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Indian Navy warships have begun patrolling areas of the disputed South China Sea with their Philippine counterparts for the first time, Manila’s military said Monday, as President Ferdinand Marcos departed for a state visit to New Delhi.The two-day sail includes three Indian vessels and started Sunday, a day before Marcos left on a trip that will include talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The Philippines has heightened defence cooperation with a range of allies over the past year after a series of clashes in the South China Sea.Beijing claims nearly the entirety of the waterway despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.India’s naval vessels, including the guided missile destroyer INS Delhi, arrived in Manila for a port visit late last week.The patrol “started yesterday afternoon, then it’s ongoing up to this moment… the activity at the moment is replenishment at sea,” Lieutenant Colonel John Paul Salgado told AFP.China in response accused Manila of “drawing in external countries to stir up trouble” in the South China Sea.The joint patrol “undermines regional peace and stability”, said Senior Colonel Tian Junli, spokesperson of the Chinese military’s Southern Theater Command.He said Beijing had conducted “routine patrols” in the South China Sea on Sunday and Monday, and remained on “high alert”.While in India, Marcos is expected to sign pacts in such fields as law, culture and technology, according to foreign affairs assistant secretary Evangeline Ong Jimenez-Ducrocq, but all eyes will be on any potential defence agreements.Before departing Monday, Marcos praised the two countries’ “steadfastness in upholding international maritime law, including the UNCLOS”, the UN treaty granting an exclusive economic zone within 200 nautical miles (370 kilometres) of a country’s shores.The Philippines has previously purchased BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles from India, a weapon which has a top speed of 3,450 kilometres (2,140 miles) per hour.India, which has engaged in border clashes with China in the Himalayas, is a member of the so-called Quad, a group that includes fellow democracies the United States, Japan and Australia.Beijing has repeatedly alleged that the four-way partnership, first conceived by late Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, was created as a way of containing China.

Once a heavily guarded palace, the former official residence of Bangladesh’s ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina is being turned into a museum as a lasting reminder of her autocratic rule.Photographs of jubilant flag-waving crowds clambering onto the rooftop of the Dhaka palace after Hasina fled by helicopter to India were a defining image of the culmination of student-led protests that toppled her government on August 5, 2024.One year later, with the South Asian nation of around 170 million people still in political turmoil, the authorities hope the sprawling Ganabhaban palace offers a message to the future.Graffiti daubed on the walls condemning her regime remains untouched.”Freedom”, one message reads. “We want justice.”Hasina’s rule saw widespread human rights abuses, including the mass detention and extrajudicial killings of her political opponents.Up to 1,400 people were killed between July and August 2024 in her failed bid to cling to power, according to the United Nations.The 77-year-old has defied court orders to attend her ongoing trial on charges amounting to crimes against humanity in Dhaka, accusations she denies.”Dictator”, another message reads, among scores being protected for posterity. “Killer Hasina”.Muhammad Yunus, the 85-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner who is leading the caretaker government until elections are held in early 2026, said the conversion to a museum would “preserve memories of her misrule and the people’s anger when they removed her from power”.- ‘Symbol of fascism’ -Mosfiqur Rahman Johan, 27, a rights activist and documentary photographer, was one of the thousands who stormed the luxurious palace, when crowds danced in her bedroom, feasted on food from the kitchens, and swam in the lake Hasina used to fish in.”It will visualise and symbolise the past trauma, the past suffering — and also the resistance,” he said.”Ganabhaban is a symbol of fascism, the symbol of an autocratic regime”.The complex was built by Hasina’s father, the first leader of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and Hasina made it her official residence during her 15 years in power.Tanzim Wahab, the curator of the under-construction museum, told AFP that exhibits would include artefacts of the protesters killed.Their life stories will be told through films and photographs, while plaques will host the names of the people killed by the security forces during the longer period of Hasina’s rule.”The museum’s deeper purpose is retrospective, looking back at the long years of misrule and oppression”, said Wahab.”That, I believe, is one of the most important aspects of this project.”Wahab said the museum would include animation and interactive installations, as well as documenting the tiny cells where Hasina’s opponents were detained in suffocating conditions.”We want young people… to use it as a platform for discussing democratic ideas, new thinking, and how to build a new Bangladesh,” Wahab said.