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Pakistan’s T20 cricket league will be relocated to the United Arab Emirates, officials said Friday, after Indian attacks on the country including a drone that reached Rawalpindi stadium. Pakistan’s army “neutralised” 28 Indian drones, including one near the city’s stadium on Thursday morning, the foreign minister Ishaq Dar said.He called it “a deliberate attempt to target domestic and foreign cricket players”.”Pakistan Cricket Board confirms that the remaining matches of the Pakistan Super League has been shifted to the UAE,” read a PCB release, which added that the schedule would be updated in due course.The decision was reached after several meetings between the franchise and the PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the country’s interior minister.Former champions Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi were due to play at Rawalpindi stadium on Thursday but the match was postponed after a drone fell close to the stadium.Thirty-seven foreign players including from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the West Indies, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan are involved in the League.Sources told AFP foreign players did not want stay in Pakistan after deadly confrontations between the nuclear-armed foes drew global calls for calm.India sent air strikes into Pakistan on Wednesday, two weeks after New Delhi blamed Islamabad for backing an attack on the Indian-run side of disputed Kashmir, which Pakistan denied.Pakistan responded with heavy artillery fire and both sides accused each other on Thursday of carrying out waves of drone attacks.International cricket resumed in Pakistan in 2020 after remaining suspended in the wake of 2009 terrorist attacks on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore.Several Australian and New Zealand players involved in the PSL’s recent edition, including Australia’s David Warner, had travelled to Pakistan with their national teams in the recent past.

India and Pakistan accused each other Thursday of carrying out waves of drone attacks, as deadly confrontations between the nuclear-armed foes drew global calls for calm.The fighting comes two weeks after New Delhi blamed Islamabad for backing an attack on the Indian-run side of disputed Kashmir, which Pakistan denied.India on Wednesday launched missiles it said targeted “terrorist camps”, and Pakistan retaliated with a barrage of artillery strikes, with at least 48 deaths reported on both sides since the escalation, 32 of them in Pakistan, including children.The South Asian neighbours have fought multiple wars over Kashmir since the end of British rule in 1947.Pakistan’s army said it shot down 28 Indian drones, while New Delhi accused Islamabad of launching overnight raids with “drones and missiles”, and claimed it destroyed an air defence system in Lahore.”Pakistan attempted to engage a number of military targets… using drones and missiles,” India’s defence ministry said in a statement Thursday, adding that “these were neutralised”.The defence ministry said earlier its military had “targeted air defence radars and systems at a number of locations in Pakistan”, adding it had been “reliably learnt that an air defence system at Lahore has been neutralised”.On Thursday evening, explosions were reported at the airport of Jammu, a key city in the Indian-held part of disputed Kashmir, a security source who was unauthorised to speak to the media told AFP, without giving further details.Shesh Paul Vaid, a former director general of police for Jammu and Kashmir, also wrote on social media that there were “loud explosions”. – Blasts heard in Lahore -Pakistan’s military said on Thursday it had neutralised 28 out of 29 Israeli-made Harop drones that crossed into the country in “another act of aggression by India”.Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said the drones “made attempts to attack military installations” and “targeted civilians”, killing one and injuring four, while four army personnel were also wounded.Among the cities targeted was Rawalpindi, where the military is headquartered and the cricket stadium is hosting the Pakistan Super League. Residents in Lahore reported hearing the sound of blasts, and aviation authorities briefly shut down operations at the main airport there and in the capital, Islamabad.Karachi airport remained closed on Thursday evening.Trading was halted on Pakistan’s benchmark KSE-100 index after it slumped 6.3 percent on news of the drone attacks.- ‘Shrapnel pierced her chest’ -India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said New Delhi had a “right to respond” following the attack on tourists in Pahalgam in Kashmir last month, when gunmen killed 26 people, mainly Hindu men.New Delhi blamed the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba — a UN-designated terrorist organisation for the Pahalgam shooting, and the nations traded days of threats and diplomatic measures.Pakistan has denied any involvement and called for an independent investigation into the April 22 attack.Pakistan’s military said on Wednesday that five Indian jets had been downed across the border, but New Delhi has not responded to the claims.An Indian senior security source, who asked not to be named, said three of its fighter jets had crashed on home territory.There was trauma on both sides of the disputed border after the exchange of heavy artillery in darkness on Wednesday.”A missile struck the mosque nearby, and a piece of shrapnel from the blast pierced my daughter’s chest,” 50-year-old Safeer Ahmad Awan told AFP in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan Kashmir that was targeted by Indian air strikes.”It was only when her clothes were soaked in blood that we discovered the injury,” he added of the 15-year-old girl, who still has the metal lodged in her body.On the other side of the border in Poonch, a town in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir that was bombarded on Wednesday, and bore the brunt of shelling by Pakistan, Madasar Choudhary said his sister saw two children killed by shells.”She saw two children running out of her neighbour’s house and screamed for them to get back inside,” said Choudhary, 29.”But shrapnel hit the children — and they eventually died.”