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Pope Francis remains stable after almost four weeks in hospital with pneumonia, the Vatican said on Tuesday, declining to speculate on when he might go home, the day after doctors indicated he was no longer in danger.The 88-year-old head of the world Catholic Church has been in Rome’s Gemelli hospital since February 14 with pneumonia in both lungs, suffering several respiratory crises that sparked real fear for his life.But on Tuesday evening — a day after indicating that he was out of imminent danger — the Holy See said that the pope’s condition continued to be stable. “It is clear that the situation remains stable… and with these slight improvements within a framework for doctors that remains complex,” the Vatican said.On Monday, following a week of steady improvements in Francis’s condition, the Vatican said his prognosis was no longer considered “reserved”, or uncertain, meaning his life is no longer at imminent risk.But his condition remained complex and he would require hospital treatment for “several more days”, it said on Monday — with the implication that afterwards, he could go home to the Vatican.A Vatican source on Monday said that Francis still had pneumonia but confirmed there was “no imminent danger” to his life.Despite the improving scenario, the Vatican on Tuesday said that it was still unknown when exactly Francis might be released from hospital. The source denied reports that preparations were under way for Francis’s return to the Santa Marta residence.Francis missed the start of the Lent religious period last week but there are hopes he might be able to participate in celebrations for Easter, the holiest period in the Christian calendar, which culminates on April 20.- Prayers and meditation -Outside the Gemelli hospital, an employee of the Santa Marta, Simonetta Maronge, urged the pope to come home soon.”May he return to Santa Marta soon. We love him deeply and Santa Marta is empty without him,” she told AFP.The Vatican source said on Tuesday that the pope’s spirits were “good”. The press office said he had that morning prayed in the private chapel next to the papal suite on the 10th floor of the hospital, and that he had taken part remotely in Vatican prayers and meditation.”The improvements recorded in the previous days have been further consolidated, as confirmed by blood tests and clinical objectivity and the good response to pharmacological therapy,” the Vatican said in a statement on Monday evening.”For these reasons, the doctors have decided today to lift their reserved prognosis,” it added, although the Vatican said Francis still would need “pharmacological treatment in a hospital setting for several more days”.- Video games -The pontiff has been doing some work off and on during his hospital stay, making calls and having occasional visitors, according to the Vatican.Several of the children being treated in Rome’s Bambino Gesu hospital, which is also run by the Vatican, sent Francis messages and drawings offering other ideas for passing the time.”Dear Pope, I suggest you get someone to give you a PlayStation,” young Alex wrote, according to the artwork released by Bambino Gesu.Pilgrims visiting Rome for the 2025 Jubilee holy year celebrations have been praying every night for the pope, while special services have been held in churches around the world.”We are praying for the pope, for his recovery and that he will soon be with us, safe and well, so he can bless us all,” Jose Ochoa, 69, from Mexico, told AFP at the Vatican.Mimmo Laundando, an Italian pensioner praying outside the Gemelli hospital, said: “I am hopeful.”Laundando added that he had always dreamt of being the pontiff’s chauffeur.Pope Francis will on Thursday mark 12 years as leader of the world’s nearly 1.4 billion Catholics.Despite his incipient recovery, his hospital stay — the longest and most serious of his papacy — has revived questions about his future.The Jesuit pontiff has always held open the possibility of resigning like his predecessor, the German Benedict XVI, although he also insisted he has no intention of quitting.

