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Afghanistan’s UN-sanctioned foreign minister arrived in India on Thursday, the first visit by a top Taliban leader since they returned to power in 2021 following the withdrawal of US-led forces.Amir Khan Muttaqi’s trip — made possible after the UN Security Council granted him a travel waiver — is expected to be closely watched by India’s arch-rival Pakistan, as New Delhi deepens its engagement with the Taliban government.”We look forward to engaging discussions with him on bilateral relations and regional issues,” Indian foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement, offering Muttaqi a “warm welcome”.Muttaqi, who met with India’s top career diplomat Vikram Misri in January in Dubai, is set to hold talks with Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.Neither side has disclosed the agenda, but analysts say trade and security are likely to be at the forefront — though India is unlikely, for now, to extend formal recognition to the Taliban government.”New Delhi is eager to establish its influence in Kabul… and not be left behind by its arch-rivals, China and Pakistan,” International Crisis Group analyst Praveen Donthi told AFP.Muttaqi’s visit follows meetings in Russia — the only country so far to have officially recognised the Taliban administration.But while the Taliban are “seeking diplomatic recognition and legitimacy”, Donthi said, others noted that was some way off.”India is not in a hurry to provide diplomatic recognition to the Taliban,” Rakesh Sood, India’s former ambassador to Kabul, told AFP.India has long hosted tens of thousands of Afghans, many who fled the country after the Taliban returned to power.Afghanistan’s embassy in New Delhi shut in 2023, although consulates in Mumbai and Hyderabad still operate limited services.India says its mission in Kabul is limited to coordinating humanitarian aid.- ‘Drive a wedge’ -The Taliban’s strict interpretation of Islamic law may appear an unlikely match for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government, but India has sought to seize the opening.Diplomatic dynamics in South Asia are driven by long-running distrust between India and Pakistan, with New Delhi seeking to exploit divisions between Islamabad and Kabul.”Kabul will be walking the tightrope between Islamabad and New Delhi, with the latter trying to get the most from the engagement without offering formal recognition,” Donthi added.Pakistani analyst Wahed Faqiri called Muttaqi’s visit a “remarkable development”, coming as “tension between the Taliban and Pakistan is high”.Islamabad accuses neighbouring Afghanistan of failing to expel militants using Afghan territory to launch attacks on Pakistan, an accusation that authorities in Kabul deny.Nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan fought a brief but deadly clash in May, their worst confrontation in decades.”The visit would certainly make Pakistan angrier and more suspicious,” Faqiri said.”Moreover, it would strengthen India’s position in Afghanistan and India would try to drive a wedge between Taliban and Pakistan.”

The world’s top conservation body is holding its world congress starting Thursday in the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi and will unveil its updated “red list” of threatened species.The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), whose decisions help set the global agenda on environmental protection, will on Friday publish its list ranking at-risk plant and animal species from “least concern” to “extinct”.The congress, held every four years, sheds light on the dire state of the world’s biodiversity. An increasing number of animals suffer from the destruction of their natural habitat, climate change, and water, air and soil pollution.According to the United Nations’s expert scientific panel on biodiversity (IPBES), biodiversity has declined every decade in the past 30 to 50 years.The IUCN congress last convened in the French city of Marseille in 2021.In an update to its “red list” last year, the IUCN said that out of the 169,420 species studied, a total of 47,187 were classified as threatened — more than a quarter.The most impacted species were corals and amphibians, with more than 40 percent of each group under threat.- ‘Urgency’ -“The Congress programme reflects the urgency and ambition of our time,” said Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, Secretary General of the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi and IUCN councillor from the West Asia region.IUCN Director General Grethel Aguilar of Costa Rica said the upcoming announcements “reflect the scale of ambition and the real possibility of delivering the solutions we need to build a planet where people and nature thrive together”.The IUCN congress votes on adopting resolutions.Though not legally binding, they can “shape the international agenda” and “accelerate” work on treaties under discussion, an IUCN source told AFP, requesting anonymity to discuss the event freely.- Synthetic biology debate -The most closely watched vote revolves around two competing motions on synthetic biology — a controversial technique widely used in the pharmaceutical industry and agribusiness.It enables scientists to redesign organisms by engineering them to have new abilities.One motion calls for a moratorium on the technology because “genetic engineering of wild species in natural ecosystems, including in protected areas, is not compatible with the practices, values and principles of nature conservation”.A competing motion argues that synthetic biology could complement conservation efforts, and says IUCN policy “should not be interpreted as supporting or opposing synthetic biology, per se”.Organisers expect 10,000 delegates and 5,000 civil society attendees.The IUCN congress describes itself as “world’s largest and most inclusive nature conservation forum”.Its voting members include government agencies, national and international NGOs, and Indigenous groups.