- ‘Statues of dictatorship’ -That chimes with the promised bolstering of democratic institutions that interim leader Yunus wants to ensure before elections — efforts slowed as political parties jostle for power.The challenges he faces are immense, warned Human Rights Watch ahead of the one-year anniversary of the revolution.”The interim government appears stuck, juggling an unreformed security sector, sometimes violent religious hardliners, and political groups that seem more focused on extracting vengeance on Hasina’s supporters than protecting Bangladeshis’ rights,” HRW said.But while Hasina’s palace is being preserved, protesters have torn down many other visible signs of her rule.Statues of Hasina’s father were toppled, and portraits of the duo torn and torched.Protesters even used digger excavators to smash down the home of the late Sheikh Mujibur Rahman — that Hasina had turned into a museum to her father.”When the dictatorship falls, its Mecca will go too,” said Muhibullah Al Mashnun, who was among the crowds that tore down the house.The 23-year-old student believes that removing such symbols was necessary for Bangladesh to move forward to a better future.”They were the statues of dictatorship,” Mashnun said.

Harry Brook and Joe Root both hit hundreds before a late flurry of wickets and an Oval downpour left England’s series finale against India on a knife edge with one day to go.England, seeking to wrap up a 3-1 win, were 339-6 when play was abandoned late on Sunday’s fourth day of the fifth and final Test, needing a further 35 runs to reach a target of 374.India, who had appeared down and out at one stage, require four wickets to end the thrilling series level at 2-2.England were faltering at 106-3 following the loss of stand-in captain Ollie Pope but the Yorkshire pair of Brook (111) and Root (105) turned the tide with a fourth-wicket stand of 195.However, Brook’s exit sparked a mini-collapse, with the home side losing three wickets for 36 runs, with Root also dismissed.And when bad light halted play England were wobbling, with Jamie Smith two not out and Jamie Overton yet to get off the mark.A huge downpour then effectively prevented any hope of a resumption.”It was always going to happen like this, wasn’t it?,” said Root of the “amazing spectacle” in prospect on Monday.”If you look at the first four games, it’s just been that kind of series. It’s been amazing to play in and quite fitting, almost, that we’re going to get that kind of finish tomorrow.”England have been without Chris Woakes for most of the match after the paceman suffered a shoulder injury diving in the field on the first day but Root confirmed he would bat if required.Sunday’s stoppage halted India’s momentum but the tourists’ bowling coach, Morne Morkel, said the decision was out of their control.”Again, tomorrow, we can just focus on doing a good warm-up and get the boys ready to hopefully get the ball in the right area and create a little bit of excitement again,” he said.The most any side have made in the fourth innings to win a Test at the Oval is England’s 263 in a one-wicket victory over Australia in 1902.Aggressive batting has been a cornerstone of England’s approach to Test cricket since captain Ben Stokes, ruled out of this match with a shoulder injury, and coach Brendon McCullum joined forces in 2022.England started this series with the 10th highest successful run chase in Test history after they knocked off a target of 371 for a five-wicket win over India in the opener at Headingley.- Brook attacks -Brook made an immediate impact when he came out to bat on Sunday, at one stage hitting 27 runs in the space of eight balls.The talented 26-year-old charged down the pitch to loft Akash Deep for an extraordinary six over cover despite heavy cloud cover in London favouring India’s quicks.He almost holed out to fine leg off Prasidh Krishna but Mohammed Siraj was unable to stop himself stepping onto the boundary rope, which meant a six for Brook.India captain Shubman Gill let the game drift and it was not until the 43rd over, with England 190-3, that he introduced spin in the form of Washington Sundar.But neither off-spinner Sundar nor left-armer Ravindra Jadeja made much impact against two well-set batsmen, who took just 108 balls to complete a century partnership.Brook completed a 91-ball century, including 12 fours and two sixes, his second of the series but his innings ended in appropriately spectacular fashion.Going for another big hit off Deep, Brook’s bat flew out of his hands. As the blade soared towards square leg, the ball looped to mid-off where Siraj held the catch.Former England captain Root completed his 39th Test century following the interval, reaching the landmark in 137 balls.Jacob Bethell lost his middle stump when he recklessly charged down the pitch to Krishna, with Root falling shortly afterwards, caught behind flicking at the paceman to leave England 337-6.

