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Towering pace spearhead Marco Jansen took six wickets to put South Africa in sight of a first Test series win in India in 25 years after bundling out the hosts for 201 in the second match on Monday.Replying to South Africa’s 489, India were 288 behind in their first innings but the tourists did not enforce the follow-on and decided to bat again on day three in Guwahati.After winning the first Test in the two-match series in Kolkata, South Africa are closing on a first series win in India since Hansie Cronje’s team triumphed in 2000.India are under massive pressure once more, having suffered their fourth defeat in six Tests at home in the first match.A dominant South Africa reached 26-0 at stumps to extend their lead to 314 in the second innings.Left-handed Ryan Rickelton, on 13, and Aiden Markram, on 12, were batting when bad light ended the day’s play in the northeastern city, where the sun sets early.Jansen, a left-arm quick, claimed his fourth five-wicket Test haul before wrapping up the Indian innings with his sixth strike of the day in the final session.India slumped to 122-7 despite Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 58 as wickets kept tumbling on what still seems like a good pitch to bat on.Washington Sundar, who made 48, and fellow left-hander Kuldeep Yadav resisted in a partnership of 72 off 208 balls before off-spinner Simon Harmer struck to end Sundar’s defiance.Jansen then dismissed Kuldeep for 19 and Jasprit Bumrah for two to pack a shell-shocked India off in under three sessions.Earlier, the left-handed Jaiswal lost overnight partner KL Rahul for 22 in the first hour of play before reaching his 13th Test half-century.Jaiswal used the sweep to good effect and took on the bowlers, hitting seven fours and one six until his departure off Harmer.Harmer had Sai Sudharsan caught at mid-wicket for 15 and Jansen removed Dhruv Jurel for a duck to further put India on the back foot at the first break.The 6ft 8ins (2.03 metres) tall Jansen, who made 93 in South Africa’s imposing first-innings total, used the bouncer to snare the Indian batters with Jurel falling to the pull off a short ball.Skipper Rishabh Pant fell caught behind for seven to Jansen soon after in the second session and the batting fell apart like nine pins.Aiden Markram took a stunning catch as he ran from second slip to take a one-handed diving catch to his right to dismiss Nitish Kumar Reddy off Jansen. Reddy made 10.

India’s hugely popular star Dharmendra was lovingly known as the “He-Man” of Bollywood, thanks to his roles in a string of action movies that cemented his legacy spanning more than six decades and 250 films.Born Dharam Singh Deol on December 8, 1935 in Punjab, he also served as a member of parliament and was honoured with one of India’s highest civilian awards.He struck stardom after becoming the first Bollywood actor to bare his chest on screen, prompting a flood of love letters from female fans.Dharmendra, who died on Monday aged 89, moved to Mumbai in 1958 after winning a celebrity magazine’s talent competition.”I only had my dreams,” he told biographer Rajiv Vijayakar. “I was an untutored villager, with no idea of acting.”His matinee-idol looks quickly caught the eye of producers, and he made his screen debut in 1960 with the melodrama “Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere” (“My Heart is Yours, As am I”).It was in the lead role in the 1966 drama “Phool Aur Patthar” (“Flower and Stone”), that he appeared topless.”When he whipped off his shirt in the film, for the first time Hindi filmmakers woke up to the need to cater to female sexuality,” noted the Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema.Over the years, Dharmendra shared the screen with leading stars including Nutan, Meena Kumari, and Sharmila Tagore, but his most enduring partnership was with Hema Malini, Bollywood’s first woman superstar.Their irresistible chemistry in films such as the 1972 hit “Seeta Aur Geeta” (“Seeta and Geeta”) and the 1975 blockbuster “Sholay” (“Embers”) blossomed into a real-life romance.Their 1980 wedding ruffled many feathers, as Dharmendra refused to divorce his first wife, Prakash Kaur. He and Malini had two daughters.The controversy did little to dim his popularity. Fans continued to cheer for “Garam Dharam” (“Hot Dharam”) in theatres across India.- Underrated actor -In the 1980s, Dharmendra starred in a string of action movies, earning him the nickname “He-Man”.But the accolades he received as a handsome leading man overshadowed his versatility and subtle performances in films such as “Bandini” (“Imprisoned”), “Anupama” (“Incomparable”) and “Satyakam”, now regarded as classics of Indian cinema.The father of six also dabbled in production, with movies starring his sons Sunny and Bobby Deol, and briefly served as a member of parliament.Yet acting remained his greatest passion.He continued acting into his eighties, starring in the “Yamla Pagla Deewana” (“Crazy, Mad Lover”) franchise alongside his sons from 2011 to 2018.Even in his later years, his charisma endured. His performance in 2023’s romantic family drama “Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani” (“The Love Story of Rocky and Rani”) showed that, even in his 80s, Dharmendra could still make audiences swoon.Away from the spotlight, Dharmendra retreated to his farm, where he shared videos with his hundreds of thousands of social media followers of himself tending crops and caring for cows.Despite his fame, he often spoke with humility about his career.”I was always dissatisfied with the way I looked on screen,” he said in a 2011 interview with Bollywood site Glamsham. “I always used to ask my directors for reshoots, saying I am not looking good from this angle or that angle.” His fans, however, would have begged to differ.

