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More than 40 construction workers were missing after an avalanche in India’s Himalayan state of Uttarakhand on Friday following heavy snowfall, officials said.Rescue teams dug for hours through heavy snow, Ridhim Agarwal of the state disaster relief force said in a statement, adding: “So far, 15 workers are safe while 42 are missing.”The avalanche hit a construction camp in Chamoli district, burying the workers under snow and debris. As soon as the weather conditions improve, high-altitude rescue teams will be deployed by helicopter to the scene, she added.Deepam Seth, the state’s top police officer, said the bad weather was hampering the rescue operations.”It has been snowing with strong winds… The roads are completely blocked. We have deployed snow cutters to open the road,” he told broadcaster NDTV.Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said he was “saddened” by the incident and was monitoring the rescue operations.Avalanches and landslides are common in the upper reaches of the Himalayas, especially during the winter season.Scientists have shown that climate change spurred by humans burning fossil fuels is making weather events more severe, super-charged by warmer oceans.The increased pace of development in the fragile Himalayan regions has also heightened fears about the fallout from deforestation and construction.In 2021, nearly 100 people died in Uttarakhand after a huge glacier chunk fell into a river, triggering flash floods.And devastating monsoon floods and landslides in 2013 killed 6,000 people and led to calls for a review of development projects in the state.

A suicide attack at an Islamic religious school in Pakistan known as the “University of Jihad” — where key Taliban leaders have studied — killed four people on Friday, police said. Among those who died was Hamid ul Haq Haqqani, the head of the Dar-ul-Uloom Haqqania school, in Akora Khattak, about 60 kilometres (35 miles) east of Peshawar.”Initial reports suggest the blast occurred after Friday prayers as people were gathering to greet Hamid ul Haq. It appears to be a suicide attack,” Abdul Rasheed, the district police chief, told AFP, adding that four people were killed and 13 wounded in the blast.Rasheed said that Haqqani, the head of a local rightwing Islamist party, appeared to be the target of the bomber.He was the son of Sami ul Haq Haqqani, who was assassinated in 2018 and known as the “father of the Taliban” for teaching the insurgent group’s founder Mullah Omar at the same religious school.The explosion happened as people gathered for weekly Friday prayers, the most important day of the week.The sprawling campus in Pakistan’s Akora Khattak is home to roughly 4,000 students who are fed, clothed and educated for free.It became known as the “University of Jihad” for its fiery ideology and the number of Taliban fighters it has produced.Omar, who led an insurgency against the United States and NATO troops in Afghanistan before his death in 2013, graduated from the school along with Jalaluddin Haqqani, the founder of the feared Haqqani network which took its name from the school. The Haqqani network is responsible for some of the worst attacks in Afghanistan.Jalaluddin Haqqani was the father of Sirajuddin Haqqani, the current interior minister for the Taliban government in Afghanistan, himself also a student of the school.Abdul Mateen Qani, the spokesman for the interior ministry in Kabul, said the government “strongly condemn the attack” and blamed it on the jihadist Islamic State group. IS, a rival of the Taliban movement but with which it shares a similar hardline Islamic ideology, has been responsible for several attacks against the Taliban government since it retook power in 2021.No group has yet claimed the bombing. – Incubators for militancy -The school has sat at the crossroads of regional militant violence for years, educating many Pakistanis and Afghan refugees — some of whom returned home to wage war against the Russians and Americans or preach jihad.For decades, Pakistani madrassas have served as incubators for militancy, indoctrinating tens of thousands of refugees who have few other options for education than the fire-breathing lectures from hardline clerics. Rather than crack down on the institutions, successive governments in Islamabad — which rely on the support of Islamist parties in coalition governments — have largely given the madrassas a free hand.The Taliban surged back to power in Kabul in August 2021 after foreign forces withdrew and the former government collapsed. Militancy has since rebounded in the border regions with Afghanistan.Last year was the deadliest in a decade for Pakistan, with a surge in attacks that killed more than 1,600 people, according to Islamabad-based analysis group the Center for Research and Security Studies.Islamabad accuses Kabul’s rulers of failing to root out militants sheltering on Afghan soil as they prepare to stage assaults on Pakistan, a charge the Taliban government denies.