- Global pressure -Diplomats and world leaders have pressured both countries to step back from the brink.”I want to see them stop,” US President Donald Trump said Wednesday.Top US diplomat Marco Rubio spoke with leaders of both countries Thursday and urged “immediate de-escalation,” his spokeswoman said.Meanwhile Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in New Delhi, days after visiting Pakistan, as Tehran seeks to mediate.Based on past conflicts, analyst Happymon Jacob — director of the New Delhi-based Council for Strategic and Defence Research, said the latest would “likely end in a few iterations of exchange of long-range gunfire or missiles into each other’s territory”.In a late Wednesday TV address to the nation, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif warned they would “avenge” those killed by Indian air strikes.”We make this pledge, that we will avenge each drop of the blood of these martyrs,” he said.burs-ecl/des

England’s Maro Itoje said it was a “tremendous honour” to be named captain of the British and Irish Lions rugby union team on their upcoming tour of Australia as the squad was announced Thursday.The 30-year-old lock only took over as England skipper ahead of this season’s Six Nations but guided the side to a creditable second-placed finish behind champions France.Now he has been chosen as skipper for a Lions tour including three Tests against the Wallabies by head coach Andy Farrell, seconded from his day job as Ireland boss.”It’s a tremendous honour, it’s a tremendous privilege,” said Itoje after taking the stage at London’s O2 Arena where some 2,000 spectators were present — the first time there had been an audience of fans for a Lions squad announcement.”You think about the people who have held this position before and it’s remarkable. It’s an honour and I will do my very best to make sure I can contribute to a successful tour.”Farrell said: “As a two-time tourist (in 2017 and 2021), Maro fully understands what the Lions is all about and also the role of the captain in helping the group achieve its goal of winning a Test series this summer.”Itoje’s path to the Lions captaincy was eased when his main rival for the coveted post, Caelan Doris, suffered a shoulder injury playing in Leinster’s Champions Cup semi-final loss to Northampton last weekend.The Ireland No 8 was ruled out of the squad as he requires surgery. Itoje is the first English player to lead the Lions — made up of leading players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales — since Martin Johnson in 2001.But there was no place in a 38-man squad for former England captain Owen Farrell, the son of Andy Farrell.Owen Farrell is barred from representing England after deciding to play his club rugby outside of the country at Paris-based Racing 92, and has suffered an injury-hit debut season in France.Scotland back three Blair Kinghorn, who plays for Top 14 and European champions Toulouse, was the lone France-based player in the squad. – Pollock the ‘bolter’ -Henry Pollock may be a fledgling international but the 20-year-old Northampton back-row is the latest ‘bolter’ to be chosen by the 137-year-old Lions.Pollock only made his England debut in March, but came off the bench to score two tries during a 68-14 rout of Wales in Cardiff in the last round of the Six Nations.Pollock has since underlined that form and was outstanding in Northampton’s 37-34 victory away to Leinster in Dublin on Saturday.Scotland’s Finn Russell is one of three fly-halves in the squad together with the England duo of Marcus Smith and Fin Smith after England veteran George Ford and Ireland rising star Sam Prendergast missed out.Australia-born centre Sione Tuipulotu, absent from the whole Six Nations with injury, was one of eight Scotland players selected, with Ireland (15) and England (13) providing the bulk of the squad.Back row Jac Morgan and scrum-half Tomos Williams were the only two Welsh players included, with Wales having not won a Test since the 2023 World Cup.”Getting it down to the final 38 — it is my job to play devil’s advocate,” said Farrell. “From 55 (players) to the 38 is extremely difficult.”The 10-match Lions tour begins with a fixture against Argentina in Dublin on June 20.The first Test against Australia will be in Brisbane on July 19, with two more internationals in Melbourne (July 26) and Sydney (August 2) to follow.The Wallabies have long been regarded as the easiest side for the Lions, who only tour one of Australia and rugby superpowers New Zealand an South Africa once every four years, to beat.Indeed the last time the Lions won a Test series was their 2-1 success against Australia back in 2013. But the Wallabies have been making significant progress since Joe Schmidt took charge shortly after a woeful 2023 World Cup in France, where they failed to reach the knockout stage for the first time.The Kiwi coach also has the added advantage of knowing several Lions players, and indeed Andy Farrell, well following his six-year stint as Ireland boss.