Pakistani troops freed dozens of train passengers taken hostage by armed militants in the country’s southwest on Tuesday, with hundreds more still being held in the deadly siege.Security sources said that heavy gunfire was ongoing between security forces and the militants.Gunmen forced the train to a halt in a remote, mountainous area of Balochistan province on Tuesday afternoon, with the assault immediately claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group behind rising violence in the province which borders Afghanistan and Iran.”Security forces have successfully freed 80 hostages, including 43 men, 26 women, and 11 children, from the terrorists,” security sources told AFP, adding that 13 militants had been killed. “Efforts are ongoing to ensure the safe release of the remaining passengers. The terrorists have been surrounded, and the operation will continue until the last terrorist is neutralized.”A nearby railway station in Mach has been turned into a makeshift hospital to receive some of the wounded. The driver of the train, a police officer and soldier were all killed in the assault, according to paramedic Nazim Farooq and railway official Muhammad Aslam, both at Mach railway station. Earlier in the day, Muhammad Kashif, a senior railway government official in Quetta, the capital of the province, told AFP that “over 450 passengers onboard are being held hostage by gunmen.” In a statement, the BLA said gunmen bombed the railway track before storming aboard the train. “The militants swiftly took control of the train and have taken all passengers hostage,” said the statement released to media. The group “warned of severe consequences” if an attempt is made to rescue the hostages. The incident happened around 1:00 pm (0800 GMT) in rural Sibi district, near to a city station where the train had been due to stop. The train had left Quetta for Peshawar, in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — a more than 30-hour journey — at around 9:00 am.A senior police official from the area bordering Sibi, who asked not to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the media, said that “the train remains stuck just before a tunnel surrounded by mountains”.An emergency has been imposed at hospitals in Sibi, according to the government official.- Decades-long insurgency -The area is a mountainous region making it easier for militants to have hideouts and plan attacks. Security forces have been battling a decades-long insurgency in impoverished Balochistan, which militant groups claim is being exploited by outsiders, with wealth from its natural resources syphoned off with little benefit to the local population.But violence has soared in the western border regions with Afghanistan, from north to south, since the Taliban took back power in 2021. Pakistan accuses the Taliban government in Kabul of offering safe haven to militants to plan attacks. The Taliban government denies the charge. The BLA have launched larger scale attacks in recent months, including holding a motorway overnight and identifying travellers from outside the province and shooting them dead. BLA militants also killed seven Punjabi travellers in February after they were ordered off a bus. In November, the BLA claimed responsibility for a bombing at Quetta’s main railway station that killed 26 people, including 14 soldiers.Last year was the deadliest year in almost a decade, with more than 1,600 people killed in attacks in Pakistan, mostly in the border regions, according to the Center for Research and Security Studies, an Islamabad-based analysis group.

Armed militants held hundreds of train passengers hostage on Tuesday in an ongoing siege claimed by a separatist group behind rising violence in southwestern Pakistan. The militants wounded the driver as they took control of the train in a remote, mountainous area of Balochistan province which borders Afghanistan and Iran.”Over 450 passengers onboard are being held hostage by gunmen,” Muhammad Kashif, a senior railway government official in Quetta, the capital of the province, told AFP.”Passengers include women and children,” he added.The attack was immediately claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) which is fighting for independence and accuses outsiders of profiting from the region’s wealth. In a statement, it said gunmen bombed the railway track before storming aboard the train. “The militants swiftly took control of the train and have taken all passengers hostage,” said the statement released to media. The group “warned of severe consequences” if an attempt is made to rescue the hostages. Pakistani sources who spoke to the media on condition of anonymity said an operation “to eliminate the terrorists is ongoing with extreme caution due to the difficult terrain”, adding that women and children are “being used as human shields”.The incident happened around 1:00 pm (0800 GMT) in rural Sibi district, near to a city station where it had been due to stop. “A passenger train called the Jaffar Express was stopped by armed militants,” said a senior government official in Sibi, who asked not to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the media.”The passengers are being held hostage, and the driver has been injured.”The train had left Quetta for Peshawar, in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — a more than 30-hour journey — at around 9:00 am.A senior police official from the area bordering Sibi, who asked not to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the media, said that “the train remains stuck just before a tunnel surrounded by mountains”.An emergency has been imposed at hospitals in Sibi, according to the government official.- Decades-long insurgency -The area is a mountainous region making it easier for militants to have hideouts and plan attacks. Security forces have been battling a decades-long insurgency in impoverished Balochistan, which militant groups claim is being exploited by outsiders, with wealth from its natural resources syphoned off with little benefit to the local population.Violence has soared in the western border regions with Afghanistan, from north to south, since the Taliban took back power in 2021. More than 1,600 people were killed in attacks in Pakistan in 2024 — the deadliest year in almost a decade — according to the Center for Research and Security Studies, an Islamabad-based analysis group.BLA militants killed seven Punjabi travellers in February after they were ordered off a bus. At least 39 people were killed in coordinated attacks last year that largely targeted ethnic Punjabis. In November, the BLA claimed responsibility for a bombing at Quetta’s main railway station that killed 26 people, including 14 soldiers.