The United States issued a security alert to its citizens in Thailand on Friday, warning of the possible risk of reprisal attacks after the kingdom deported dozens of Uyghurs to China.The Thai government has suffered intense criticism from around the world for its decision to hand over at least 40 Uyghurs, who were flown by special plane to China’s northwestern Xinjiang region on Thursday.Beijing is accused of committing human rights abuses in Xinjiang, including the incarceration of around one million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities. It denies the allegations.The bulletin from the US embassy in Bangkok noted that the last deportation of Uyghurs from Thailand in 2015 was followed by a bomb attack on a shrine in the Thai capital that killed at least 20 people.US citizens should “exercise increased caution and vigilance, especially in crowded locations frequented by tourists due to the potential for increased collateral risk”, the warning said.”Similar deportations have prompted violent retaliatory attacks in the past,” it added.The Uyghurs had spent years languishing in Thai detention facilities after fleeing China more than a decade ago.Thailand, which forcibly deported 109 Uyghurs to China in 2015, had repeatedly denied the existence of plans for a new round of deportations.But rights groups warned in recent weeks that Bangkok was preparing to deport a group of 48, and early on Thursday they were put onto a flight to Kashgar.The exact number returned is not clear. China said 40, the US embassy statement said 45 and rights groups have given a figure of 48.- Condemnation -US Secretary of State Marco Rubio slammed Thailand — a longstanding ally — on Thursday “in the strongest possible terms”.Germany, Britain, the United Nations and the European Union all joined the international chorus of disapproval.But Thailand has defended its decision, saying China assured that the Uyghurs would be well treated.Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who recently held talks in Beijing with President Xi Jinping, insisted the Uyghurs’ return was not part of any trade bargain.”There have been no trade talks related to the repatriation of Uyghurs at all. There are none. These issues are unrelated,” she told reporters on Friday.”I had confidence that once they were returned, China would take good care of this group of people.”Rights groups and Uyghurs overseas allege that China has detained more than a million Muslims, mostly Uyghurs, in a network of facilities in Xinjiang that are rife with violence, torture, forced labour, political indoctrination and other abuses.China vehemently denies the accusations, saying its policies in Xinjiang have eradicated extremism and boosted development, and that the facilities were voluntarily attended training centres that closed years ago after attendees “graduated”.

Champions Trophy fever in Pakistan has plummeted after the hosts crashed out of the first major cricket event in the country in three decades without winning a game.”It feels like attending a wedding where you don’t know the bride or groom,” said Kashan Khan, a medical student who watched Pakistan get beaten by New Zealand by 60 runs in the opening match in Karachi last week.The defending champions then lost to great rivals India by six wickets to seal their fate, before their dead-rubber last group game against Bangladesh on Thursday was washed out.”Pakistan’s poor performance has drained my enthusiasm. I don’t care about watching other teams now,” added Khan.Pakistan’s failure to advance beyond the group phase or even win a game was a huge letdown in a country that has been gradually returning to hosting international teams after years of militancy saw it marked as a no-go zone. Security in cities has vastly improved in recent years, including in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi, where the matches are being held.But disheartened fans have begun abandoning the tournament.Outside Rawalpindi Stadium ticket-holders were seen trying to sell their unwanted seats ahead of Pakistan’s match against Bangladesh, but there were no takers.”I had three tickets but no one wanted to buy them,” said Farooq Ali.”I even tried giving them away for free, but my friends weren’t interested.”For many, the final on March 9 holds little appeal, particularly given its location is still undecided. Arch-rivals India, with which Pakistan has fought several wars, refused to visit its neighbour and are playing all their matches in Dubai. In painful contrast to Pakistan’s woes, India are into the semi-finals and if they reach the title