India’s hugely popular Bollywood star Dharmendra, who was equally at ease in romantic comedies and high-octane action blockbusters, died aged 89 on Monday.”The passing of Dharmendra Ji marks the end of an era in Indian cinema,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a statement on social media.”He was an iconic film personality, a phenomenal actor who brought charm and depth to every role he played.”The actor had not been well recently and was admitted to a hospital in Mumbai.Over a remarkable six-decade career, Dharmendra appeared in more than 250 films, served as a member of parliament, and was honoured with one of India’s highest civilian awards.In the 1980s, Dharmendra starred in a string of action movies, earning him the nickname “He-Man”. The most iconic role of his career was arguably the lovable rogue Veeru that he played in the 1975 classic “Sholay” (“Embers”).The father of six also dabbled in production, with movies starring his sons Sunny and Bobby Deol.His last film will be Sriram Raghavan’s “Ikkis” (“Twenty-one”) which is set for release next month.

A suicide bombing killed three Pakistani paramilitary personnel on Monday at a security headquarters in Peshawar city, officials said, the latest deadly violence in the province bordering Afghanistan.Witness Bilal Ahmed, a hospital employee, said he was on his way to work when he heard a “large blast” from the border force facility, located on one of the city’s busiest routes and across the street from a shopping mall.An AFP reporter saw body parts of a suspected bomber lying outside the main gate on Saddar Road, which was riddled with shrapnel holes. A single discarded black shoe was left nearby.Rescue workers made their way through the scene, which was peppered with shattered glass from a vehicle.One assailant detonated explosives at around 8:10 am (0310 GMT), just before rush hour, killing “three FC (Federal Constabulary) personnel deployed at the gate”, said Peshawar police chief Mian Saeed.Security forces shot dead two other suspected attackers, Saeed said.Four people were wounded in the attack, he added.Security personnel in high-visibility jackets cordoned off the road, while armed forces in camouflage began combing the area, AFP correspondents saw.”The attack has concluded, and a clearance operation is under way to determine whether any unexploded ordnance is present,” Zulfiqar Hameed, the police chief of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, told AFP.The province, whose capital is Peshawar, borders Afghanistan and has seen repeated bouts of militant violence which has intensified since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021.Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned Monday’s attack and said that “the perpetrators of this incident should be identified as soon as possible and brought to justice.”He also praised the “timely action” of security forces for averting greater loss of life.”We will thwart the evil designs of terrorists who attack Pakistan’s integrity,” said Sharif.No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Pakistan’s state-run broadcaster PTV reported that the assailants had been identified as Afghan nationals.- Border tensions -Pakistan has blamed previous attacks on militants, particularly the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which it claims operate from Afghan soil.Kabul denies the charge, saying Islamabad must address its own security failings.On November 11, a suicide bomber killed 12 people outside a court building in the capital Islamabad, an attack Pakistan said was planned from Afghanistan. A faction of the Pakistani Taliban claimed that assault.Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have sharply deteriorated in recent months.Deadly cross-border clashes last month killed more than 70 people on both sides, in the South Asian neighbours’ worst fighting in years.The two countries agreed to a fragile ceasefire but failed to finalise its terms after several rounds of talks, each blaming the other for the impasse.