England’s Maro Itoje will captain the British and Irish Lions rugby union team on their upcoming tour of Australia, it was announced Thursday.The 30-year-old lock only took over as England skipper ahead of this season’s Six Nations and guided the side to a creditable second-placed finish behind champions France.Now he has been chosen as skipper for a Lions tour including three Tests against the Wallabies by head coach, Andy Farrell, seconded from his day job as Ireland boss.”It’s hard to articulate,” said Itoje after taking the stage at London’s O2 Arena for a squad announcement where fans were present for the first time.”It’s a tremendous honour, it’s a tremendous privilege. You think about the people who have held this position before and it’s remarkable. It’s an honour and I will do my very best to make sure I can contribute to a successful tour.”Itoje, a previous two-time tourist with the Lions — a side made up of leading players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales — is the first English player to lead the combined team since Martin Johnson in 2001. A tour featuring three Tests with the Wallabies will in fact start with a fixture against Argentina in Dublin on June 20.The first Test against Australia will be in Brisbane on July 19, with two more internationals in Melbourne (July 26) and Sydney (August 2).Australia have long been regarded as the easiest side for the Lions, who only tour every four years, to beat.The only other teams they have played series against in their 137-year history are New Zealand and South Africa, the traditional powerhouses of the 15-a-side code who have won seven World Cups between them.Indeed the last time the Lions won a Test series was their 2-1 success against Australia back in 2013. But the Wallabies have been making significant progress since Joe Schmidt took charge shortly after a woeful 2023 World Cup in France, where they failed to reach the knockout stage for the first time.The Kiwi coach also has the added advantage of knowing several Lions players, and indeed Andy Farrell, well following his six-year stint as Ireland boss.

Australia women’s football captain Sam Kerr and her partner Kristie Mewis announced Thursday the birth of their first child. The footballing couple, who are due to be married later this December, announced that they were expecting a baby back in November. “Our little man is here. Jagger Mewis-Kerr,” the pair said in an Instagram post on Thursday. Matildas star Kerr is a striker for English Women’s Super League champions Chelsea, while United States international Mewis plays for London rivals West Ham.  In February, Kerr was found not guilty of causing racially aggravated harassment after calling a British police officer “stupid and white” following a drunken night out.However, the judge at the court in London said the 31-year-old’s “behaviour contributed significantly to the bringing of this allegation”.