decider, the final will be moved from Lahore to Dubai. “If Pakistan isn’t playing in it, why should we care?” asked Amna Mashadi, who watched the tournament on television. – Revenue losses -Pakistan’s latest flop dealt a severe blow not just to supporters, but also to the financial ecosystem surrounding the eight-nation event. With Pakistan out, TV viewership has nose-dived, advertising revenues have shrunk and sponsors are demanding reductions in their campaign costs. Pakistan’s stated-owned PTV and Ten Sports bought the joint broadcast shares of the 15 matches, each paying 1.2 billion rupees ($4.25 million).Sources with knowledge of the broadcast deal told AFP that the two broadcasters have already lost close to 180 million rupees in two rained off matches in Rawalpindi.Broadcasters are bracing for losses as they search for takers for the usually prime advertising spots in the semi-finals and final.”Sports advertising is always a gamble,” said a senior employee at a Pakistani company, one of the tournament’s top advertisers.”Sponsorship deals cover the whole tournament, so pulling out isn’t an option.”But when the national team exits early, consumers go away and the sale of the product suffers.”Shopkeeper Mohammad Rizwan — he coincidentally has the same name as the Pakistan captain — had anticipated selling 60,000 cricket shirts of the home team. Instead he only sold about a third of that.”The demand for Pakistan shirts was overwhelming and in the week leading up to the event, I doubled my order,” Rizwan told AFP.”But as soon as the team started losing, the demand plummeted. Now, I have huge unsold stock in my warehouse.”It’s a massive loss.”- Fears for future? -Renowned television and film actor Adnan Siddiqui fears that Pakistan’s underwhelming performance might push young fans away from the sport altogether. “I grew up watching cricket late at night or early in the morning,” Siddiqui told AFP.”But after these defeats, my son has lost interest completely. The real loss here is of the next generation of players and fans.” Siddiqui flew to watch the India-Pakistan match in Dubai on Sunday and returned heartbroken.”We used to beat India frequently but now they are well ahead of us in terms of skill and bravery. Our team looked scared.”Despite the gloom some remain hopeful. “This is a low point but the sun will rise again,” said Khalil Khan, a club-level cricket coach in Karachi. “Cricket is the only sport that puts Pakistan on the global map and I’m sure our team will bring joy again in the future.” 

Militia fighters from rival ethnic groups in India’s conflict-torn Manipur have surrendered scores of guns and other gear looted from security forces, police said Friday, days after the state was placed under New Delhi’s direct rule.Manipur has been split along ethnic lines since the outbreak of deadly violence between the predominantly Hindu Meitei majority and the mainly Christian Kuki community in May 2023.At least 260 people have been killed and tens of thousands have fled their homes in the northeastern state along India’s border with war-torn Myanmar.  The state’s chief minister, N Biren Singh, from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, resigned this month after criticism that his government had not done enough to quell the violence.Community groups welcomed his resignation and the subsequent imposition of direct rule by New Delhi, hoping it would end mutual suspicions and allegations by the rival ethnic groups of favouritism by the state authorities.The Manipur police, in a series of posts on X on Friday, shared photos of hand grenades, pistols, rifles, helmets, bulletproof jackets and ammunition surrendered by ethnic militias from across the state.At least 307 weapons were handed over in the last week, police said in a statement.The “request for the surrender of looted and illegally held weapons and ammunition has yielded a positive response”, it added.”Such voluntary surrender of weapons will significantly help in restoring peace, communal harmony and lawfulness in the state of Manipur.”Those who gave up weapons would not be criminally charged, police said.Long-standing tensions between the Meitei and Kuki communities revolve around competition for land and public jobs. Rights activists have accused local leaders of exacerbating ethnic divisions for political gain.Internet services were shut down for months in Manipur during the outbreak of violence, which displaced around 60,000 people from their homes, according to government figures.Thousands of the state’s residents have still not returned home due to ongoing tensions.