On Bangladesh’s coast, where mighty Himalayan rivers meet the sea, water defines every rhythm of life, and every struggle.Rising seas driven by climate change are swallowing low-lying areas, while stronger storms push saltwater further inland, turning wells and lakes brackish, according to government scientists.For the millions living in the ecologically sensitive deltas of mudflats and mangrove forests, finding clean drinking water has become an escalating challenge.Cyclone Aila in 2009 was a turning point.Embankments broke and saltwater swept inland, flooding not only homes, but seeping into once-fertile land.The water that once sustained communities became undrinkable, and the land began to crack under layers of salt.The people of Khulna and Satkhira districts today live in a fragile balancing act between land and sea.Many families live in houses built on bamboo stilts to escape tidal floods.Children bathe in yellow, saline water and grow up in a landscape of constant change, where rivers erode their homes and schools, and displacement has become the norm.Men migrate for months seeking work. Women and children walk for hours across parched, cracked soil to fetch water from distant ponds, or harvest rainwater, and store it in tanks supplied by charities. Each household stores a few thousand litres, rationed carefully until the next monsoon arrives.The daily act of collecting and storing water has become a quiet ritual of endurance.This reporting accompanies a photography series carried out by Muhammad Amdad Hossain for AFP’s 2025 Marai Photo Grant, an award open to photographers from South Asia aged 25 or under.The theme for 2025 was “climate change” and its impact on daily life and the community of the photographers who enter.The award is organised by Agence France-Presse in honour of Shah Marai, the former photo chief at AFP’s Kabul bureau.Shah Marai, who was an inspiration for Afghan photographers throughout his career, was killed in the line of duty at the age of 41 in a suicide attack on April 30, 2018 in Kabul.

Spinner Simon Harmer led an inspired South African attack to leave India in trouble at 102-4 at the first break on day three of the second Test on Monday.India trail by 387 in response to South Africa’s 489 on a batting-friendly pitch in Guwahati.Skipper Rishabh Pant, on six, and Ravindra Jadeja, who was yet to score, were batting at the break.Play starts 30 minutes early in the northeastern city because of sunsets and the order of the breaks is reversed, meaning the shorter tea interval comes before lunch.After winning the first Test in the two-match series, South Africa are chasing a first series win in India since Hansie Cronje’s team triumphed in 2000.Yashasvi Jaiswal lost overnight partner KL Rahul in the first hour of play before reaching his 13th Test half-century.Left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj dismissed Rahul for 22 on a delivery that turned and jumped off the turf to take the edge, and was caught by Aiden Markram at first slip.Spinners including Maharaj (1-29) and Harmer (2-39) have got turn but opener Jaiswal used the sweep to good effect and took on the bowlers, hitting seven fours and one six until his departure for 58.Harmer forced Jaiswal to mistime a shot to backward point and in his next over the bowler had Sai Sudharsan caught at mid-wicket for 15.Marco Jansen then removed Dhruv Jurel for a duck to further put India on the back foot as they attempt to stay alive.World Test champions South Africa grabbed the early advantage with a big first-innings total after they elected to bat.Senuran Muthusamy top-scored with 109.