The first witness in the trial of Bangladesh’s fugitive ex-prime minister Sheikh Hasina gave evidence on Sunday, a man shot in the face during protests that toppled her last year.Hasina, 77, who has defied court orders to return from India to attend her trial on charges amounting to crimes against humanity, is accused of ordering a deadly crackdown in a failed bid to crush the student-led uprising.Up to 1,400 people were killed between July and August 2024, according to the United Nations.The first witness, among the 11 cases that the prosecution is expected to present to the court, was Khokon Chandra Barman, whose story reflects the violence of the protests.The 23-year-old wears a mask to conceal his face, which was ripped apart by gunshot during the culmination of the protests on August 5, 2024, the same day that Hasina fled Dhaka by helicopter.”I want justice for the ordeal I’ve been going through, and for my fellow protesters who sacrificed their lives,” he told the court.Barman lost his left eye, while his right eye was damaged, as well as his lips, nose and teeth.A video showing Barman’s blood-covered face was played in court, with the opening statements aired on the state-run broadcaster.Prosecutors have filed five charges against Hasina — including failure to prevent mass murder — which amount to crimes against humanity under Bangladeshi law.”Sheikh Hasina was the nucleus around whom all the crimes committed during the July–August uprising revolved,” chief prosecutor Tajul Islam told the court on Sunday.Hasina is on trial in absentia alongside two other accused.One, her former interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, is also a fugitive.The other, Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, the former inspector general of police, is in custody. He has pleaded guilty.Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman said he wanted a “fair trial”, speaking to reporters outside the court.”People were killed and maimed — we demand the highest punishment for the crimes committed,” Asaduzzaman said.Amir Hossain, the state-appointed lawyer for Hasina, noted that Barman was shot during the chaotic final day of the weeks-long protests.He pointed out that several police officers were also killed in clashes with protesters and it was “unclear who actually shot Barman”.Hossain said he was not in contact with Hasina, who has refused to accept the authority of the court.The trial continues.

Indian filmmakers are locking up the rights to movie titles that can profit from the patriotism fanned by a four-day conflict with Pakistan, which killed more than 70 people.The nuclear-armed rivals exchanged artillery, drone and air strikes in May, after India blamed Pakistan for an armed attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir.The fighting came to an end when US President Donald Trump announced a surprise ceasefire.Now, some Bollywood filmmakers see an opportunity to cash in on the battle.India tagged its military action against Pakistan “Operation Sindoor”, the Hindi word for vermilion, which married Hindu women wear on their foreheads.The name was seen as a symbol of Delhi’s determination to avenge those widowed in the April 22 attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which sparked the hostilities.Film studios have registered a slew of titles evoking the operation, including: “Mission Sindoor”, “Sindoor: The Revenge”, “The Pahalgam Terror”, and “Sindoor Operation”.”It’s a story which needs to be told,” said director Vivek Agnihotri.”If it was Hollywood, they would have made 10 films on this subject. People want to know what happened behind the scenes,” he told AFP.Agnihotri struck box office success with his 2022 release, “The Kashmir Files”, based on the mass flight of Hindus from Kashmir in the 1990s.- Coloured narratives -The ruling right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party gave that film a glowing endorsement, despite accusations that it aimed to stir up hatred against India’s minority Muslims.Since Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office in 2014, some critics say Bollywood is increasingly promoting his government’s ideology.Raja Sen, a film critic and screenwriter, said filmmakers felt emboldened by an amenable government.”We tried to wage a war and then we quietened down when Mr Trump asked us to. So what is the valour here?” Sen told AFP of the Pakistan clashes. Anil Sharma, known for directing rabble-rousing movies, criticised the apparent rush to make films