Pope Francis was reported to be in good spirits on Tuesday, a day after the Vatican indicated he was out of danger and could be discharged in the near future after almost one month in hospital with pneumonia.The 88-year-old head of the world Catholic Church has been in Rome’s Gemelli hospital since February 14 with pneumonia in both lungs. He has suffered several respiratory crises that sparked real fear for his life.But after a week of steady improvements, the Holy See said on Monday his prognosis was no longer considered “reserved”, or uncertain, meaning his life is no longer at imminent risk.The pope’s condition remains complex and he will require hospital treatment for “several more days”, it added — with the implication that after that, he could go home to the Vatican.A Vatican source added later on Monday that Francis still had pneumonia but confirmed there was “no imminent danger” to his life.On Tuesday, however, the same Vatican source denied reports that preparations were under way for Francis’s return to the Santa Marta residence, indicating his discharge was not imminent.Up until Monday at least, the pope had been switching from the oxygen mask he uses nightly to a cannula — a plastic tube tucking into the nostrils — which delivers high-flow oxygen.Francis missed the start of the Lent religious period last week but there are hopes he might be able to participate in celebrations for Easter, the holiest period in the Christian calendar, which culminates on April 20.- Prayers and meditation -Simonetta Maronge, an employee of the Santa Marta, urged the pope to come home soon.”May he return to Santa Marta soon. We love him deeply and Santa Marta is empty without him,” she told AFP outside the Gemelli hospital.The Vatican source said on Tuesday that the pope’s spirits were “good”. The press office said he had that morning prayed in the private chapel next to the papal suite on the 10th floor of the hospital, and that he had taken part remotely in spiritual exercises — prayers and meditation — in the Vatican.The Vatican has been giving twice-daily updates on the pope’s health but these have been reduced since the pontiff’s health improved and no formal bulletin was expected on Tuesday evening.”The improvements recorded in the previous days have been further consolidated, as confirmed by blood tests and clinical objectivity and the good response to pharmacological therapy,” the Vatican said in a statement on Monday evening.”For these reasons, the doctors have decided today to lift their reserved prognosis.””Given the complexity of the pope’s clinical picture and the severe infection present at the time of hospitalisation, it will still be necessary to continue pharmacological treatment in a hospital setting for several more days,” it continued.- Video games -The pontiff has been doing some work off and on during his hospitalisation, making calls and having occasional visitors, according to the Vatican.Several of the children being treated in Rome’s Bambino Gesu hospital, which is also run by the Vatican, sent Francis messages and drawings offering other ideas for passing the time.”Dear Pope, I suggest you get someone to give you a PlayStation,” young Alex wrote, according to the artwork released by Bambino Gesu.Pilgrims visiting Rome for the 2025 Jubilee holy year celebrations have been praying every night for the pope, while special services have been held in churches around the world.”We are praying for the pope, for his recovery and that he will soon be with us, safe and well, so he can bless us all,” Jose Ochoa, 69, from Mexico, told AFP at the Vatican.Mimmo Laundando, an Italian pensioner praying outside the Gemelli hospital, added: “I am hopeful. I think there is really a need for a pope like Francis for all of us, for the whole world.”Laundando added that he had always dreamed of being the pontiff’s chauffeur, adding: “Now I am here with the car with the idea that maybe if he needs to, I can drive him back.”Pope Francis will on Thursday mark 12 years as leader of the world’s nearly 1.4 billion Catholics.Despite his incipient recovery, his hospitalisation — the longest and most serious of his papacy — has revived questions about his future.The Jesuit pontiff has always held open the possibility of resigning like his predecessor, the German Benedict XVI, although he also insisted he has no intention of quitting.