A superb century from Beth Mooney dragged defending champions Australia back from the brink of disaster before they completed a crushing 107-run win over Pakistan in a Women’s World Cup clash in Colombo on Wednesday.The Aussies were staring down the barrel at 76-7 and then 115-8 after being asked to bat first with the Pakistan bowlers causing mayhem, left-arm spinner Nashra Sandhu finishing with 3-37 from her 10 overs.But a record ninth-wicket stand between Mooney, who was dismissed off the final ball of the innings for 109, and Alana King, who made 51 not out, turned the tide.The pair dragged their side from the doldrums to a competitive 221-9 and that proved plenty as Pakistan’s brittle batting folded meekly for 114 all out in 36.3 overs.Sidra Amin was the only Pakistan batter to put up a fight with 35 while opening bowler Kim Garth, who used to compete for Ireland, was the pick of the Australian attack with 3-14.  In the end it was a comfortable win for the Australians but it hadn’t looked like that a little earlier. After a top order collapse that left the dugout stunned, Australia needed a saviour and up stepped the ever reliable Mooney. The left-hander produced her fifth ODI hundred while King played the perfect foil, matching grit with gumption in a 106-run partnership off 97 balls that breathed new life into the innings.It was not just a rescue act, it was record breaking. The partnership eclipsed Australia’s previous best for the ninth wicket — 77 between Garth and Ashleigh Gardner — and also set a new Women’s World Cup benchmark, surpassing South Africa’s 66-run effort by Yulandi van der Merwe and Kim Price back in 2000.Mooney’s innings was a masterclass in temperament, a classic backs-to-the-wall knock. She farmed the strike smartly, ran fast between the wickets and only unfurled the big shots towards the end.”It was a pretty tricky situation. We wanted to get a partnership going and really had to grind to reach 221,” said Mooney. “Alana King was incredible tonight. We’ve seen her do it before and it was nice to share that stand with her.”Having rebuilt brick by brick, Mooney brought up her century with a nudge to mid-on off Fatima Sana, while King capped her maiden fifty in style, hoisting the Pakistan captain for six as Australia plundered 21 runs off the final over.Mooney’s 109 off 114 deliveries, laced with 11 boundaries, ended when she holed out to cover off the final ball of the innings.King remained unbeaten on 51 off 49, peppered with three fours and as many sixes, the highest score ever made by a number 10 or lower in women’s ODIs.Pakistan never found their footing in reply, undone by Australia’s relentless discipline with the ball. The seven-time world champions climbed back to the top of the points table, while Pakistan’s third straight defeat leaves their knockout hopes hanging by a thread.