related to the Pahalgam attack.”This is herd mentality… these are seasonal filmmakers, they have their constraints,” he said.”I don’t wait for an incident to happen and then make a film based on that. A subject should evoke feelings and only then cinema happens,” said Sharma.Sharma’s historical action flick “Gadar: Ek Prem Katha” (2001) and its sequel “Gadar 2″ (2023), both featuring Sunny Deol in lead roles, were big hits.In Bollywood, filmmakers often seek to time releases for national holidays like Independence Day, which are associated with heightened patriotic fervour.”Fighter”, featuring big stars Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone, was released on the eve of India’s Republic Day on January 25 last year.- Anti-Muslim bias -Though not a factual retelling, it drew heavily from India’s 2019 airstrike on Pakistan’s Balakot.The film received mixed-to-positive reviews but raked in $28 million in India, making it the fourth highest-grossing Hindi film of that year.This year, “Chhaava”, a drama based on the life of Sambhaji Maharaj, a ruler of the Maratha Empire, became the highest-grossing film so far this year. It also generated significant criticism for fuelling anti-Muslim bias. “This is at a time when cinema is aggressively painting Muslim kings and leaders in violent light,” said Sen.  “This is where those who are telling the stories need to be responsible about which stories they choose to tell.”Sen said filmmakers were reluctant to choose topics that are “against the establishment”.”If the public is flooded with dozens of films that are all trying to serve an agenda, without the other side allowed to make itself heard, then that propaganda and misinformation enters the public psyche,” he said.Acclaimed director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra said true patriotism is promoting peace and harmony through the medium of cinema.Mehra’s socio-political drama “Rang De Basanti” (2006) won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film and was chosen as India’s official entry for the Golden Globe Awards and the Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category.”How we can arrive at peace and build a better society? How we can learn to love our neighbours?” he asked.”For me that is patriotism.” 

Yashasvi Jaiswal made a sparkling hundred and Washington Sundar a blistering fifty before Mohammed Siraj struck with the last ball of Saturday’s play to bolster India’s hopes of a series-levelling win in the fifth and deciding Test against England at the Oval.India were dismissed for 396 in their second innings on the third day as they set England a target of 374 to win with just over two days’ remaining.Fast bowler Siraj, ever-present in all five matches of a gruelling series, yorked Zak Crawley for 14 with just two balls left to spark joyous celebrations among the tourists.England were 50-1 at stumps, still requiring a further 324 runs to win, with Ben Duckett 34 not out.No side have made more to win in the fourth innings of a Test at the Oval than England’s 263 in a one-wicket victory over Australia back in 1902.However, the most England have made to win any Test in the fourth innings was their 378 against India at Edgbaston in 2022, while they also chased down 371 at Headingley in the opening match of this series.”It is a replay from Headingley,” England fast bowler Josh Tongue, who took 5-125 on Saturday, told the BBC.He added: “It will be a great day of cricket tomorrow and a great day for us if we get the runs. It (the pitch) is doing a bit. A few balls tonight jumped off a good length but if you get through the first hour who knows?”Earlier, Jaiswal was out for 118, his second hundred of the series after the talented left-hander’s ton at Headingley.”I need to push, and I need to do well for my team,” said Jaiswal. “I was constantly talking to myself and enjoying the pressure.”The 23-year-old opener received superb support from Akash Deep in a third-wicket partnership of 107, the paceman belying his status as a nightwatchman with an accomplished 66 — his maiden Test fifty.Ravindra Jadeja and Sundar, both fresh from hundreds in Manchester, each made 53, with Sundar launching a brutal assault after a depleted England took the new ball.A wayward home team, a bowler down after Chris Woakes suffered a shoulder injury diving in the field on Thursday, harmed their own cause by dropping six catches in the innings, with Jaiswal reprieved three times.India resumed Saturday on 75-2.Deep, dropped in the slips by Crawley off Tongue on 21, went to fifty when he pulled Gus Atkinson for his ninth four.But with India on the verge of batting through the morning session without losing a wicket, Deep fell to Jamie Overton.