Unfortunately the attack was orchestrated through divided villages in the area, with no regard for the civil population,” the military said in a statement.It also said about 30 more were thought to have been killed in overnight clashes along Pakistan’s northwest border.The Afghan Taliban said 15 civilians were killed and dozens wounded in the clashes near Spin Boldak and that “two to three” of its fighters were also killed.Ali Mohammad Haqmal, an Afghan spokesman for the information department in the Spin Boldak region, said civilians were killed by mortar fire.Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid accused Pakistani forces of “once again” carrying out attacks “with light and heavy weapons” in the district.Mujahid said in a statement that 100 civilians were also wounded, adding that calm had returned to the area after Pakistani soldiers were killed and posts and weapons seized.The Pakistan military said these were “outrageous and blatant lies”.Pakistan did not give a toll for its losses in the latest clashes but said last week 23 of its troops had been killed in the opening skirmishes.- Surge in attacks -Sadiq, a resident of Spin Boldak who gave only his first name, said fighting broke out at around 4:00 am (2330 GMT Tuesday).”Houses were fired upon, including my cousin’s. His son and wife were killed, and four of his children were wounded,” he told AFP.All businesses in the area were closed and many residents have fled, an AFP correspondent reported.In Chaman on the Pakistani side of the border, one resident described the pre-dawn clashes as “total chaos”.”Our children and women were terrified and began screaming… we had no idea what was happening,” Raaz Muhammad, 51, told AFP by phone.In a separate incident to the border clashes, a senior security official in Peshawar in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkwha province said seven frontier troops had been killed in an attack on a checkpoint.The relatively new Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen armed group claimed responsibility for the attack.Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told parliament last week that several attempts to convince the Afghan Taliban to stop supporting the TTP had failed.Islamabad accuses the TTP — which was combat-trained in Afghanistan and claims to share the ideology of the Taliban there — of killing hundreds of Pakistani soldiers since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021.Last week’s explosions in Afghanistan took place while the Taliban’s top diplomat was making an unprecedented visit to Pakistan’s arch-rival India. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the blasts.Clashes erupted on Saturday evening when Kabul launched an operation in at least five provinces along the border.The Taliban government said it attacked Pakistani security forces in “retaliation for air strikes carried out by the Pakistani army on Kabul”.Islamabad then vowed a forceful response on Sunday, and dozens of casualties were reported on both sides.str-ash-mak-la-zz/pbt

Left-arm spinner Noman Ali was South Africa’s chief tormentor as Pakistan won a gripping first Test by 93 runs in Lahore on Wednesday.Set a daunting 277-run target for victory, the visitors and World Test champions were bowled out for 183 on day four.Man of the match Noman finished with 4-79 and 10-191 in the match for his third haul of ten wickets or more in Tests.With the weary Gaddafi Stadium pitch taking sharp turn and low bounce, the 39-year-old Noman exploited the conditions well despite a stubborn 73-run stand between Dewald Brevis and Ryan Rickelton in the morning. In all, spinners from both sides took 34 wickets, with just six going to fast bowlers.South African left-armer Senuran Muthusamy took 11-174 in the match.Pakistan made 378 in their first innings, with South Africa scoring 269 in reply.On a deteriorating surface, the hosts collapsed in their second-innings 167 but it proved enough.On Wednesday, with the tourists 137-6 at lunch the writing was very much on the wall, then Sajid Khan dismissed Muthusamy for six soon after the break.Pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi dismissed Kyle Verreynne (19), Prenelan Subrayen (eight) and Kagiso Rabada (nought) to finish with 4-33.The victory gives Pakistan an ideal start to the World Test Championship, having come last in the previous edition.The second and final Test starts in Rawalpindi from Monday.In the morning, Brevis took the fight to the Pakistan spinners and had reached an aggressive career-best 54, with six fours and two sixes, when Noman bowled him with a sharply turning delivery.Opener Rickleton’s dogged resistance was broken by Sajid just before lunch for a gritty 45.Pakistan struck in the first over of the day through fast bowler Shaheen, who trapped Tony de Zorzi for 16 without any addition to the overnight total of 51-2.Tristan Stubbs struggled to cope with the sharp turn and was on two when a premeditated reverse sweep off Noman safely landed in Salman Agha’s hands.Brevis reached his second Test half-century with a six off Noman before becoming the spinner’s fourth victim.