The global economy is doing better than expected, even as it faces prolonged uncertainty and underwhelming medium-term growth prospects, the head of the IMF said Wednesday. The world economy is doing “better than feared, but worse than we need,” International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva told reporters in Washington.She added that the Fund now expects global growth to slow “only slightly this year and next,” propped up by better-than-expected conditions in the United States, and among some other advanced, emerging market and developing countries. Georgieva’s remarks came ahead of next week’s gathering of finance ministers and central bank governors at the World Bank and the IMF in Washington. Trade is once again likely to dominate the agenda at the annual meetings, following US President Donald Trump’s decision earlier this year to unleash sweeping tariffs against many trading partners.- ‘Multiple shocks’ -“All signs point to a world economy that has generally withstood acute strains from multiple shocks,” Georgieva said, pointing to “improved policy fundamentals,” the adaptability of the private sector, lower-than-expected tariffs, and supportive financial conditions. “The world has avoided a tit-for-tat slide into trade war — so far,” she added. She noted that the average US tariff rate has fallen from 23 percent in April to 17.5 percent today, while the US effective tariff rate of around 10 percent remains “far above” the rest of the world.But, she warned, the full effect of those tariffs “is still to unfold,” adding that the resilience of the world economy has yet to be “fully tested.” Against this backdrop, the Fund still expects global growth to remain at roughly three percent over the medium term, in line with previous forecasts — below the 3.7 percent, on average, seen before the Covid-19 pandemic.”Global growth patterns have been changing over the years, notably with China decelerating steadily while India develops into a key growth engine,” Georgieva said. To boost lackluster growth prospects elsewhere, she called on countries to act swiftly to “durably” lift output, rebuild fiscal buffers, and address “excessive” trade imbalances. The Fund’s prescriptions for policymakers differed by region, with Asia urged to deepen its internal trade, and to strengthen the service sector and access to finance. Carried out correctly, this could raise economic output by as much as 1.8 percent in the long run, Georgieva said. African countries should promote “business-friendly reforms” and continue with efforts to build up the Continental Free Trade Area which, she said, could lift their real GDP per capita by “over 10 percent.””Gains from this region can be especially large,” she said. – Tough love for Europe -Georgieva reserved her harshest criticism for Europe, which has struggled with economic growth in recent years, in marked contrast to the United States.To raise competition in the bloc, Georgieva called on the European Union to appoint a new “single market czar” to drive reforms, a move that would simplify the EU’s structure and consolidate the power to make the changes required. These changes include steps to deepen EU single market integration in financial services and energy. “Catch up with the private sector dynamism of the US,” she said, adding that Europe must “recognize that there will be some sacrifices on the way.”For the world’s largest economy, Georgieva urged the Trump administration to address the country’s federal deficit and to take steps to incentivize household savings. And for China, the world’s second-largest economy, Georgieva reiterated the IMF’s ongoing calls for fiscal reforms to boost private consumption and reduce dependence on industrial policy to drive growth. 

A herd of elephants, along with tigers and leopards, have escaped after raging floods in India submerged two of West Bengal’s famed wildlife sanctuaries, state officials said Wednesday.Since October 3, at least 36 people have been killed in floods and landslides across the state, as days of torrential rain destroyed hundreds of homes, washed away tea estates, and left roads impassable.The deluge also swamped large parts of Gorumara and Jaldapara national parks, protected reserves in the Himalayan foothills that shelter elephants, bison, tigers, and the endangered one-horned rhinoceros.”The two wildlife sanctuaries… have been submerged under floodwater forcing the animals to stray out,” West Bengal forest minister Birbaha Hansda told AFP.”A herd of 30 elephants strayed out and were seen running through water, trumpeting loudly… We don’t know how many elephants will survive,” she said.A leopard was spotted “negotiating choppy water”, she said, but has not been seen since.Other animals could not escape.”The carcasses of dead animals have started emerging on the riverbanks,” she said, listing two leopards, a rhino and several bison and deer among the dead.Some rescues were successful.”Two captive elephants were brought to pull out an adult rhino and two elephant calves stuck on a river bank,” she added.India’s one-horned Asian rhino population has almost tripled in the past four decades thanks to conservation and anti-poaching efforts, from 1,500 four decades ago to more than 4,000 today.

