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A Pakistani who drowned along with 12 compatriots when a boat carrying dozens of migrants capsized off northwest Africa was buried in his hometown on Thursday.Each year thousands of Pakistanis pay large sums to traffickers to launch risky and illegal journeys to Europe, where they hope to find work and send funds to support families back home.Pakistanis are frequently among those drowned on crammed boats which sink on the Mediterranean Sea separating North Africa from Europe — the world’s deadliest migrant route.Islamabad’s foreign ministry this week said 13 of its citizens were among the dead recovered from a boat which went down in the Atlantic.Around 80 passengers were aboard the vessel, which left Mauritania and sailed north towards Spain’s Canary Islands before it capsized near the Western Sahara port of Dakhla, the ministry said on January 16.On Thursday the village of Mirza Virkan in eastern Punjab province buried Arslan Khan — one of four bodies from the shipwreck repatriated a day earlier.”We sent Arslan to build a better future, and the trafficker assured us that he would send him legally,” his 34-year-old brother Adnan Khan told AFP.”We sold our property and animals for Arslan’s future, but the trafficker betrayed us — he sent back our brother’s dead body.”Pakistan has one of the highest rates of emigration in the world, according to the United Nation’s International Organization for Migration.Many migrants depart from Punjab and the northeastern region of Pakistan administered Kashmir because their communities have historic ties to the country’s diaspora in Europe.An official from the Federal Investigation Agency, speaking anonymously to AFP in 2023, estimated Pakistanis attempt 40,000 illegal trips every year.In June that year the Mediterranean witnessed one of its worst migrant shipwrecks when a rusty and overloaded trawler sank overnight.It was carrying more than 750 people — up to 350 of them Pakistanis according to Islamabad — but only 82 bodies were ever recovered.burt-jts/

Debutant fast bowler Harshit Rana and spinner Ravindra Jadeja claimed three wickets each Thursday as India dismissed England for 248 in their first one-day international in Nagpur.India suffered an early blow with star batsman Virat Kohli out due to a sore right knee at the start of the three-match series.The ODIs come ahead of the Champions Trophy starting February 19 in Pakistan and Dubai.England opted to bat first on a hot and sunny afternoon, but lost regular wickets and were bowled out in 47.4 overs — despite skipper Jos Buttler’s 52, and 51 from Jacob Bethell.Pace spearhead Mohammed Shami started with a maiden before Phil Salt launched a brutal attack against Rana, hitting the bowler for three sixes and two fours in a 26-run sixth over.England lost their first wicket on 75 with a mid-pitch mix-up between Ben Duckett and Salt, who was run out for 43.Rana made a comeback after a stunning backward running catch from fellow debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal gave the bowler his first ODI wicket and the left-handed Duckett departed on 32.Rana struck again three balls later, with Harry Brook caught behind for a duck, edging a rising delivery to be caught by wicketkeeper KL Rahul.England slipped to 77-3 in 10 overs.Joe Root and Buttler attempted to rebuild with a 34-run stand, but Jadeja broke through with his left-arm spin.Jadeja trapped Root, who is playing his first ODI since the 2023 World Cup, lbw for 19.Buttler stood firm and put on 59 runs with the left-handed Bethell as the two batted patiently to wade through a disciplined attack.Buttler reached his fifty, but soon fell as he mistimed a pull and spooned a catch to Hardik Pandya at short-fine leg off Axar Patel.Wickets kept tumbling as Rana sent back Liam Livingstone, caught behind for five, and Shami bowled Brydon Carse for 10.Bethell reached his half century before Jadeja had him lbw.Number ten Jofra Archer added to the total with an unbeaten 21 off 18 balls but England, who lost the preceding T20 series 4-1, failed to play out their 50 overs.Brief scores: England 248 all out in 47.4 overs (P. Salt 43, J. Buttler 52, J. Bethell 51; H. Rana 3-53, R. Jadeja 3-26) v IndiaToss: England