The arrest on Tuesday of former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, by police acting on an International Criminal Court warrant tied to his deadly war on drugs, marks a success for the ICC, which has been struggling for almost 23 years against a lack of recognition and enforcement power.Backed by 125 member states, the jurisdiction seeks to prosecute individuals responsible for the world’s gravest crimes when countries are unwilling or unable to do so themselves.  The wheels of international justice grind slowly, as evidenced by the court’s low conviction rate.However, it’s not all about the final judgement, experts say. The mere fact of pursuing alleged perpetrators of atrocities sends a message that the international community is determined to fight impunity.- Catch me if you can -Since it began work in 2002, the ICC has opened 32 cases for alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and offences against the administration of justice. Fourteen of them, or roughly 40 percent, are ongoing, in most cases because the suspects are still at large. Without a police force, the Hague-based court is unlikely to catch them soon. Of the 60 arrest warrants issued since 2002, only 21 had been carried out before Duterte’s arrest.The ICC relies on states to apprehend suspects.But the incentive for them to cooperate is low because the court has “nothing to offer in return, except a commitment to seeing justice served”, former ICC adviser Pascal Turlan said.  The court’s wanted list includes Russian President Vladimir Putin, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony. All three are accused of war crimes.Russia is one of dozens of nations, including the United States, Israel and China, that do not recognise the jurisdiction of the ICC, hampering its ability to investigate their nationals.But some member states also defy its authority by, for instance, refusing to hand over suspects.”When states don’t like what the ICC does, they don’t often cooperate,” said Nancy Combs, professor of law at William & Mary Law School in the United States. – 11 convictions, all Africans -ICC spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah stressed that the court’s role is not to go after all suspected war criminals but to “encourage nations to deal with their own cases”.Each case comes with a unique set of challenges, from interference by national governments to witness intimidation.The latter caused the case against Kenya’s former deputy president William Ruto to fall apart in 2016, according to a former chief prosecutor.These challenges partly explain the court’s low conviction rate.Since its inception it has handed down 11 guilty verdicts, mostly against officials from the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and four acquittals.All those judged were Africans, leading to accusations that the ICC is unfairly targeting the continent.Combs pointed out that some African countries, including Uganda, Ivory Coast and the DRC, had referred their own wars to the court for investigation in the early days, while other cases had been instigated by the United Nations Security Council.”The ICC has diversified a lot but non-African states have resisted ICC jurisdiction more fiercely,” she pointed out, citing Russia as an example.

The Dalai Lama published a book Tuesday that he says is a “framework for the future of Tibet”, to guide compatriots in relations with Beijing after his death.China — which says Tibet is an integral part of the country — has responded by saying the Dalai Lama “has no right to represent the Tibetan people”.Many exiled Tibetans fear Beijing will name a successor to the Dalai Lama when he dies, bolstering control over a land it poured troops into in 1950.The book, “Voice for the Voiceless”, describes the Dalai Lama dealing with successive leaders of the People’s Republic of China on behalf of Tibet and its people.”The right of the Tibetan people to be the custodians of their own homeland cannot be indefinitely denied, nor can their aspiration for freedom be crushed forever through oppression,” the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader writes.”One clear lesson we know from history is this: If you keep people permanently unhappy, you cannot have a stable society.”Asked about the book at a regular press briefing on Tuesday, Beijing’s foreign ministry dismissed the Dalai Lama as “a political exile who is engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the cloak of religion”.The Dalai Lama’s lineage, status and title “have been determined by the central government for hundreds of years”, spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters. “The reincarnations of living Buddhas, including the Dalai Lama, should abide by national laws and regulations, follow religious rituals… (and be subject to) the approval of the central government”, she added.- ‘Persistent efforts’ -Over centuries, Tibet has alternated between independence and being controlled by China, which says it “peacefully liberated” the rugged plateau and brought infrastructure and education.Celebrating his 90th birthday in July, the Dalai Lama is among a fading few who can remember what their homeland was like before the failed 1959 uprising.He fled to India that year, and said the book details the “persistent efforts” he has made to over seven decades to “save my homeland and people”.”Tibetans have spent nearly 75 years fighting for freedom,” he wrote in the Washington Post this month, ahead of the book’s publication. “Their struggle should continue beyond my lifetime.”Talks between Beijing and Tibetan leaders have been frozen since 2010.”Despite all the suffering and destruction, we still hold fast to the hope for a peaceful resolution of our struggle for freedom and dignity,” the Dalai Lama said in a statement about the book.”From a 19-year-old negotiating with Chairman Mao at the height of his powers in Beijing to my recent attempts to communicate with President Xi Jinping, I convey in this book the sincerity of our efforts.”My hope is that the book will… provide a framework for the future of Tibet even after I am gone.” The Dalai Lama stepped down as his people’s political head in 2011, passing the baton of secular power to a government chosen democratically by about 130,000 Tibetans around the world.Penpa Tsering, the sikyong or head of that government, has said it does not seek full independence for Tibet, but rather to pursue a long-standing “Middle Way” policy seeking greater autonomy.China calls the India-based Tibetan administration a “puppet government”.But the Dalai Lama said any resolution had to involve talks in which each side can talk openly.”One thing is for sure: no totalitarian regime, whether headed by an individual or a party, can last forever, because they abuse the very people they claim to speak for,” he adds. 