In the swamplands along Bangladesh’s mighty Padma River, snakes slithering through villages have become an unrelenting menace, leaving residents terrified and hospitals overwhelmed with bite victims.Doctors and experts warn snakebites are on the rise, driven by heavy rains, shrinking habitats and shifting farming practices.Bangladesh — among the nations most vulnerable to climate change — has seen nearly 15,000 snakebite admissions this year, with 84 deaths reported so far.Farmer Ananda Mondol broke down as he recalled how a snake bit his ankle while he was working in a rice field this year.”I couldn’t talk, I couldn’t move,” the 35-year-old from Nimtola, a village in the northern district of Rajshahi, told AFP.”I vomited, lost control of my bowels, and saliva was coming out of my mouth.”He spent three days in intensive care, and is still plagued by sleepless nights and persistent muscle pain.The father of four has not returned to the fields since.His wife, Sunita Rani, a traditional healer, said the family cannot afford further treatment.Across the villages of northern Bangladesh, similar stories abound.”Sometimes, they even lie with us on the bed,” said Rezina Begum, as she washed clothes by the river. Another villager, Mohammad Bablu, told AFPhe dreads walking through the fields.”My heart races,” he said. “Only yesterday they killed seven snakes.”- ‘Strong swimmers’ -The swamplands have always been a sanctuary for snakes, but floodwaters brought on by this year’s extra heavy monsoon rains have pushed more of them from their natural shelters into human settlements.And doctors say that has ramped up the deadly consequences.At least 25 people have died from snakebites at the Rajshahi Medical College hospital since January, said professor of medicine Abu Shahin Mohammed Mahbubur Rahman.The hospital treated more than 1,000 cases in nine months, including 206 bites from venomous species such as cobras, kraits and the feared Russell’s viper.”Many patients suffer acute kidney failure after snakebites,” Rahman said.Nationwide, authorities have recorded 84 snakebite deaths so far this year, alongside nearly 15,000 admissions.That follows 118 deaths in 2024, one of the highest tolls in recent memory.The once uncommon venomous Russell’s viper has seen a resurgence in numbers since 2013, spreading panic.Fatalities have risen steadily since.A prolific breeder, Russell’s vipers do not lay eggs — they give birth to as many as 60 babies at a time, making them difficult to contain.”They are strong swimmers and can float on water hyacinths,” said Farid Ahsan, professor of zoology at Chittagong University.This year’s heavy rains have worsened the risk.Rajshahi recorded 1,409 millimetres of rainfall between May and September, nearly a fifth higher above the seasonal norm of 1,175 mm.- Boots and nets -But experts say climate change is only part of the picture.Gowhar Naim Wara, a disaster management specialist, blamed urbanisation and farming practices.”Their habitat is gone, and they are now living in close contact with humans,” Wara said.Hospitals have scrambled to stock antivenom.”We have sufficient antivenoms for the next three weeks,” said Md Sayedur Rahman, special assistant at the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, adding that more imports were on the way.But experts caution imported antidotes are not always effective, as venoms vary by species and region.Bangladesh is working on its own treatments, with progress on a Russell’s viper antivenom — though rollout remains at least three years away.In the meantime, villagers are adapting as best they can — carrying sticks and torches at night, wearing jeans and boots in the fields, and sleeping under mosquito nets.”It could be any of us next,” said Bablu. “We live every day with that thought.”

When Donald Trump was elected, Indian garment exporter R.K. Sivasubramaniam thought the new US president would boost business and invested heavily in anticipation of a boom.But less than a year later, everything is “upside down”, he admits with a pained smile.Trump’s 50 percent tariffs on Indian goods, imposed in August, have upset the country’s $11 billion textile export industry and shaken confidence in the US market.Sivasubramaniam’s Raft Garments factory in southern India, normally frenetic with humming sewing machines, is quieter and work hours have been cut, hitting employees’ paypackets.If his US buyers turn to other suppliers, half his business could vanish.Meanwhile, half a million garments sit in towering stacks, ready for shipment but stalled over who will pay the new duties.Buyers are asking for a 16-20 percent discount.”We cannot give that much,” said Sivasubramaniam, whose desk carries crossed US and Indian flags. “It’s a very huge loss for us.”If Raft doesn’t shoulder part of the duties, it won’t be paid for garments already produced — leaving it unable to cover costs.”If it continues for another month… we cannot give work to our employees,” he warned.Trump’s anger at India’s purchases of Russian oil — which Washington says help finance Moscow’s war in Ukraine — has left New Delhi facing some of the world’s steepest tariffs.A trade deal that could ease that hinges partly on progress in peace talks.But the fallout is being felt in Tiruppur, in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.