Madasar Choudhary said his sister saw two children killed in the town of Poonch that bore the brunt of this week’s shelling by Pakistan, with India saying a total of 13 people died there.”She saw two children running out of her neighbour’s house and screamed for them to get back inside,” Choudhary, 29, from the town in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir that was bombarded on Wednesday, told AFP.”But shrapnel hit the children — and they eventually died,” Choudhary said. His sister was still too distraught to talk.The deadly artillery barrage that killed a total of 16 people and injured dozens more hours after India launched strikes on Pakistan.Those was in response to an attack in the disputed Kashmir region on April 22 that killed 26 people and which New Delhi blamed on Islamabad — a charge it rejects.Islamabad said that the Indian strikes and firing along the border has killed 31 civilians.- Shattered glass -Dazed, shocked and in mourning, other Poonch residents described being terrified in the long hours of bombardment that began in the dead of night.”A shell fell… It was right next to our house, where we were. It fell and we panicked… a glass window shattered,” said Shariyar Ali, 25, a student.Ali, like hundreds of others, has since fled with his family some 30 kilometres (20 miles) away to the small town of Surankote, further away from the range of the guns.”The shelling around my home caused many casualties”, said Kumail Nadeem, 25, another student who ran from Poonch. “We knew personally those killed.””We have seen shelling before, the border is like three kilometres away,” said Zaheer Ahmed Banday, 30, who runs a small shop in Poonch.”But when they hit the city, that was unexpected. I picked up a shirt and trousers, phone and charger, and left the house as is.”- ‘Each drop of blood’ -Much of Poonch — where buildings hit by artillery fire could be seen — is now deserted, but a few people have stayed.”Where can we go?” said businessman Arvinder Pal Singh, 40, who had hunkered down with his wife, two children and parents during the shelling.”We spent the night huddled on the ground floor of our house. We haven’t seen this fear and shelling like this — ever.”Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in an address to the nation late Wednesday, vowed to “avenge each drop of the blood” of those killed by India’s strikes.”Everyone is afraid”, said Sohail Sarwar, 30, a shopkeeper in Surankote.This was echoed by fellow grocery store owner, Sanjay Ghai, 60, who said people were buying essential items in case of more bombardment.”There is so much fear and panic about what could happen in the coming days. People are stocking up,” Ghai told AFP.India and Pakistan have fought multiple times since the violent end of British rule in 1947, when colonial officers drew straight-line borders on maps to partition the nations, dividing communities.Muslim-majority Kashmir — claimed by both India and Pakistan — has been a repeated flashpoint.But for younger generations, the violence was the worst they had witnessed.”I have never seen such intense shelling in my lifetime, it is something that my parents used to tell us about”, added Nadeem. “It is something very new for us, which is why we are also afraid.”Iqbal Singh, 75, a tailor in Poonch, was the only non-essential business open in the market on Thursday.”I’ve lived through 1965, 1971, 1999 wars and everything in between. This is just another episode. It’s okay,” he told AFP at his shop next to a Sikh temple that was damaged in the shelling.”It too shall pass.”

Pakistan’s army said Thursday it shot down 25 Indian drones, a day after the worst violence between the nuclear-armed rivals in two decades.Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed to retaliate after India launched deadly missile strikes on Wednesday morning, escalating days of gunfire along their border.At least 45 deaths were reported from both sides following Wednesday’s violence, including children.Pakistan’s military said in a statement Thursday that it had “so far shot down 25 Israeli-made Harop drones” at multiple location across the country. “Last night, India showed another act of aggression by sending drones to multiple locations,” Pakistan’s military spokesman Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said from the army’s headquarters in Rawalpindi, where a drone was downed.”One managed to engage in a military target near Lahore,” he said, adding that four troops in the city were injured.He earlier said the operation was ongoing.One civilian was killed and another injured in Sindh as a result of the drone incidents. Crowds gathered at crash sites, some close to army installations, to gaze at the debris. Blasts could be heard across Lahore.The Civil Aviation Authority said Karachi airport was closed until 6 pm (1300 GMT), while Islamabad and Lahore were briefly shut “for operational reasons”.Pakistan and Indian have fought several wars over the Muslim-majority disputed region of Kashmir — divided between the two but claimed in full by both.”We will avenge each drop of the blood of these martyrs,” Sharif said, in an address to the nation.