Tens of millions of Pakistanis spent at least four months breathing toxic air pollution 20 times above safe levels, in the worst winter smog season for several years, according to data analysed by AFP.Pakistan regularly ranks among the world’s most polluted countries, with Lahore often the most polluted megacity between November and February.AFP’s analysis of data recorded since 2018 by independent air monitoring project AQICN shows the 2024-2025 winter smog season started a month earlier in October and persisted at higher levels, including in cities normally less affected by pollution.Lahore’s 14 million residents spent six months breathing concentrations of PM2.5 — tiny particles that can penetrate the lungs and bloodstream — at levels 20 times or more than recommended by the World Health Organization.Those in Karachi, Pakistan’s biggest city, and the capital Islamabad were subjected to 120 days of the same choking pollution levels.”The smog is just getting worse every year,” admitted a factory owner in Lahore, who wished to remain anonymous after openly criticising government policies.”If I was rich, my first decision would be to leave Pakistan for Dubai, to protect my children and raise them in a smog-free environment,” he told AFP.- Legal action -Experts say the pollution is primarily caused by factory and traffic emissions. It worsens in winter as farmers burn crop stubble and cooler temperatures and slow-moving winds trap the deadly pollutants.This year, winter rains that typically bring relief did not arrive until late February, as climate change renders Pakistan’s weather patterns increasingly unpredictable.The smog was so thick it could be seen from space and prompted authorities to close schools serving millions of students across the largest province Punjab, including its capital Lahore. Young climate activist Risha Rashid said Islamabad is fast becoming “another Lahore” and has launched legal action against the government.”It’s really suffocating,” the 21-year-old, who has asthma, told AFP.”I cannot go out, even if I have exams. It’s not just affecting our physical health but our mental health as well.”An Ipsos poll in November found four out of five Pakistanis said they were affected by the smog.It can cause sore throats, stinging eyes and respiratory illnesses, while prolonged exposure can trigger strokes, heart disease and lung cancer.Its effects are worse for children, who breathe more rapidly and have weaker immune systems.- ‘At war’ -This smog season, Punjab’s provincial government declared a “war on smog”, increasing public air quality monitoring devices tenfold to around 30 and offering farmers subsidised rentals of machinery to clear crop stubble and avoid burning. It also pledged to increasingly enforce emissions regulations on tens of thousands of factories and more than 8,000 brick kilns, a major source of black carbon emissions. But environmentalists and experts say action has been piecemeal and sometimes counterproductive, including restrictions on private air quality monitoring devices that the government claims give “misleading results that spread panic.”And anti-smog machines, including a tower in Lahore shut down two months after installation, are effectively useless, experts say.”It is like putting an air conditioner out in the open,” said one who spoke on condition of anonymity.- Pledges for clean air -Efforts that tackle pollution’s effects, rather than its source, miss the point, said Ahmad Ali Gul at Lahore’s University of Management and Technology.”It’s like when you have a bathtub and it’s overflowing and it’s creating a huge mess, do you first grab a towel or you first close the tap?” he said. “First, we need to focus on reducing the emissions and then we talk about how to protect ourselves from smog.”The government has blamed rival India, which borders Punjab province, for pollution blowing over into Lahore.But Pakistan has limited vehicle emissions standards, and officials admit 83 percent of Lahore’s carbon emissions are from transport. “Switching to a cleaner fuel would give immediate results, we’ve seen it in other countries,” said Frank Hammes, the global CEO of the Switzerland-based AQI air quality project.But that “needs a pretty strong central effort to push down sometimes the painful changes that need to be made in order to reduce air pollution,” he added.Pakistan’s government wants electric vehicles (EVs) to account for a third of new sales by 2030. Cheaper Chinese models launched in Pakistan in 2024, but currently make up just a fraction of overallcar sales in a country where 40 percent of the 240 million population lives in poverty, according to the World Bank. Pakistan had a taste of clean air during the pandemic, when a lockdown forced vhicles off the streets and factories to close in March 2020, but it was short-lived as the economic impact was too great for many to bear.”Air quality improved so much that we could even see the stars in Lahore in the evening,” saidOmar Masud a director of Urban Unit, which analyses pollution data for the government.While climate change can make air pollution worse, few Pakistanis worry about global warming, explained Abdul Sattar Babar, Ipsos director for Pakistan.”Most Pakistanis are overwhelmed by the economic challenges that they are facing,” he said.”When you can barely survive, climate issues are obviously not your primary concern”.