- ‘Worst possible situation’ -Dubbed India’s “knitwear capital”, and “Dollar City” for its export earnings, the small industrial town produced $5 billion in garments last fiscal year, two-fifths going to the United States. Its lanes are dotted with thousands of units including dyeing, embroidery and sewing workshops.Manufacturers paint a grim picture.”US orders have largely stopped, around 80 percent of the US business has reduced,” said Ramesh Jebaraj of Trinity Tex.In the same season last year, he produced 100,000 garments.Now he has barely a fifth of that — forcing him to seek buyers in Israel and the United Arab Emirates.”This is the situation across Tiruppur,” he told AFP. “Some of the bigger factories are on the verge of closing some of their units.”Alexander John of NC John Garments, which supplies Walt Disney, called the tariff standoff “the worst possible situation any business can be in”.With his US orders “completely at a standstill”, he has cut shifts and laid off workers.To stay afloat, he is looking to Europe and Britain but said “none of these markets can replace the US”.Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has warned that up to three million jobs could be at risk across the state’s textile belt, a grim prospect for a country struggling to provide well-paid work for its youth.Local industry associations say they have so far avoided widespread layoffs by agreeing to steep discounts on US shipments.”In the short term, we’re giving discounts to the customer ranging from 20 to 25 percent,” said N. Thirukkumaran, general secretary of the Tiruppur Exporters Association.But he admits it is not a long-term solution, and has pleaded for government support.- ‘We are helpless’ -Exporters describe the move as a calculated gamble, by selling at a loss to maintain US buyer relationships while awaiting a trade deal.At RRK Cotton’s facility in Palladam, 17 kilometres (10 miles) from Tiruppur, dimly lit production halls are quieter than normal.Owner R. Rajkumar, a former tailor who built his business over three decades, has closed two factories and furloughed some staff.”This is a situation nobody could have anticipated,” he said, adding that he was running three factories fulfilling European orders, and shipping some US orders after giving a discount.He fears the next ordering cycle could be disrupted if US buyers shift to rivals such as Vietnam or Bangladesh.All that depends on a trade deal.Meanwhile, anger and confusion run deep among workers and business owners.”My tailor… He doesn’t know what is a trade war, or why India is buying oil from Russia, and why it is affecting our lives, our bread,” said Kumar Duraiswamy, CEO of Eastern Global Clothing.”The problem is we are helpless,” he added.N. Karthick Raja, 38, employed at a small embroidery unit now running reduced shifts, fears for his livelihood.”If this job goes away, I don’t know what I will do next,” he said. “America has abandoned us, more or less.”

England overcame a spirited Bangladesh side to go top of the Women’s World Cup points table after a nerve-jangling chase in Guwahati on Tuesday. Former captain Heather Knight weathered the storm with an unbeaten 79, steering the four-time champions home by four wickets with 23 balls to spare.The seasoned campaigner, who was sacked as captain after a disastrous Ashes tour last winter, had luck on her side in an innings that could easily have gone pear-shaped. Not once, not twice, but thrice she was reprieved, each time thanks to the decision review system.Yet to get off the mark, she survived an lbw verdict that was overturned on review. On eight, another lbw decision went her way. Then, on 12, Knight chipped tamely to cover and even began the long walk back before the third umpire ruled the fielder had not completed the catch cleanly. Third time lucky, the 34-year-old made it count.”It’s probably the most reviews I’ve ever had go my way,” Knight laughed afterwards. “That one at cover, I thought it was a fair catch. I walked off, but the TV umpire saw it differently.”Her 27th half-century, not the prettiest of her career but certainly priceless, was laced with eight fours and a six, her sweep and reverse sweep proving the lifelines on a sluggish surface.At 103-6, Bangladesh had their noses in front, but Knight found a reliable ally in Charlie Dean. The pair added 79 for the seventh wicket to see England home.Earlier, England’s spinners had laid the groundwork by squeezing Bangladesh to 178. Left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone claimed three wickets, while Linsey Smith, Dean and Alice Capsey chipped in with two apiece.England, a side traditionally built around seam, have come to this tournament with a horses for courses approach, loading their attack with spinners to exploit subcontinental conditions. Their field placements, slip, silly mid-off and short cover, looked straight out of a Test match.Bangladesh’s top-order batters found run-making hard graft, with Sobhana Mostary’s 60 the lone bright spot. Rabeya Khan’s late cameo of 43 off 27 balls, peppered with six fours and a six, added respectability to the total.”We fought till the last ball and that’s what matters,” said Bangladesh skipper Nigar Sultana. “We were probably 30 short, but I’m proud of the fight the girls showed.”