- Gill falls shy of Gavaskar record -Shubman Gill, who has enjoyed a remarkable first series as India captain, fell to the very first ball after lunch when lbw to Atkinson for 11.His exit left Gill just 20 runs adrift of Sunil Gavaskar’s longstanding record for the most runs by an Indian cricketer in a Test series of 774, set against the West Indies in 1971.Gill compiled 754 runs at a superb average of 75, including four hundreds.Jaiswal’s quick single off Atkinson saw the elated batsman to a 127-ball century, including 12 fours and two sixes.Jaiswal, dropped on 110 by Duckett at leg gully, was eventually dismissed when he ramped Tongue straight to deep backward point before Jadeja completed his fifth fifty of the series in 71 balls.England took the new ball as soon as possible, with India 342-7 off 80 overs and promptly tried to bounce out Sundar in what proved to be an expensive ploy.The left-hander responded with three superb sixes, including hoisting Tongue over fine leg and deep midwicket in the space of three balls.Sundar then smashed two fours and a soaring six over midwicket off three successive Atkinson deliveries to complete a brilliant 39-ball fifty before he was last man out.

Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj took four wickets each as India fought back in the fifth and deciding Test against England at the Oval on Friday.England were 129-1 in reply to India’s 224 all out as they threatened to build a substantial first-innings lead.But they were eventually dismissed for 247, just 23 runs ahead, following a rain delay.In a match India must win to end the series level at 2-2, the recalled Krishna had figures of 4-62 in 16 overs and fellow paceman Siraj 4-86 in 16.2.Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett shared a blistering first-wicket stand of 92 in just 13 overs after England paceman Gus Atkinson marked his return to Test cricket with a five-wicket haul.Both openers fell either side of lunch, however, before stand-in England captain Ollie Pope, leading the side in place of the injured Ben Stokes, was lbw to Siraj for 22.Crawley and Duckett dominated India’s attack with a blizzard of boundaries before Akash Deep sparked the latest flare-up of a fractious series.Deep had Duckett caught behind for 43 off an attempted scoop, then put his arm round the unimpressed batsman’s shoulder and appeared to say a few words as he walked off.India’s KL Rahul pulled Deep away from Duckett before the bowler could say anything else.This incident came after India captain Shubman Gill accused England of ignoring the “spirit of cricket” by time-wasting in the third Test at Lord’s.England were then angered by the India’s decision to bat on in the fourth Test at Old Trafford rather than agree a draw as soon as possible.- Siraj stars -Ater Duckett’s exit, Crawley holed out off a miscued pull against Krishna for 64, with 56 of those runs coming in boundaries. The usually mild-mannered Joe Root, second in the all-time list of Test match run scorers, found himself exchanging words with Krishna before he was lbw to Siraj for 29.And when Siraj had Jacob Bethell lbw as the all-rounder played down the wrong line, England were 195-5.Jamie Smith then saw his edged drive off Krishna well caught by Rahul at second slip.Four balls later Jamie Overton was lbw to Krishna for a duck. Atkinson hit two well-struck boundaries before he mistimed a pull of Krishna to mid-on.Harry Brook gave England fans something to cheer with an extraordinary ‘falling’ sweep for six off Siraj during a 57-ball fifty. But Siraj bowled him for 53, with Brook the last man out as the injured Chris Woakes was unable to bat. England suffered a setback before Friday’s play, with paceman Woakes effectively ruled out of the rest of the match after suffering a shoulder injury when diving in an attempt to prevent a boundary on Thursday.But Atkinson responded with a superb return of 5-33 in 21.4 overs after striking twice on Thursday, when he also ran out the in-form Gill.The 27-year-old’s fourth five-wicket haul in just 13 Tests was all the more creditable as this was Atkinson’s first senior match since being sidelined with hamstring trouble following a one-off Test against Zimbabwe in May.India, who resumed on 204-6, lost their last four wickets for just 20 more runs in 5.4 overs on Friday. 