The whirr of machines and smell of carved wood hangs in the air of the Indian toy workshop, a centuries-old art form still in the game despite cheaper plastic alternatives.India’s town of Channapatna is famed for its wood and lacquer toys, carved from ivory wood from a local deciduous tree — and dipped in brightly coloured dye from natural ingredients including turmeric and indigo.”I felt interest in learning toymaking after I saw people in my neighbourhood doing it,” said toy maker Rupa, who uses only one name. “I felt that I could also learn the craft.”Rocking horses, baby walkers and dancing dolls cut from wood are a common sight in workshops, which employ around 2,500 artisans in the town in the southern state of Karnataka.Channapatna’s toymaking industry dates back to the 1700s when Tipu Sultan, ruler of the then kingdom of Mysore, asked artists from Persia to train the locals.Rising competition from mass-produced toys, including cheap replicas made in China, has cast a shadow on the growth of the industry in the town — but it has endured.The town’s products saw a surge of interest in 2010 when former US first lady Michelle Obama bought several in the capital, New Delhi, during an official visit to India.Toys were once all hand-carved, but the use of electric lathes and other machinery has helped keep the industry economical.”In the old days, every work demanded artisans,” said B. Venkatesh, who runs two small workshops in the town. “But now, with a few at hand, machines can help with different tasks.”- ‘Sense of joy’ -Business is not bad for the 53-year-old, with his factory getting orders for around thousands of from suppliers all around the country during peak months.He says people value the long-lasting quality of the toys.”When we dry the ivory wood properly, and apply lacquer and vegetable dyes, the toys will remain the same for hundreds of years,” Venkatesh said.But he warned his trade would “perish in the long run” without more support.Earlier this month, the government pledged a scheme aimed at making India a global hub for innovative and unique toys that showcased local culture. Venkatesh said authorities needed to go further by opening workshops to help cultivate a new generation of artisans.For those already in the business, their craft is more than a simple matter of livelihood. “Making toys gives me a sense of joy and happiness,” Rupa said. 

KL Rahul was hailed Monday as India’s Champions Trophy unsung hero, having twice kept a cool head under pressure to see his team to victory in tense semi-final and finals.Captain Rohit Sharma top-scored with 76 to lead India to a four-wicket final win over New Zealand in Dubai on Sunday, following Virat Kohli’s 84 to anchor India’s semi-final chase against Australia.Both won Player of the Match awards for their respective knocks, but after they had departed it had been number six Rahul, almost under the radar, who had kept calm to guide India across the finish line.He was unbeaten on 34 in the final as India chased down 252, just a few days after his 42 not out took India past Australia’s 264 in the last four of the 50-over competition.Rohit was full of praise for Rahul’s composure at the sharp end of the nerve-shredding chases.”Look, when we discussed KL’s batting position, that is one thing we discussed quite deeply about how calm he is when he is batting,” Rohit said after guiding India to a third Champions Trophy crown.”I’m very, very happy with how he … batted in the pressure situation, both in the semi-finals and this game.- ‘Over the moon’ -“With KL being there, we know that he’s got that mind where he keeps himself calm and keeps the dressing room also very calm.”While Rohit and Kohli grabbed the headlines, a softly spoken and smiling Rahul, 32, was quietly enjoying his first win in an ICC championship.”ICC victories are not so easy to get and it’s my first one, so I’m over the moon,” Rahul said.”It’s been a complete team effort, all 11-12 players have stood up and their chance and opportunity has come and it’s one of the biggest reasons why we have ended up winning the tournament.”An elegant batsman, Rahul started off as an opener for India in white-ball cricket.But a loss of form and intense media scrutiny forced him to reinvent his batting. He dropped down to number six recently as he edged out Rishabh Pant behind the stumps.”What I have been taught by my coaches from an early age is that cricket’s a team game and whatever the team requires of you, you need to be able to do that,” said Rahul, who sports a trademark beard and a man bun on his tattooed, athletic frame.”It requires a lot of preparation, lot of work outside the field. I just watch and learn from the batsmen I like at four, five, six.”Rahul started his cricketing journey as a wicketkeeper-batsman but had given up the gloves in domestic cricket. It was not until an injury to Pant against Australia in 2020 that he again stood behind the stumps.”I kept wickets in the series, played at number five and performed well,” said Rahul. “From then on the captain and team management thought I could do that role.”