India’s top court on Wednesday permitted the use of some firecrackers in New Delhi during the Diwali festival, easing a blanket ban even as the capital battles unhealthy winter air pollution.The Supreme Court said the controlled use of the less-polluting “green firecrackers” — developed by federal research institutes to reduce particulate and gas emission — would be allowed for limited periods between Saturday and Tuesday.During Diwali, a major Hindu festival of lights, widespread bursting of firecrackers adds to the already high pollution levels in Delhi.The city, home to some 30 million people, routinely ranks among the world’s most polluted capitals, with thick smog shrouding the city each winter.During the peak pollution period, concentrations of PM2.5 — tiny airborne particles that penetrate deep into the lungs — regularly surge to more than 60 times the World Health Organization’s recommended daily limit.A ban on the use of firecrackers during Diwali has been widely ignored in past years.In an effort to balance cultural celebrations with urgent environmental concerns, the court said only licensed manufacturers can produce certified “green” crackers.Sales will be limited to designated outlets, with each product bearing a QR code listing its chemical contents.Online sales remain banned.Police have been instructed to form patrol teams to ensure compliance and take action against violators, while pollution control agencies have been ordered to monitor and report air quality levels during the festive period.Environmental activists have in the past expressed strong scepticism about the actual efficacy of less-polluting crackers, arguing that they still pose significant risks to public health and the environment.On Wednesday, harmful PM 2.5 particles surged to 75 on the air quality index, three times the WHO’s daily recommended maximum exposure, according to international monitoring company IQAir.

Left-arm spinner Noman Ali broke a stubborn 73-run stand between Dewald Brevis and Ryan Rickelton to push Pakistan four wickets from victory on day four of the first Test against South Africa in Lahore on Wednesday.Brevis was taking the fight to the Pakistan spinners and had reached an aggressive career-best 54, with six fours and two sixes, when Noman bowled him with a sharply turning delivery.After opener Rickleton’s dogged resistance was broken by spinner Sajid Khan just before lunch for a gritty 45, South Africa reached the break teetering at 137-6, still needing 140 more runs for victory.Kyle Verreynne and Senuran Muthusamy were both on three not out. Noman had figures of 4-69.Pakistan struck in the first over of the day through fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi who trapped Tony de Zorzi for 16 without any addition to the overnight total of 51-2.Tristan Stubbs struggled to cope with the sharp turn and was on two when a premeditated reverse sweep off Noman safely landed in Salman Agha’s hands.Brevis reached his second Test half-century with a six off Noman before becoming the spinner’s fourth victim.

India’s wild elephant population estimates have dropped sharply by a quarter, a government survey incorporating a new DNA system has found, marking the most accurate but sobering count yet.India is home to the majority of the world’s remaining wild Asian elephants, a species listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and increasingly threatened by shrinking habitat.The Wildlife Institute of India’s new All-India Elephant Estimation report released this week puts the wild elephant population at 22,446 — down from nearly 29,964 estimated in 2017, a fall of 25 percent.The survey drew on genetic analysis of more than 21,000 dung samples, alongside a vast network of camera traps and 667,000 kilometres (414,400 miles) of foot surveys.But researchers said the methodological overhaul meant the results were “not comparable to past figures and may be treated as a new monitoring baseline”.- ‘Gentle giants’ -But the report also warned that the figures reflect deepening pressures on one of India’s most iconic animals.”The present distribution of elephants in India represents a mere fraction of their historical range,” it said, estimating they now occupy only about 3.5 percent of the area they once roamed.Habitat loss, fragmentation, and increasing human-elephant conflict are driving the decline.”Electrocution and railway collisions cause a significant number of elephant fatalities, while mining and highway construction disrupt habitats, intensifying man-wildlife conflicts,” the report added.The Western Ghats, lush southern highlands stretching through Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala, remain a key stronghold with nearly 12,00 elephants.But even there, populations are increasingly cut off from one another by commercial plantations, farmland fencing, and human encroachment.Another major population centre lies in India’s northeast, including Assam and the Brahmaputra floodplains, which host more than 6,500 elephants.”Strengthening corridors and connectivity, restoring habitat, improving protection, and mitigating the impact of development projects are the need of the hour to ensure the well-being of these gentle giants,” the report said.