Every morning, Nepali primary school teacher Bina Tamang steps outside her home and checks the rain gauge, part of an early warning system in one of the world’s most landslide-prone regions.Tamang contributes to an AI-powered early warning system that uses rainfall and ground movement data, local observations and satellite imagery to predict landslides up to weeks in advance, according to its developers at the University of Melbourne.From her home in Kimtang village in the hills of northwest Nepal, 29-year-old Tamang sends photos of the water level to experts in the capital Kathmandu, a five-hour drive to the south.”Our village is located in difficult terrain, and landslides are frequent here, like many villages in Nepal,” Tamang told AFP.Every year during the monsoon season, floods and landslides wreak havoc across South Asia, killing hundreds of people.Nepal is especially vulnerable due to unstable geology, shifting rainfall patterns and poorly planned development.As a mountainous country, it is already “highly prone” to landslides, said Rajendra Sharma, an early warning expert at the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.”And climate change is fuelling them further. Shifting rainfall patterns, rain instead of snowfall in high altitudes and even increase in wildfires are triggering soil erosion,” Sharma told AFP.- Saving lives -Landslides killed more than 300 people last year and were responsible for 70 percent of monsoon-linked deaths, government data shows.Tamang knows the risks first hand.When she was just five years old, her family and dozens of others relocated after soil erosion threatened their village homes.They moved about a kilometre (0.6 miles) uphill, but a strong 2015 earthquake left the area even more unstable, prompting many families to flee again.”The villagers here have lived in fear,” Tamang said.”But I am hopeful that this new early warning system will help save lives.”The landslide forecasting platform was developed by Australian professor Antoinette Tordesillas with partners in Nepal, Britain and Italy.Its name, SAFE-RISCCS, is an acronym of a complex title — Spatiotemporal Analytics, Forecasting and Estimation of Risks from Climate Change Systems. “This is a low-cost but high-impact solution, one that’s both scientifically informed and locally owned,” Tordesillas told AFP.Professor Basanta Adhikari from Nepal’s Tribhuvan University, who is involved in the project, said that similar systems were already in use in several other countries, including the United States and China.”We are monitoring landslide-prone areas using the same principles that have been applied abroad, adapted to Nepal’s terrain,” he told AFP. “If the system performs well during this monsoon season, we can be confident that it will work in Nepal as well, despite the country’s complex Himalayan terrain.”In Nepal, it is being piloted in two high-risk areas: Kimtang in Nuwakot district and Jyotinagar in Dhading district.- Early warnings -Tamang’s data is handled by technical advisers like Sanjaya Devkota, who compares it against a threshold that might indicate a landslide. “We are still in a preliminary stage, but once we have a long dataset, the AI component will automatically generate a graphical view and alert us based on the rainfall forecast,” Devkota said. “Then we report to the community, that’s our plan.”  The experts have been collecting data for two months, but will need a data set spanning a year or two for proper forecasting, he added.Eventually, the system will deliver a continuously updated landslide risk map, helping decision makers and residents take preventive actions and make evacuation plans.The system “need not be difficult or resource-intensive, especially when it builds on the community’s deep local knowledge and active involvement”, Tordesillas said.Asia suffered more climate and weather-related hazards than any other region in 2023, according to UN data, with floods and storms the most deadly and costly.And while two-thirds of the region have early warning systems for disasters in place, many other vulnerable countries have little coverage.In the last decade, Nepal has made progress on flood preparedness, installing 200 sirens along major rivers and actively involving communities in warning efforts.  The system has helped reduce flooding deaths, said Binod Parajuli, a flood expert with the government’s hydrology department.”However, we have not been able to do the same for landslides because predicting them is much more complicated,” he said.”Such technologies are absolutely necessary if Nepal wants to reduce its monsoon toll.”