Australia snared four wickets in the space of a chaotic hour to leave Sri Lanka reeling at 144-5 at tea on day one of the second Test in Galle on Thursday.Sri Lanka had looked to be in control at 93-1, putting behind them the loss of the first Test by an innings and 242 runs last week.But the cream of Sri Lanka’s batting order crumbled to hand the initiative to Australia.Dinesh Chandimal, Sri Lanka’s standout performer in the first Test amid the wreckage, was once again a rock in the middle, holding firm with an unbeaten 70.Playing the spinners with soft hands and nimble footwork, the former captain put on a masterclass in how to bat on a surface with plenty to offer for the slow bowlers.Chandimal was proactive, keeping the scoreboard ticking with sharp running between the wickets and dispatching loose deliveries with authority.His 70-run stand with Dimuth Karunaratne was steadying the ship when Nathan Lyon struck, breaking the partnership.Karunaratne — in his 100th and final Test — was slow to bring his bat down, dragging the ball onto the stumps and handing Australia a crucial breakthrough.The middle order offered little resistance.Angelo Mathews, normally the man for a crisis, played a rash stroke, chasing a wide delivery from Lyon.Kamindu Mendis then threw his wicket away, falling to part-timer Travis Head, with Steve Smith pouncing at slip.Skipper Dhananjaya de Silva produced the most baffling dismissal, attempting an extravagant square drive off Mitchell Starc’s first ball, only to be snapped up at gully.Kusal Mendis joined Chandimal in an attempt to rebuild, but with Australia attacking relentlessly and their spinners extracting turn and bounce, the damage was done.The afternoon collapse left Sri Lanka playing catch-up, with Australia in the driver’s seat.Sri Lanka made three changes to the side that slumped to their heaviest Test defeat in the series opener, bringing in Pathum Nissanka, Lahiru Kumara and Ramesh Mendis.Australia handed a debut to 21-year-old all-rounder Cooper Connolly, who can bat in the lower middle order and bowls left-arm spin. Off-spinner Todd Murphy was left out from the side that easily won the first Test.

A 64-run stand for the second wicket enabled Sri Lanka to reach 87-1 at lunch on the opening day of the second Test against Australia on Thursday.Dinesh Chandimal played fluently to be 35 not out at the break, with Dimuth Karunaratne digging for an unbeaten 34 in his 100th and final Test.The Sri Lankan second-wicket pair batted with better discipline than the side showed when losing the first Test by a record innings and 242 runs last week.After Dhananjaya de Silva won the toss and elected to bat first on a dry pitch, Australia threw the new ball to left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann alongside Mitchell Starc.However, it was veteran off-spinner Nathan Lyon who struck the only blow before lunch, sneaking one past Pathum Nissanka’s legs to bowl him for 11.Chandimal walked out with a steely resolve, taking charge of the innings with nimble footwork and rock-solid defence.The number three batsman used his feet brilliantly, dancing down the track to dispatch the spinners and take control of the session, striking two fours and a six.Karunaratne, playing his 100th and final Test, wasn’t in full flow and looked scratchy at times but did hit three fours in his 34.Sri Lanka made three changes to the side that slumped to their heaviest Test defeat in the series opener, bringing in Nissanka, Lahiru Kumara, and Ramesh Mendis, while leaving out Jeffrey Vandersay, Asitha Fernando, and Oshada Fernando.Australia handed a debut to 21-year-old all-rounder Cooper Connolly, who can bat in the lower middle order and bowls left-arm spin. Off-spinner Todd Murphy was left out from the side that won the first Test.