- ‘Right to respond’ -Speaking after the Wednesday missile strike, India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said New Delhi had a “right to respond” following an attack on tourists in Pahalgam in Kashmir last month, when gunmen killed 26 people, mainly Hindu men.New Delhi blamed the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba — a UN-designated terrorist organisation for the Pahalgam shooting, and the nations traded days of threats and diplomatic measures.Pakistan has denied any involvement and called for an independent investigation into the April 22 attack.India said on Wednesday it had destroyed nine “terrorist camps” in Pakistan in “focused, measured and non-escalatory” strikes.Islamabad said Wednesday that 31 civilians were killed by Indian strikes and firing along the border.New Delhi said 13 civilians and a soldier had been killed by Pakistani fire.Pakistan’s military also said five Indian jets had been downed across the border, but New Delhi has not responded to the claims.An Indian senior security source, who asked not to be named, said three of its fighter jets had crashed on home territory.- ‘Screamed’ -The largest Indian strike was on an Islamic seminary near the Punjabi city of Bahawalpur, killing 13 people according to the Pakistan military. Muhammad Riaz said he and his family had been made homeless after Indian strikes hit Muzaffarabad, the main city of Pakistan-administered Kashmir.”There is no place to live,” he said. “There is no space at the house of our relatives. We are very upset, we have nowhere to go.”On the Indian side of the frontier on Wednesday, Madasar Choudhary, 29, described how his sister saw two children killed in Poonch, where Pakistan military carried out shelling. “She saw two children running out of her neighbour’s house and screamed for them to get back inside,” Choudhary said, narrating her account because she was too shocked to speak.”But shrapnel hit the children — and they eventually died.”- ‘No pushover’ -India on Thursday braced for Pakistan’s threatened retaliation.In an editorial on Thursday, the Indian Express wrote “there is no reason to believe that the Pakistan Army has been chastened by the Indian airstrikes”, adding that Indian military experts were “aware that Pakistan’s armed forces are no pushover”.”Border districts on high alert,” The Hindu newspaper headline read, adding that “India must be prepared for escalatory action” by Pakistan.Diplomats and world leaders have pressured both countries to step back from the brink.”I want to see them stop,” US President Donald Trump said Wednesday.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is slated to meet his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Thursday in New Delhi, days after visiting Pakistan, as Tehran seeks to mediate.Analysts said they were fully expecting Pakistani military action to “save face” in a response to India.”India’s limited objectives are met,” said Happymon Jacob, director of the New Delhi-based think tank Council for Strategic and Defence Research.”Pakistan has a limited objective of ensuring that it carries out a retaliatory strike to save face domestically and internationally. So, that is likely to happen.”Based on past conflicts, he believed it would “likely end in a few iterations of exchange of long-range gunfire or missiles into each other’s territory”. burs-pjm/ecl/lb

Indian and Pakistani soldiers exchanged gunfire overnight in Kashmir, New Delhi said Thursday, a day after the worst violence between the nuclear-armed rivals in two decades.Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed to retaliate after India launched deadly missile strikes on Wednesday morning, with days of repeated gunfire along their border escalating into artillery shelling.”We will avenge each drop of the blood of these martyrs,” Sharif said, in an address to the nation.India said it had destroyed nine “terrorist camps” in Pakistan in “focused, measured and non-escalatory” strikes, two weeks after New Delhi blamed Islamabad for backing an attack on tourists in the Indian-administered side of disputed Kashmir — a charge Pakistan denies.At least 45 deaths have been reported from both sides of the border following Wednesday’s violence, including children.Islamabad said 31 civilians were killed by Indian strikes and firing along the border.New Delhi said 13 civilians and a soldier had been killed by Pakistani fire.Pakistan’s military also said five Indian jets had been downed across the border, but New Delhi has not responded to the claims.An Indian senior security source, who asked not to be named, said three of its fighter jets had crashed on home territory.- ‘Screamed’ -The largest Indian strike was on an Islamic seminary near the Punjabi city of Bahawalpur, killing 13 people according to the Pakistan military. Madasar Choudhary, 29, described how his sister saw two children killed in Poonch, on the Indian side of the frontier on Wednesday.”She saw two children running out of her neighbour’s house and screamed for them to get back inside,” Choudhary said, narrating her account because she was too shocked to speak.”But shrapnel got to the children — and they eventually died.”Muhammad Riaz said he and his family had been made homeless after Indian strikes hit Muzaffarabad, the main city of Pakistan-administered Kashmir.”There is no place to live,” he said. “There is no space at the house of our relatives. We are very upset, we have nowhere to go.”On Wednesday night, Pakistan military spokesman Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry reported firing across the Line of Control — the de facto border in Kashmir — and said that the armed forces had been authorised to “respond in self-defence” at a “time, place and manner of its choosing”.India’s army on Thursday morning reported firing “small arms and artillery guns” in multiple sites overnight, adding that its soldiers had “responded proportionately”, without giving further details.India and Pakistan have fought multiple times since the violent end of British rule in 1947, when colonial officers drew straight-line borders on maps to partition the nations, dividing communities.Muslim-majority Kashmir — claimed by both India and Pakistan — has been a repeated flashpoint.