The EU’s top team arrived in India on an “unprecedented” visit Thursday, aiming to broaden commercial and diplomatic ties and hedge against souring relations with the United States.EU chief Ursula von der Leyen and her college of commissioners are to hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist government in New Delhi during the two-day trip.”In this era of conflicts and intense competition, you need trusted friends,” Von der Leyen posted on X after landing in New Delhi.”For Europe, India is such a friend and a strategic ally. I will discuss with Narendra Modi how to take our strategic partnership to the next level,” she added.The delegation is expected to focus on higher trade with the world’s most populous country, lower tariffs to enter its rapidly expanding market, and resilient supply chains with an eye on the Asia-Pacific and China’s growing regional profile.Von der Leyen began her trip by paying her respects to the revered Indian independence hero Mahatma Gandhi at New Delhi’s Raj Ghat memorial before meeting with the foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.She is scheduled to meet Modi on Friday to discuss topics ranging from artificial intelligence to energy.”We aim to advance discussions on a free trade agreement, expand cooperation on digital technologies, particularly AI, and accelerate our work on clean technologies like electric vehicles and green hydrogen,” she said in a Times of India interview.Almost all of the EU’s 26 commissioners are joining von der Leyen in what the EU chief is billing as the first visit of its kind to the South Asian giant — and the first outside Europe for the new college that took office in December.Brussels has been working to broaden its horizons since US President Donald Trump won back the White House in November and undercut European allies by launching Ukraine talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin. India has long pursued a policy of strategic autonomy in foreign affairs.Historically close to Russia, its traditional supplier of military hardware, it has resisted Western pressure to distance itself from Moscow following its invasion of Ukraine.The visit “will send the message that Europe is shoring up other partners, including India, as much as they focus on the task of resetting EU-India ties”, The Hindu newspaper reported.- ‘Finish line’ -The EU is India’s largest trading partner, accounting for 124 billion euros ($130 billion) worth of trade in goods in 2023 — more than 12 percent of total Indian trade, according to Brussels.India’s expanding market offers key opportunities for sectors ranging from defence to agriculture, cars and clean energy. Yet, protected by high tariffs, it currently accounts for only 2.2 percent of EU trade in goods.Negotiations for a trade deal could get a boost from a White House bent on slapping tariffs on friends and foes alike.”We are now preparing for a 10th round of negotiations in Brussels,” von der Leyen said in the interview.”There is more work to be done at a technical level, but I’m convinced we can cross the finish line if we both commit to it”.The EU wants greater access to the Indian market for its cars, spirits and wines — all contentious subjects with a strong domestic lobby on both sides.New Delhi meanwhile sees complementarity with the EU in areas including clean energy, urban infrastructure and water management.”They have the technology and competency — and we have the scale,” an Indian foreign ministry official said Thursday. India has long pushed the EU for higher investments, co-ventures with local partners and more streamlined migration for its skilled workforce of IT professionals, engineers and healthcare workers.