The United States issued nearly one-fifth fewer student visas in August following a crackdown by President Donald Trump, led by a steep drop for India which was overtaken by China as top country of origin, data showed Monday.The United States issued 313,138 student visas in August, the most common start month for US universities, a drop of 19.1 percent from the same month in 2024, according to the International Trade Administration.India, which last year was the top source of foreign students to the United States, saw the most dramatic drop with 44.5 percent fewer student visas issued than a year earlier.Visa issuance also dropped for Chinese students but not nearly at the same rate. The United States issued 86,647 visas to students from mainland China in August, more than double the number issued to Indians.The statistics do not reflect overall numbers of US-based international students, many of whom remain on previously issued visas.Trump has put a top priority since returning to the White House both on curbing immigration and on weakening universities, which his administration sees as a key power base of the left.Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefly suspended processing of student visas in June, a peak month, as he issued orders that US embassies vet applicants’ social media.Rubio has revoked thousands of student visas, often due to criticism of Israel, on the grounds that he can refuse entry to people who go against US foreign policy interests.In rules that affect Indians in particular, the Trump administration has made it more difficult for applicants to apply for visas outside jurisdictions of the US consulates in their home countries, even if there are backlogs.Trump has taken a series of actions at odds with India, which for decades had been courted by US policymakers of both parties who saw the billion-plus nation as a natural counterweight to China.Trump has also imposed a hefty new fee on H-1B visas, which are used largely by Indian technology workers.Trump, however, has voiced hope for ramping up the number of Chinese students to boost relations between the two powers, a sharp contrast to earlier messaging from Rubio who had vowed to “aggressively” revoke visas from Chinese students he accuses of exploiting US technical knowhow.The latest figures also show a sharp drop in student visas from many Muslim-majority countries, with admissions from Iran dropping by 86 percent.

Bangladeshi heavyweight politician Tarique Rahman said Monday he would return “soon” after 17 years in self-imposed exile to contest the first elections since a 2024 mass uprising.Rahman, 59, heir to Bangladesh’s longtime ruling family as son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, is the acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), widely seen as a key frontrunner in the upcoming polls.”For some reasonable reasons my return hasn’t happened… but the time has come, and I will return soon, God willing,” Rahman told BBC Bangla in an interview broadcast Monday.The elections, due in February 2026, will be the first since a mass uprising ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina last year, ending her 15-year hardline rule — during which she crushed the BNP.Rahman, known in Bangladesh as Tarique Zia, has lived in London since 2008, saying he fled politically-motivated persecution.Since Hasina’s fall, Rahman has been acquitted of the most serious charge against him; a life sentence handed down in absentia for a 2004 grenade attack on a Hasina rally, which he always denied.Rahman has emerged as an outspoken figure on social media and a rallying point for BNP supporters.”I am running in the election,” he told the BBC, speaking from London.Regarding the possibility of assuming office as prime Minister if the BNP forms the government, he said: “The people will decide.”It is unclear if his mother, 80-year-old Khaleda Zia, who has suffered ill health after being jailed during Hasina’s tenure, will run again herself or play a guiding role behind her son.”She went to jail in good health and returned with ailments, she was deprived of her right to proper treatment,” he said.”But… if her health permits, she will definitely contribute to the election.” He also spoke on the ban on Hasina’s Awami League ordered by the interim government of Muhammad Yunus, who will step down after the elections.Hasina, 78, has defied court orders to return from India, where she fled last year, to attend her trial for ordering a deadly crackdown against the uprising. Hasina has refused to recognise the court’s authority.The charges amount to crimes against humanity in Bangladesh.”Those who are responsible for such cruelties, those who ordered them, must be punished. This is not about vengeance,” Tarique added.”I strongly believe people cannot support a political party or its activists who murder, forcibly disappear people, or launder money,” he added.