Scraping opium resin off a seedpod in Myanmar’s remote poppy fields, displaced farmer Aung Hla describes the narcotic crop as his only prospect in a country made barren by conflict.The 35-year-old was a rice farmer when the junta seized power in a 2021 coup, adding pro-democracy guerillas to the long-running civil conflict between the military and ethnic armed groups.Four years on, the United Nations has said Myanmar is mired in a “polycrisis” of mutually compounding conflict, poverty and environmental damage.Aung Hla was forced off his land in Moe Bye village by fighting after the coup. When he resettled, his usual crops were no longer profitable, but the hardy poppy promised “just enough for a livelihood”.”Everyone thinks people grow poppy flowers to be rich, but we are just trying hard to get by,” he told AFP in rural Pekon township of eastern Shan state.He says he regrets growing the substance — the core ingredient in heroin — but said the income is the only thing separating him from starvation.”If anyone were in my shoes, they would likely do the same.”- Displaced and desperate -Myanmar’s opium production was previously second only to Afghanistan, where poppy farming flourished following the US-led invasion in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks.But after the Taliban government launched a crackdown, Myanmar overtook Afghanistan as the world’s biggest producer of opium in 2023, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).Myanmar’s opiate economy — including the value of domestic consumption as well as exports abroad — is estimated between $589 million and $1.57 billion, according to the UNODC.Between September and February each year, dozens of workers toil in Pekon’s fields, slicing immature poppy seedpods, which ooze a small amount of sticky brown resin.Aung Naing, 48, gently transfers the collected resin from a small trough onto a leaf plate.Before the coup, which ended a brief experiment with democracy, Aung Naing was areformed opium farmer. But wartime hardship forced him back to the crop.”There is more poppy cultivation because of difficulties in residents’ livelihoods,” he says.”Most of the farmers who plant poppy are displaced,” he said. “Residents who can’t live in their villages and fled to the jungle are working in poppy fields.”In Myanmar’s fringes, ethnic armed groups, border militias and the military all vie for control of local resources and the lucrative drug trade.Aung Naing says poppy earns only a slightly higher profit than food crops like corn, bean curd and potatoes, which are also vulnerable to disease when it rains.Fresh opium was generally sold by Myanmar farmers for just over $300 per kilo in 2024, according to the UNODC, a small fraction of what it fetches on the international black market.And the crop is more costly to produce than rice — more labour intensive, requiring expensive fertilisers and with small yields.Aung Naing says he makes just shy of a $30 profit for each kilo. “How can we get rich from that?” he asks.- ‘Unsafe’ -The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates there are more than 3.5 million people displaced in Myanmar.But fleeing conflict zones to farm opium does not guarantee safety. “Military fighter jets are flying over us,” said Aung Naing. “We are working in poppy fields with anxiety and fear. We feel unsafe.”Opium cultivation and production in Myanmar decreased slightly between 2023 and 2024, according to the UNODC — in part due to ongoing clashes between armed groups.”If our country were at peace and there were industries offering many job opportunities in the region, we wouldn’t plant any poppy fields even if we were asked to,” says farmer Shwe Khine, 43.Aung Hla agreed. With the war, he said, “we don’t have any choice”.