The EU’s top team arrived in India on an “unprecedented” visit Thursday, aiming to broaden commercial and diplomatic ties and hedge against souring relations with the United States.EU chief Ursula von der Leyen and her college of commissioners are to hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist government in New Delhi during the two-day trip.”In this era of multiplying conflicts and intense geostrategic competition, Europe wants to strengthen its partnership with India, one of its most trusted friends,” Von der Leyen said in an interview printed in the Times of India on Thursday.”There is a great, positive momentum in our relations. Together, we can drive forward trade, economic security, and resilient supply chains.”Von der Leyen is expected to meet with India’s foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Thursday, before meeting Modi on Friday, with a raft of topics from artificial intelligence to energy to be discussed.”We aim to advance discussions on a free trade agreement, expand cooperation on digital technologies, particularly AI, and accelerate our work on clean technologies like electric vehicles and green hydrogen”, she added.Almost all of the EU’s 26 commissioners are to join von der Leyen in what the EU chief is billing as the first visit of its kind to the South Asian giant — and the first outside Europe for the new college that took office in December.Brussels has been working to broaden its horizons since US President Donald Trump won back the White House in November and undercut European allies by launching Ukraine talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin. India has long pursued a policy of strategic autonomy in foreign affairs.Historically close to Russia, its traditional supplier of military hardware, it has resisted Western pressure to distance itself from Moscow following its invasion of Ukraine.The visit “will send the message that Europe is shoring up other partners, including India, as much as they focus on the task of resetting EU-India ties”, The Hindu newspaper reported.- ‘Finish line’ -The EU is India’s largest trading partner, accounting for 124 billion euros ($130 billion) worth of trade in goods in 2023 — more than 12 percent of total Indian trade, according to the EU.India’s expanding market offers key opportunities for sectors ranging from defence to agriculture, automobiles and clean energy. Yet, protected by high tariffs, it currently accounts for only 2.2 percent of EU trade in goods.Negotiations for a trade deal could get a boost from a White House bent on slapping tariffs on friends and foes alike.”We are now preparing for a 10th round of negotiations in Brussels,” von der Leyen said in the interview.”There is more work to be done at a technical level, but I’m convinced we can cross the finish line if we both commit to it”.The EU team is also expected to pay their respects to revered Indian independence hero Mahatma Gandhi at the Raj Ghat memorial.The site, one of the most hallowed spaces in the capital New Delhi, is where the apostle of non-violence was cremated in January 1948 after he was shot by a Hindu nationalist ideologue.

Hundreds of exhausted young men lie in an open-sided detention centre in a seedy Myanmar border town, sweating through thick tropical heat by day and prey to clouds of mosquitoes by night.They are among some 7,000 people from more than two dozen countries released from scam compounds who are now enduring a gruelling wait to be sent home through Thailand.Conditions in the overcrowded temporary camp visited by AFP in the town of Myawaddy, near the Thai border, were squalid and those held there were begging to leave.”It’s really no good,” one 18-year-old Malaysian man told AFP, saying the toilets and showers were so dirty they were unusable.”I hope I can contact my parents quickly so I can go.”A Chinese detainee who gave his family name as Wang said he was “very happy” at the prospect of getting out.”I can finally escape this hell… China is the safest,” he said.- ‘Help me, help me, help me’ – Scam centres have sprung up in Myanmar’s lawless border areas in recent years as part of a criminal industry worth billions of dollars a year.Thousands of foreign workers staff the centres, trawling social media for victims to fleece, often through romance or investment cons.Many workers say they were trafficked or tricked into taking the work and suffer beatings and abuse, though the government in China — where most come from — regards them as criminal suspects.Under heavy pressure from Beijing, Myanmar’s junta and allied militias have taken action to curb the centres.The “crackdown” has so far involved armed uniformed men coming to the sites and asking for volunteers to leave and go home, several freed workers told AFP in Myawaddy.But processing the workers for repatriation has been slow, leaving them trapped in limbo, smoking and playing cards to pass the time in the detention facility, which has a roof but no walls to keep the elements and insects out.Many had their passports confiscated by scam centre bosses, and those AFP spoke to said their mobile phones were taken away.An Indian man who said he was tricked into working in the scam centres after applying for a data entry job in Thailand, told AFP he had contacted his embassy in Bangkok several times.He begged them “help me, help me, help me. But no one helps me,” he said.”The feeling is not good because we are in trouble right now.”Myanmar’s raging civil war has complicated efforts to tackle the scam compounds, as most are in areas outside the ruling junta’s control.The Karen Border Guard Force (BGF), an independent militia allied to the junta, controls two of the most notorious scam towns, Myawaddy and Shwe Kokko.The BGF released thousands from illegal scam compounds last week and wants to swiftly deport them to neighbouring Thailand for repatriation, saying it is struggling to cope with looking after so many people.”People have to stay in cramped conditions,” said its spokesman Naing Maung Zaw.”We have to cook three meals to feed thousands of people and arrange their healthcare,” he said, adding he was worried about a possible outbreak of contagious diseases.