For millions of Hindu pilgrims at India’s millennia-old vast Kumbh Mela festival, the culmination of their journey is ritual bathing in the holy waters where sacred rivers meet.And for as long as anyone can remember, it has been generations of boatmen from the Nishad community who have provided the ferry service, rowing devotees to the holiest site at the confluence of rivers.”We bring the devotees to the holy place in our boat,” said 52-year-old boatman Chhote Lal Nishad, returning after taking six pilgrims out on the water at dawn in his narrow wooden boat.”We allow pilgrims to bathe with love and happiness and then return safely.”Nishad boatmen say they are the proud inheritors of an ancient profession, not only transporting pilgrims but narrating the significance of the waters and the religious history of the Kumbh Mela.With years of navigation experience, they often help rescue drowning bathers.Hindus believe that those who immerse themselves in the waters cleanse themselves of sin, breaking free from the cycle of rebirth and ultimately attaining salvation. Nishad boatmen row the pilgrims throughout the year, but trade surges during the Kumbh Mela, a six-week-long Hindu celebration of prayer and bathing, held every 12 years, which runs until February 26.Tens of millions of people are attending the festival in the north Indian city of Prayagraj.Viraj Nishad, 23, from the same community as Chhote Lal Nishad but no relation, is part of the new generation of rowers, carrying forward his father’s legacy.”It is because of us that devotees can visit the holy site and take a dip in the river,” he said with pride.- ‘Joy and experience’ -Normally, the boatmen take pilgrims to the heart of the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers, where Hindus believe the mythical Saraswati river also flows.But the authorities have this year barred the boatmen from the busiest areas during the festival for safety reasons.”The river is the only support for the Nishad community,” said Chhote Lal Nishad, who has been rowing pilgrims since he was a boy. “If there is no river we will die of hunger.””I had great hopes that I would be able to earn some money for the children,” he added. “That hope is shattered.”Organisers say the scale of the Kumbh Mela is that of a temporary country, boasting that as many as 400 million pilgrims are expected to attend.Last month, at least 30 people were killed and many more injured after a surging crowd spilled out of a police cordon and trampled bystanders.The boatmen are still taking pilgrims to holy bathing sites, but slightly away from the confluence thronged with crowds.They remain busy despite the restriction for many pilgrims say they prefer the traditional boats rather than larger modern crafts.”The wooden boat moves slowly, and the joy and experience… is something which you cannot feel in modern boats,” said Ajeet Kaur Prajapati, 60, from the capital Delhi.”The pleasure of eating food cooked by your mother is the same pleasure as travelling in a wooden boat,” she said.

Growing up in the rugged northern reaches of Pakistan, Anita Karim honed her combat skills fighting with three older brothers who pulled no punches.The bruising experience prepared her for a career in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) — blending Thai kickboxing, Japanese judo and wrestling — and she is now the nation’s pre-eminent woman fighter.”The village where I come from, they support women fighters,” she told AFP. “But when I started MMA, they had no awareness of this sport.””They said it’s a men’s game exclusively and a woman cannot do that one,” the 28-year-old said.Eight years ago she won the right to enter the ring, swiftly becoming Pakistan’s first internationally competing woman MMA fighter and appearing in Asia’s biggest promotion, ONE Championship.”Now misogynistic comments and criticisms have stopped,” she said at her gym in the capital Islamabad, where she trains without heating in the octagonal “cage” where fighters face off.It is unusual for women to take up sport in deeply conservative Pakistan, where it is often forbidden by families.But Karim’s native Gilgit-Baltistan region — where female modesty codes are more relaxed — has become an incubator for women’s sport.In October, two sisters from the region, Maliha and Maneesha Ali, brought back gold and bronze from a taekwondo competition in Indonesia.- ‘Arm collector’ – Karim’s brother Uloomi, who became her coach after being on the receiving end of her blows, said support began at home.”When she showed the commitment, the dedication, we knew that she was going to make it,” said the 33-year-old, standing in their family-owned gym.”We knew that she could take it and we did not have any issues with her training with any guy.”Surprisingly timid outside the ring, Karim is at the head of a cohort of Pakistani female MMA fighters — five from Gilgit-Baltistan, according to the regional government.”She’s shy, but when she enters the cage, it’s completely different,” said Uloomi, who has also competed in the sport.Her speciality is the armlock, deployed with an agonising all-body grip, which aims to force an opponent to “tap out” in submission  before bones are broken or joints wrecked.In 2022 she was pictured atop a podium in Pakistan with two opponents wearing slings on their injured arms — a performance that earned her the nickname “the arm collector”.”They could have tapped to stop the fight, but they didn’t, so I went through with it,” she said.- ‘Part of the game’ – In her hometown, Karim originally trained in taekwondo and jiu-jitsu before discovering MMA at high school in Islamabad — to the consternation of her community back home.”A lot of people close to me criticised me, but that’s part of the game. Now they know how it works,” she said.The message emanating from her hometown now is one of pride.”The way she has made the name of Gilgit-Baltistan and all of Pakistan shine on the international level, serves as a lesson,” said the regional government’s sports chief Shah Muhammad.After losing on her professional debut in 2018, where the referee refused to let her fight unless she raised her leggings above the knee, she moved to Thailand to train at an MMA academy.She now earns a living from competition prizes, modest government grants and coaching at her Islamabad gym. When she returns after competitions, small crowds gather to greet her at the airport and she is followed by a fledgling community of female fighters.They too want to turn professional in a nation where only one in five women have jobs, according to United Nations figures.”Anita is a role model for us,” said Bushra Ahmed, a few years Karim’s junior and out of breath as she trains alongside her, another woman and a dozen men.Karim also wants to “give Pakistani women confidence and self-defence techniques”, with over 80 percent having been victims of public harassment, according to the UN.Recently she “hit a man who was harassing me in a market in Islamabad,” Karim said”He left with his face stained with blood.”