A well-known US scholar on India who advised the US government was charged with retaining classified information and allegedly met Chinese officials, prosecutors said Tuesday.Ashley Tellis, 64, who has worked in or advised the US government for more than two decades, was found to have kept more than 1,000 pages of top-secret or secret documents in his home, a criminal affidavit said.Late in the evening of September 25, Tellis entered the State Department, where he served as an unpaid advisor, and appeared to print from a secret document on US Air Force techniques, the affidavit said.It said Tellis met multiple times with Chinese government officials at a restaurant in the Washington suburb of Fairfax, Virginia. At one dinner, Tellis entered with a manila envelope but did not appear to leave with it, and on two occasions the Chinese officials presented him a gift bag, the affidavit said.Tellis faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted on the charges of unlawfully holding documents, the Justice Department said. “The charges as alleged in this case represent a grave risk to the safety and security of our citizens,” said Lindsey Halligan, the US attorney for Virginia’s eastern district who has become known for pursuing charges against critics of President Donald Trump.The State Department confirmed that Tellis was arrested Saturday — the same day the affidavit said he was due to fly to Rome — but declined further comment due to the ongoing investigation.Tellis, a naturalized US citizen originally from India, is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and served in senior positions under former president George W. Bush. He helped negotiate the Bush administration’s civil nuclear deal with India that was seen as a landmark in building ties between the world’s two largest democracies.But in recent years, Tellis has become known as one of the most outspoken contrarians in Washington on the US courtship of India.In a recent essay in Foreign Affairs, Tellis said India was often pursuing policies at odds with the United States, pointing to its relations with Russia and Iran, and doubted that India would match China’s strength anytime soon.Trump in August slapped major tariffs on India over its purchases of oil from Russia.Lawyers for Tellis did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Brazil, India, Italy and Japan vowed Tuesday to quadruple their production and consumption of renewable fuels, hoping other countries will join the pledge during UN climate talks in November.”We hope to have a good number of signatories” by COP30, Brazilian foreign ministry official Joao Marcos Paes Leme told reporters in the capital Brasilia.”Other European countries are also interested,” he added.Paes Leme was speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of representatives from 67 countries in the run up to COP30 climate talks in the Amazon city of Belem next month.The pledge involves quadrupling the production of sustainable fuels such as biofuels, hydrogen and some synthetic fuels by 2035, compared to 2024 levels.Paes Leme noted that these fuels can be used to replace planet-harming fossil fuels in sectors such as aviation, maritime transport, or the cement and steel industries.”These are sectors where decarbonization is difficult,” because electrical energy has not yet succeeded in replacing fossil fuels.Sustainable fuels are already used in these industries “but they are not produced in sufficient quantities,” he said.The massive use of coal, oil, and fossil gas for energy since the industrial revolution is the primary driver of human-induced global warming.The commitment to sustainable fuels “is something we love to hear,” said Francesco La Camera, director-general of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). However, he warned that some biofuels can be harmful due to the vast expanses of land required to produce raw materials such as sugarcane, soy, or corn. “We have to be serious about what we say: sustainable fuel also means sustainable from the perspective of land use.”For the first time, the world pledged to “transition away” from fossil fuels at COP28 in Dubai in 2023.However many of the largest fossil-fuel producing nations — including Brazil — are planning to increase production in the coming years.

US authorities on Tuesday unsealed an indictment against Chen Zhi, a UK-Cambodian businessman accused of running forced labor camps in Cambodia where trafficked workers carried out cryptocurrency fraud schemes that netted billions of dollars.The 37-year-old, known as Vincent, founded Prince Holding Group, a multinational conglomerate that authorities say served as a front for “one of Asia’s largest transnational criminal organizations,” according to the US Department of Justice.The Justice Department also filed the largest forfeiture action in its history, seizing approximately 127,271 Bitcoin worth around $15 billion at current prices.”Today’s action represents one of the most significant strikes ever against the global scourge of human trafficking and cyber-enabled financial fraud,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi.Chen allegedly directed operations of forced labor compounds across Cambodia where hundreds of trafficked workers were held in prison-like facilities surrounded by high walls and barbed wire.Under threat of violence, they were forced to execute so-called “pig butchering” scams — cryptocurrency investment schemes that build trust with victims over time before stealing their funds.The schemes targeted victims worldwide, causing billions in losses.Scam centers across Cambodia, Myanmar and the region use fake job ads to attract foreign nationals — many of them Chinese — to purpose-built compounds, where they are forced to carry out online fraud under threat of torture.Since around 2015, Prince Group has operated across more than 30 countries under the guise of legitimate real estate, financial services and consumer businesses, prosecutors said.Chen and top executives allegedly used political influence and bribed officials in multiple countries to protect the operation. Proceeds were laundered in part through the Prince Group’s own gambling and cryptocurrency mining operations.The stolen funds financed luxury purchases including watches, yachts, private jets, vacation homes and a Picasso painting bought at a New York auction house, authorities said.Chen faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted on wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy charges.In coordinated action, British authorities on Tuesday froze 19 London properties worth over £100 million linked to Chen’s network, including a £12 million mansion in North London.The sanctions also target Chen’s associate Qiu Wei Ren, a Chinese national with Cambodian, Cypriot and Hong Kong citizenship.An AFP investigation on Tuesday found that scam centers in neighboring Myanmar were expanding rapidly just months after a crackdown there. China, Thailand and Myanmar forced pro-junta Myanmar militias who protect the centers to promise to shutter the compounds in February, freeing around 7,000 people — most of them Chinese citizens.But the brutal call center-style system is flourishing again in Myanmar, now using Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite system for internet access.