- ‘No pushover’ -India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the operation was New Delhi’s “right to respond” following an attack on tourists in Pahalgam in Kashmir last month, when gunmen killed 26 people, mainly Hindu men.New Delhi blamed the Pakistan-based group Lashkar-e-Taiba — a UN-designated terrorist organisation, and the nations traded days of threats and diplomatic measures.India on Thursday braced for Pakistan’s threatened retaliation.”Border districts on high alert,” The Hindu newspaper headline read, adding that “India must be prepared for escalatory action” by Pakistan.In an editorial, the Indian Express wrote “there is no reason to believe that the Pakistan Army has been chastened by the Indian airstrikes”, adding that Indian military experts were “aware that Pakistan’s armed forces are no pushover”.Diplomats and world leaders have pressured both countries to step back from the brink.”I want to see them stop,” US President Donald Trump said Wednesday.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is slated to meet his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Thursday in New Delhi, days after visiting Pakistan, as Tehran seeks to mediate.Analysts said they were fully expecting Pakistani military action to “save face” in a response to India.”India’s limited objectives are met,” said Happymon Jacob, director of the New Delhi-based think tank Council for Strategic and Defence Research.”Pakistan has a limited objective of ensuring that it carries out a retaliatory strike to save face domestically and internationally. So, that is likely to happen.”Based on past conflicts, he believed it would “likely end in a few iterations of exchange of long-range gunfire or missiles into each other’s territory”. burs-pjm/lb

As cardinals gather in the Vatican to elect a new pope — with a Filipino among the favourites — the church in Asia’s most Catholic country is grappling with a decline in those with a vocation for the priesthood.”According to the statistics we have… one priest is catering to around 9,000 Catholics,” John Alfred Rabena, chancellor of UST Central Seminary, one the country’s oldest, said this week.It is a situation that was leading to “exhaustion” among an overworked clergy, he told AFP during a visit to the seminary’s art deco building on the sprawling University of Santo Tomas campus.Philippine Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle is among the favourites to succeed Pope Francis, while another Filipino, Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, has emerged as a late dark horse candidate.While officially cautioned not to campaign for their countrymen, clergymen in the Philippines told AFP they believe a Filipino pope could inspire a surge in recruits to the flagging ranks of the priesthood.Father Robert Reyes, a well-known activist priest, said he sounded the alarm during his 1987-98 tenure as national vocation director of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). “I was already warning the bishops that there were obvious signs of a decline in vocations, and how many years is that already?” he said.While the CBCP said it maintains no formal database tracking enrolment numbers, the Philippine Church marked its first-ever National Vocation Awareness Month in November in a bid to “address the critical need for more priests within the nation”.- ‘Broken trust’ -For Father Jerome Secillano, spokesperson for the CBCP, the reason for that need is no secret.”Because of the sexual misconduct that happened in the Church,” he said of the global abuse scandal that erupted in the early 2000s.”That was when people entering the seminary started to dwindle. The impact of that is still being felt.”And while he believes an outpouring of joy and pride would follow the ascendance of a Filipino pope, he questions if it would be enough.”I don’t know if a Filipino pope will immediately restore that broken trust,” he said.Others who spoke to AFP said the sex abuse scandal could not be solely blamed for dwindling seminary enrollments, pointing to cultural changes that had made the country’s youth harder to reach.”It’s also because young people are so exposed to the secular world, with travel, with the internet and with social media,” said Reyes.- ‘Plain Filipino’ -Seminarian Neil Pena, 27, told AFP he believed the potential for a Filipino pope to galvanise his countrymen’s faith was undeniable.”It’s different when the pope speaks your language,” Pena said.”A pope speaking Filipino, plain Filipino, talking to you like he’s talking to you directly… it will be an inspiration.”Reyes agreed a shared heritage would be meaningful in a “personality-oriented” country.”If there’s someone famous, we gravitate towards the person and his actions, way of life,” Reyes said. “There might be many who will be interested in (becoming a) priest.”Rabena, the seminary chancellor, pointed to his own decision to join the clergy, saying it had been “ignited” by the 2015 visit of Pope Francis to the country following the deadliest storm in its history.Arvin Eballo, a theology professor at the University of Santo Tomas, said there was a time when almost every family aspired to have a son as a priest.”They believed it was a blessing of God,” he said.