- Struggling to cope – The United Nations estimates that as many as 120,000 people — many of them Chinese men — may be working in Myanmar scam centres against their will.Gangs that run the compounds lure people with promises of high-paying jobs, then force them to defraud people from around the world or face severe punishment and abuse.The sites on the Thai-Myanmar border vary in how they treat their staff, analysts say, and Thai officials have claimed that a majority of workers go there intentionally.Victims released from smaller compounds claim that as a more sophisticated operation, Shwe Kokko — one of the area’s biggest scam hubs — draws more people who willingly go there to commit fraud.But “not everyone living in Shwe Kokko is a criminal,” Naing Maung Zaw said.A Chinese man surnamed Shen denied allegations that the scam centre workers had travelled to Myanmar intentionally, saying he had been tricked and forced.”If I did it voluntarily, I would take all legal responsibilities,” he said.But so far China has treated all returning detainees — 600 were sent back last week — as suspects, with state TV showing them marched off the plane in handcuffs by police on their return home.Thailand, Myanmar and China are expected to hold three-way talks in the coming weeks to arrange logistics for further repatriations, with Thailand saying it is working with over a dozen foreign embassies.One of 14 detained Pakistani men who hoped to return before Ramadan said he felt abandoned by authorities after hearing of other repatriations.”We know we’re safe now. But it’s been eight days. So why can’t we go to Thailand now?” he told AFP.Stretched for resources to look after the hundreds of foreigners in their charge, Naing Maung Zaw pleaded to foreign embassies to “come and take your nationals … They want to go home.” 

Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi on Thursday targeted another big scalp in the form of Australia after knocking England out of the Champions Trophy, with a semi-final spot the prize.The Champions Trophy debutants sent England crashing out of the 50-over tournament with a thrilling eight-run victory in Lahore on Wednesday.Afghanistan similarly stunned then holders England at the 2023 World Cup in India.Next they play world champions Australia at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Friday in their final group match and must win to reach the last four of the eight-nation tournament.”Obviously a win like this boosts every team’s confidence and strengthens them,” Shahidi said after Afghanistan sent England packing.”Our morale has increased even more.”The skipper added: “The upcoming match will be crucial for both teams in the race for the semi-finals. “Australia is a tough and good team. I have said this in previous conferences as well — that we came here to play good cricket.”We will try to play a positive game. Just like we defeated England today, we hope to beat Australia as well.”We won’t put that pressure on ourselves by thinking too much about the semi-final qualification.”Rain is forecast in Lahore but even a washout will keep Afghanistan in contention of reaching the semi-finals, but they will then have to depend on other results or net run-rate.- Zadran sparkles -Afghanistan, a growing force in white-ball cricket, and Australia have played four ODIs previously with the Australians winning all of them.At the 2023 World Cup, Afghanistan had Australia on the ropes at 91-7 when a cramping Glenn Maxwell hammered an unbeaten 201 to pull off victory in hot and humid Mumbai.Afghanistan roared back to beat Australia at last year’s T20 World Cup and they reached the semi-finals in a landmark achievement.Asked about the threat that the big-hitting all-rounder Maxwell poses, Shahidi said: “I know that he played really well in the 2023 World Cup, but that’s part of history.”Afghanistan suffered a 107-run hammering to South Africa in their Champions Trophy opener last week but bounced back to post 325-7 against England.Ibrahim Zadran smashed 177, the highest individual innings in Champions Trophy history, after Afghanistan chose to bat and were struggling on a precarious 37-3.In reply, England were all out for 317 to suffer their second straight defeat.The 23-year-old Zadran, who scored 17 against South Africa, is back in action after a long lay-off following ankle surgery.”Even though he was away from cricket for six months, it’s never easy for a player to return from injury and make such a strong comeback in a high-stakes match,” said Shahidi.”I am extremely happy for him because he is a very talented and hard-working player.”