Joe Root will play a “crucial role” in India on his ODI return and as they build up to the Champions Trophy this month, England captain Jos Buttler said Wednesday.The visitors went down 4-1 in the preceding T20 series and now face India in three ODI matches starting with Thursday’s opener in Nagpur.The 34-year-old Root, a top-order batsman and England’s former Test captain, last played an ODI at the 2023 World Cup in India and will now take field as England named their XI on the eve of the match.”He’ll bat number three,” Buttler told reporters of Root, who was not involved in the T20 series.”He’s one of the great players of the game, so in all the formats here he’s obviously been a vital part of ODI cricket for England for a long time,” he added.”I’m excited to see him in this sort of phase of his career where he’s done in the Tests, where he’s not had the captaincy, sort of back with that cheeky smile on his face and really enjoying his cricket… he’s got a crucial role for us.”The India matches come ahead of the Champions Trophy, the premier one-day tournament after the World Cup.It starts on February 19 and is hosted by Pakistan and Dubai.”Obviously the Champions Trophy is just around the corner so it’s great to play against the top side,” Buttler said.England are known for their aggressive brand of cricket with coach Brendon McCullum and Test skipper Ben Stokes adopting an attacking “Bazball” strategy even in the five-day format.McCullum is coaching England for the first time in white-ball cricket and wants to bring the same fearless approach.”If I look back at that World Cup, the two teams in the final were playing a really positive and aggressive round of cricket,” Buttler said of the 2023 one-day final, in which Australia beat hosts India.Buttler weighed in on the future of 50-over cricket, which has taken a hit because of the popularity of the T20 format.”It’s certainly been pushed a little bit towards the margins in the recent years,” said Buttler.”But I still believe if you talk to guys about winning a World Cup, they’d probably say a 50-over World Cup ahead of a T20 World Cup.”England XI: Phil Salt (wk), Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (capt), Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood.