A new online voting system aimed at boosting turnout among the Philippines’ millions of overseas workers ahead of Monday’s mid-term elections has been marked by confusion and fears of disenfranchisement.Thousands of overseas Filipino workers, or OFWs, have already cast their ballots in the race dominated by a bitter feud between President Ferdinand Marcos and his impeached vice president Sara Duterte.While official turnout figures are not yet publicly available, data from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) show at least 134,000 of the 1.22 million registered overseas voters have signed up for the new online system, which opened April 13.But Jun Burlasa III, a Filipino working in Singapore, says he will not vote again if he has to do it online. “I’d rather do manual,” the 50-year-old told AFP this week, describing the new system as “confusing and suspicious”.At issue is a digital QR code generated after voting that leads users to a page asking them to verify their ballot has been submitted correctly. Below that is a box containing a jumble of computer code and candidate names.Burlasa said many of the names visible were candidates for whom he had not voted.Similar stories about the anxiety-inducing webpage have proliferated across social media, including Facebook posts that have reached thousands.Eman Villanueva, a Hong Kong-based activist with migrant rights group BAYAN, said he was unsure his vote had been properly counted. “There is absolutely no way for the voters to know if the votes that went through really reflected our choices,” he said. In previous overseas elections, voters could review the names they selected after the fact, but Comelec told AFP the QR code was never supposed to serve that purpose.The landing page was only intended to verify a ballot’s receipt, the commission said, adding that the name of every candidate running in the election should appear.”We are definitely considering the feedback and studying how to incorporate them in future elections,” Ian Geonanga, Comelec’s director of overseas voting, told AFP.Election watchdogs, however, say the commission failed to properly explain the new system and warn of the confusion risks disenfranchising voters. “It’s a natural reaction of people that if you’re not familiar with the system, then you won’t trust it the first instance,” said Ona Caritos, executive director of the nonprofit Legal Network for Truthful Elections (Lente). – ChatGPT, disinfo and 2028 -Since April 14, 1.5 million people have watched a video in which a Philippines-based engineer named Jaydee San Juan quizzes ChatGPT about the names visible on the ballot verification page.”It’s highly likely showing the candidates that were selected/voted for using that ballot ID,” the AI chatbot replied.Comelec, however, got the opposite answer when conducting the ChatGPT experiment itself, Geonanga told AFP.The election commission’s efforts to quell fears about the new system, meanwhile, have been misrepresented to sow more disinformation.AFP fact-checkers recently debunked a video edited to make it appear Geonanga was saying online ballots were “designed” to rig the election’s results.The fiasco has also left election watchdogs and migrant groups sceptical that the switch to online voting will boost turnout as intended.Danilo Arao, convenor of voting watchdog Kontra Daya, said even a small change to the ballot’s design might have helped assuage fears he believes could lead to “widespread disenfranchisement”.Lente’s Caritos said losing trust in the online voting system could impact OFWs’ participation in the 2028 presidential election.“We don’t want that, because if election results are not trusted by our voters, then it would go into the legitimacy of the government,” she said. “It’s a domino effect.”