As a fixture of India’s burgeoning craft beer scene, Varsha Bhat is a rarity twice over: first as a woman who brews alcohol, and second as a woman who drinks it.Bhat is staking a claim to a male-dominated industry in a country where social mores compel most women to stay teetotal. The 38-year-old had for years weathered barbs from male peers questioning whether she had the muscles to carry hefty bags of hops or was calm enough to deal with the job’s pressures.But after a decade in the industry she has risen to become head brewer at one of Bengaluru’s most popular pubs, catering for the city’s moneyed young tech workers.”There’s nothing a woman can’t do that a man can… from recipe development, to the physical work, to managing a team,” Bhat told AFP.”We’ve taken that step to come forward and say that we can do it,” she added. “There was a stigma… we’re breaking those stereotypes and barriers.” Bengaluru has long been renowned for a more liberal drinking culture than the rest of India — a country where 99 percent of women do not drink, according to government figures.Its signature tech industry employs a young and highly educated workforce drawn from elite universities, often arriving without established social connections to the city.That provides a roaring trade to Bengaluru’s thriving craft beer bars, with in-house breweries employing hundreds and a clientele both eager to meet new people and ready to burn money.The city’s workforce is an anomaly in a country where, according to official statistics, only 25 percent of working-age women are formally employed.By comparison, they account for nearly 40 percent of those working at Bengaluru’s tech firms — a testament to the city’s ability to draw ambitious women from elsewhere in India, large numbers of whom are seen chatting raucously with friends in bars after hours.- ‘Role model’ -Among them is Lynette Pires, 32, who moved to Bengaluru to work as a pharmaceutical researcher but quickly found herself drawn to the brewing business.Her path to becoming the brewer at a burgeoning outdoor beer garden in the city’s south forced her to assert herself over male colleagues who refused to take her seriously.”Standing there in mostly a male-dominated room and trying to get your opinion across or trying to get them to listen… you have to learn how to overcome that and move past it,” she told AFP. Four years ago she founded the Women Brewers Collective which, along with more than a dozen other women working in the city’s brewpubs, aims to smooth the path for those who come next. “I definitely want to be a role model for other women brewers,” Pires said. “That’s what it’s all about — to inspire and help develop other women who are entering the industry.”- ‘Bitter men, bitter beer’ -While Bhat and Pires are trailblazers in their own city, women have been the pillars of the brewing industry since ancient times.The first recorded beer recipe is thought to have been written on a piece of clay in 1800 BC as an ode to Ninkasi, the Sumerian goddess of beer.Around the same time in Mesopotamia, the Code of Hammurabi, among the earliest known laws, referred to female tavern owners. Given this history, it was “crazy and a little immature and ignorant when people say it’s a man’s drink”, Girija Chatty, host of a podcast about India’s beer industry, told AFP. Drinking is often frowned upon in India, with independence leader Mahatma Gandhi one of the most strident voices in favour of temperance and abolition.India’s 1949 constitution enjoins the government to ban drinking except for “medicinal purposes”, a clause largely ignored except for prohibitions imposed in some states.Even among the small minority of Indians who do drink, the divide between the sexes is stark — nearly 15 times as many men as women imbibe, according to a government health survey published in 2022. Among the small number of women who frequent bars, that divide and its attendant social expectations are still easy to spot. Chatty cites the regular instance of waiters reflexively handing the drinks menu to any man seated at the table — rather than the woman who asked for it in the first place.”If women can handle bitter men,” she joked, “they can very well handle bitter beer.”