Sri Lanka and New Zealand were forced to share the points in their Women’s World Cup fixture after heavy rain had the final say in Colombo on Tuesday, washing out play after the innings break.The hosts had done the hard yards, posting a competitive 258-6 and fancying their chances with a spin-heavy attack on a pitch made for the slow bowlers. The total was also the highest in the Colombo leg of the competition so far.”I thought Sri Lanka batted particularly well,” said New Zealand captain Sophie Devine.”It was a good cricket wicket… Shame that the weather had to play its part in it. It would have been a really exciting chase.” The innings belonged to lower order dynamo Nilakshika Silva, who threw caution to the wind to smash the fastest half-century of this World Cup. Coming in at number six, she turned the tide with a whirlwind knock, reaching her fifty in just 26 balls, bettering the previous mark of 34 deliveries set by Bangladesh’s Shorna Akter earlier in the week. It was also a new Sri Lankan record, eclipsing Nilakshika’s own milestone of 28 balls.It was her fourth half-century in ODIs and she crossed the 1,000 run mark in the process, becoming only the eighth Sri Lankan to do so.For once, the hosts didn’t have to lean solely on Chamari Athapaththu’s broad shoulders. However, the captain returned to form with her 20th ODI fifty and stitched together an opening stand of 101 with Vishmi Gunaratne, who made a fluent 42.That solid foundation allowed Hasini Perera (44) and Harshitha Samarawickrama (26) to consolidate before Nilakshika’s late fireworks took the innings from steady to sizzling. Sri Lanka plundered 80 runs in the last 10 overs, with 16 coming off the final over as they finished with a flourish.”We played good cricket. Unfortunately, we can’t complete the game,” Sri Lanka skipper Athapaththu said.”Nilakshika is an experienced player. Last 12 months, she has been playing good cricket.”New Zealand captain Devine picked up three wickets, but may have missed a trick by under bowling left-armer Bree Illing, who extracted lively bounce and pace to claim two scalps in just seven overs.The Kiwis will stay in Colombo to face Pakistan on Saturday while Sri Lanka take on an in-form South Africa on Friday.

At least 16 people were killed Tuesday when a fire tore through a chemical and garments factory in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka, officials said.The blaze began in the factory’s warehouse before spreading to a nearby multi-storey garments facility, said Tajul Islam Chowdhury, director at the Fire Service Department.All the bodies were recovered from the garments factory, Chowdhury told reporters, confirming the toll.Outside the factory, distraught relatives searched for loved ones. Abdur Rahman, 19, said he was looking for his brother Robin.”I found one of his colleagues, who escaped by breaking a window. He saw my brother Robin inside,” Rahman told AFP. “He didn’t make it.”Several others held up pictures of missing loved ones, pleading for information.”The deceased appeared to have suffered severe inhalation injuries from the chemicals, as there were highly flammable materials stacked inside,” Chowdhury told reporters.Authorities have yet to enter the chemical warehouse.Tahmina Sharmin, 34, a witness, said she heard a loud explosion before the area was filled with flames and smoke.”People were startled and didn’t know what to do at first,” she told AFP. She said she was among the first to respond before fire crews arrived.More than 26,500 fires were reported last year alone in Bangladesh, where safety standards are lax and often ignored. In 2021, at least 52 people were killed including many children when a fire swept through a food processing factory.Bangladesh’s worst fire took place in 2012, when a blaze ripped through a garment factory on Dhaka’s outskirts, killing at least 111 people and injuring more than 200 others.