Rights groups on Thursday urged Nepal to reverse a ban on the Telegram messaging app, calling the move a serious threat to freedom of expression and digital privacy.The Himalayan nation blocked access to the app on July 18, citing a rise in online fraud and money laundering.”The government’s ban is a serious human rights violation and a discriminatory decision,” said Taranath Dahal of Freedom Forum, a media freedom watchdog. “This shows the government can ban any platform without transparency, which is extremely concerning.”Freedom Forum was among more than two dozen organisations to release a statement demanding an “immediate” reversal of the ban.”The sudden, unlawful disruption has severely impacted journalists, human rights defenders, students, small businesses, and others who depend on the platform for essential day-to-day communication,” said a statement released by #KeepItOn, an international coalition of civil society organisations. Min Prasad Aryal, spokesperson for the Nepal Telecommunication Authority, confirmed the government’s directive.”We asked all internet service providers to block the app after receiving an order from the Prime Minister’s Office,” Aryal told AFP. In a statement sent to AFP, Telegram said it had “always responded to Nepal’s legal requests” and that it “actively moderates harmful content on its platform and removes cases of fraud and money laundering as soon as they are discovered, although we have not received any reports of this from Nepalese authorities”.Nepal has restricted access to popular online platforms in the past. In August last year, the government lifted a nine-month ban on TikTok after the platform’s South Asia division agreed to comply with Nepali regulations.Telegram, launched in 2013, is a cloud-based messaging app known for its privacy features and support for large group chats and broadcast channels. The app has an estimated billion users worldwide, but faces restrictions in some countries. Telegram’s Russian-born founder and chief executive Pavel Durov was briefly detained in France last year and questioned again this week about the platform’s alleged complicity in criminal activity.

India captain Shubman Gill ran himself out on Thursday’s opening day of the fifth and deciding Test against England as he closed in on Sunil Gavaskar’s national record for runs in a series.The tourists were 85-3 when rain stopped play for a second time at the Oval after being sent in to bat in a match India must win to square the series at 2-2.Gill, who has already scored four hundreds in a prolific debut campaign as captain, came in with India struggling on 38-2.At that stage, he needed just 53 more runs to overhaul Gavaskar’s mark for the most runs scored by an India batsman in a Test series of 774 — set by the “Little Master” against the West Indies in 1971.The 25-year-old Gill struck several elegant trademark drives and rarely looked in trouble, despite the overcast, bowler-friendly conditions that favoured England’s quicks.But on 21 he pushed the ball into the offside and set off for a single that was never on, with fast bowler Gus Atkinson, following through, throwing down the stumps at the striker’s end.Gill, halfway down the pitch, slipped as he tried to turn back to safety.The skipper could yet break Gavaskar’s record should India have a second innings. Sai Sudharsan was 28 not out when the rain came again, with Josh Tongue and Jamie Overton — two of England’s three recalled quicks along with Atkinson — too often wayward.Earlier, England took two wickets after Ollie Pope, leading the hosts in place of injured captain Ben Stokes, won the toss on his Surrey home ground.It was not long before Atkinson, a Surrey team-mate of Pope and one of four changes to the England team following last week’s drawn third Test at Old Trafford, had opener Yashasvi Jaiswal lbw for two on review.Veteran seamer Chris Woakes then had opener KL Rahul, who has scored more than 500 runs the series, playing on for 14 trying to cut a ball that was too close to him.A schedule of five Tests in less than seven weeks has taken its toll, with both England and India making four changes to their teams at the Oval.India left out paceman Jasprit Bumrah, who hurt his back earlier this year.Team bosses had previously announced the world’s top-ranked Test bowler would only feature in three games during the current series — a figure he reached in Manchester.