Blind women from India won the world’s first T20 cricket championship in Sri Lanka on Sunday, following a tournament seen as pushing the limits of the visually impaired.The Indian women beat Nepal by seven wickets in the final of the inaugural series, which also involved Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the United States.Adeline Roe, 18, from South Australia said she was thrilled to be part of her nation’s first blind cricket team and to have the opportunity to travel and meet fellow sportswomen.”It’s amazing that we’ve got a blind women’s World Cup… It’s been a wonderful step forward for all women’s blind cricket,” Roe told AFP during the final between India and Nepal in Colombo.”I think this is just showing how good it is for women to participate,” she said.India captain T.C. Deepika won more sporting admiration when she led her team to shake hands with the Pakistan players after winning a league match last week.Tensions off and on the field have been high since a deadly military clash between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May.India’s men refused to shake hands with their Pakistani opponents at the Asia Cup in September and since then neither side has shown signs of making up.India’s blind players were expected to mirror the conduct of their sighted teams, but both sides warmly greeted each other, a friendship that was seen throughout the tournament.- ‘Really empowering’ -Sri Lankan Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, who presented the trophy to India, thanked all players for helping raise the profile of the visually impaired.”This World Cup is more than just a competition. It is a collective statement about access, equity, and the growing participation of women in sport,” she said.”Inclusion must remain central to how we design our national and regional sporting futures, and these kinds of events truly make it possible for us to show that inclusivity in sport.”The tournament is based on the shortest form of cricket, but unlike able-bodied players, who are expected to have sharp eyesight, blind cricketers must play it by ear.A white plastic ball, the size of a tennis ball, is packed with ball bearings that rattle as it rolls.The bowler must ask the striker if he or she is ready and then yell “play” as the jingling ball is delivered underarm with at least one bounce.As in a regular cricket match, each side has 11 players, but at least four must be totally blind who are classified as “B1″. Players are required to wear blindfolds for fairness.Fielders clap to indicate their positions on the field.Others are partially sighted, classified by how far they can see -— two metres (six feet) for B2 players, six for B3.Each team can have up to eight totally blind players. Any run scored by a B1 player counts as two.For completely blind US player Meghan Whalen, 38, the challenge is also to explain to friends and family back home about her new sport.She learnt about cricket by accident in April after attending a conference for the blind.”They were there doing a cricket demo and we got a chance to practise bowling and batting, and it was just really empowering and exciting,” Whalen told AFP.It was an opportunity to push, to be challenged, and to see what she was capable of, she said.”It was just really empowering to know that I could be an asset to a team and help build other people up, and for the visually impaired community as a whole.”

Senuran Muthusamy struck his first Test century and Marco Jansen hammered 93 to guide South Africa to a commanding 489 all out on day two of the second match against India on Sunday.The left-handed Muthusamy made 109 and put on 97 runs for the eighth wicket with Jansen, who was the last wicket to fall in the final session in Guwahati.”First innings runs in the sub-continent are vital,” Muthusamy told reporters. “So, yeah, it was just really, really awesome experience out there. And it was just a lot of relief when I got to 100.”Muthusamy praised Jansen’s knock, saying, “Marco was sublime when he came in. He’s a clean striker of the ball and he really, really showed his skills today. So, that was an awesome treat to watch from the other end.”Janson struck six fours and seven sixes in his 91-ball blitz before he dragged a delivery from Kuldeep Yadav on to his stumps and the innings ended after 151.1 overs.The hosts reached nine for no loss in 6.1 overs at stumps, trailing South Africa by 480 runs on a pitch still looking good to bat at India’s newest Test venue.Yashasvi Jaiswal, on seven, and KL Rahul, on two were at the crease when bad light stopped play for the day in the northeastern city where sunsets are early.The 6ft 8in (2.03m) Jansen frustrated the Indian attack as he hung on with number nine and 10 after he reached his fourth Test half-century and surpassed his previous best of 84 not out in the longer format.- Sixes fest -Jansen’s seven hits over the fence are the joint-most in a Test innings against India. Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi hit as many during his 103 in Lahore in 2006.Muthusamy reached his hundred in 192 balls off pace bowler Mohammed Siraj, as he punched the air and raised his bat to a standing ovation from the crowd and the dressing room.He fell soon after the second break but Jansen, a right-hand batter and left-arm quick, kept up the charge with Simon Harmer (5) and Keshav Maharaj, unbeaten on 12.Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja ended a 88-run seventh-wicket stand after a wicketless first session when Kyle Verreynne was stumped for 45 by captain Rishabh Pant.Kuldeep finished with four wickets with his left-arm wrist spin.”To be very honest we knew that this is not a track they are not going to roll out very easily and we have to keep disciplined lines and be patient,” said Kuldeep.”We tried, but as everyone knows Marco Jansen and Muthuswamy batted well.”The tourists, who won the toss and elected to bat on Saturday, are in the hunt for their first series victory in India in 25 years after they won the opener of the two-match series.Earlier Muthusamy and Verreynne used their feet to tackle spinners in a sedate first hour of play when only 28 runs were scored, including two fours.Muthusamy survived a scare on 48 when Jadeja had him given out lbw, but the batsman’s review showed a murmur when the ball passed his glove and the decision was overturned.

Senuran Muthusamy struck his first Test century and Marco Jansen hammered 93 to guide South Africa to a commanding 489 all out on day two of the second match against India on Sunday.The left-handed Muthusamy made 109 and put on 97 runs for the eighth wicket with Jansen, who was the last wicket to fall in the final session in Guwahati.Janson struck six fours and seven sixes in his 91-ball blitz before he dragged a delivery from Kuldeep Yadav on to his stumps and the innings ended after 151.1 overs.The hosts reached nine for no loss in 6.1 overs at stumps, trailing South Africa by 480 runs on a pitch still looking good to bat at India’s newest Test venue.Yashasvi Jaiswal, on seven, and KL Rahul, on two were at the crease when bad light stopped play for the day in the north-eastern city where sunsets are early.The 6ft 8in (2.03m) Jansen frustrated the Indian attack as he hung on with number nine and 10 after he reached his fourth Test half-century and surpassed his previous best of 84 not out in the longer format.Jansen’s seven hits over the fence are the joint-most in a Test innings against India. Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi hit as many during his 103 in Lahore in 2006.Muthusamy reached his hundred in 192 balls off pace bowler Mohammed Siraj, as he punched the air and raised his bat to a standing ovation from the crowd and the dressing room.He fell soon after the second break but Jansen, a right-hand batter and left-arm quick, kept up the charge with Simon Harmer (5) and Keshav Maharaj, unbeaten on 12.Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja ended a 88-run seventh-wicket stand after a wicketless first session when Kyle Verreynne was stumped for 45 by captain Rishabh Pant.Kuldeep finished with four wickets with his left-arm wrist spin.Pace bowlers Jasprit Bumrah, Siraj and left-arm spinner Jadeja took two each.The tourists, who won the toss and elected to bat on Saturday, are in hunt for their first series victory in India in 25 years after they won the opener of the two-match series.Earlier Muthusamy and Verreynne used their feet to tackle spinners in a sedate first hour of play when only 28 runs were scored, including two fours.Muthusamy survived a scare on 48 when Jadeja had him given out lbw, but the batsman’s review showed a murmur when the ball passed his glove and the decision was overturned.

India beat Nepal by seven wickets in Colombo on Sunday to win the first Blind Women’s T20 World Cup. India won the toss and elected to field and restricted Nepal to 114-5. They replied with 117-3 in just 12 overs to become the unbeaten champions in an inaugural tournament that also included Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the United States. India’s Phula Saren top scored with 44 off 27 deliveries. Nepal’s top scorer was Sarita Ghimire with 35 off 38 balls.Sri Lanka and India co-hosted the tournament with the final at Sri Lanka’s oldest Test venue, the P. Saravanamuttu Stadium.Blind cricket is played with a white plastic ball packed with ball bearings that rattle as it rolls — which allows it to be heard by players.The bowler must ask the striker if he or she is ready and then yell “play” as the ball is delivered underarm with at least one bounce.Each side has 11 players, like regular cricket, but at least four must be totally blind. Players are required to wear blindfolds for fairness.Fielders clap once to reveal their positions.Others players can be partially sighted, classified by how far they can see — two metres for B2 players, six for B3. Each team can have up to eight B1, or totally blind, players. Any run scored by a B1 player is counted as two.