India skipper Rohit Sharma on Wednesday insisted his recent Test struggles were just part of the “ups and downs” of a long career as he looks to rediscover his form in three one-day internationals against England.The two teams will begin the ODI series on Thursday in Nagpur with an eye on the upcoming 50-over Champions Trophy.Rohit and former captain Virat Kohli, who both retired from T20 internationals following India’s World Cup win in the shortest format last year, join the ODI set-up after India beat the visitors 4-1 in the preceding T20 series.Rohit and Kohli have been short on runs in Tests, with the captain scoring just 31 in three matches when India lost 3-1 in Australia.”This is a different format, different time,” the 37-year-old Rohit told reporters.”As cricketers there will be ups and downs and I have faced a lot in my career. This is nothing new to me. We know everyday is a fresh day, every series is a fresh series.”It’s important that I focus on what is coming up and what lies ahead for me, look to try and start this series on a high.”Both Rohit and Kohli, 36, have come under fire for their poor form, while youngsters Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube sparkled during the T20 series.Rohit averaged less than 25 with the bat in 14 Tests in 2024 — his lowest ever average for a calendar year.He left himself out for the final Test against Australia in Sydney, sparking speculation he could retire from the five-day game.”How is this relevant that I talk about my future plans sitting here where there are three ODIs and a Champions Trophy coming in?” he said.”The reports are going on for a number of years but I am not here to clarify those reports. My focus is on these games, we will see what happens afterwards.”Kohli himself managed an average of just 24.52 last year as part of a wider slump in the five-day game since 2019.He made his first appearance in domestic first-class cricket since 2012 for Delhi in an attempt to regain form last week but was dismissed for just six in his only innings.- Bumrah sidelined -Meanwhile, India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is racing against time to be fit for the Champions Trophy starting February 19 after he missed the final day’s play of the Sydney Test in Australia in January due to a back injury.Rohit said an update on his recovery and return will be available once a report on his scans is received in about two days.Mohammed Shami will lead India’s pace attack in the ODIs after recovering from a heel injury and participating in domestic cricket and the recent T20 series with mixed returns.”He has not played cricket for a year-and-a-half. Don’t be quick to judge players,” Rohit said of Shami.”He has been playing cricket for the last 10-12 years and performed for the team. He bowled so well in the World Cup (2023). If he doesn’t get the results in some domestic matches as expected then it doesn’t make him a bad bowler.”

Australia are on guard for a spin trap when the second and final Test gets underway in Galle on Thursday despite an unassailable lead in the series.Steve Smith’s men blew the hosts out of the water in the opening contest, winning by an innings and 242 runs -– the heaviest defeat Sri Lanka has suffered in Test cricket. That game — also played in Galle — was on a good batting deck, but the pitch for the second Test looks a different beast altogether.”This looks like a very dry surface. Dare say it’s going to turn square,” Smith told reporters on Wednesday. “We’re not naming a team just yet. We’ll take a call in the morning once we have a better read on the conditions.”Despite already bagging the Warne-Murali Trophy and a place in the World Test Championship final secured, Smith has no intention of taking the foot off the pedal and wants a sweep.”I thought we played really well last week, controlling the game from the outset. We didn’t do that last time we were here, so it would be a great achievement to win 2-0,” he said.- ‘Failed to kick on’ -Sri Lanka are expected to shuffle the pack for the second Test after the last bruising innings loss. Opening batsman Pathum Nissanka is set to return, having recovered from a groin injury, and will replace Oshada Fernando.Off-spinner Ramesh Mendis is likely to come back into the XI in place of Nishan Peiris, whose 41 wicketless overs leaked 189 runs in the first Test.”Pathum has been declared fit and he will play. But we haven’t finalised our bowling combination yet,” Sri Lanka skipper Dhananjaya de Silva said.De Silva admitted that Sri Lanka let themselves down with the bat in the opener. “It wasn’t the typical Galle wicket last time around. It was a disappointing Test match because we should have batted much better than that,” he said. “Too many guys got starts but failed to kick on. We know where things went wrong, and we’re looking to correct those mistakes.”Sri Lanka will also be playing for one of their finest openers, Dimuth Karunaratne, who is set to retire after what will be his 100th Test appearance.”Dimuth has been a fabulous leader and an exceptional player,” de Silva said. “He has done some amazing things for the team and, without a doubt, ranks as the best opening batter Sri Lanka has ever produced. We want to give him a fitting farewell.”SquadsAustralia: Steve Smith (capt), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Cooper Connolly, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Nathan McSweeney, Todd Murphy, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster.Sri Lanka: Dhananjaya de Silva (capt), Dimuth Karunaratne, Oshada Fernando, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Kamindu Mendis, Kusal Mendis (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Prabath Jayasuriya, Jeffrey Vandersay, Nishan Peiris, Asitha Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Milan Rathnayake.

Health workers are braving freezing temperatures this week to administer polio vaccinations in Pakistan-administered Kashmir after cases surged nationwide last year.Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan are the only countries where polio is endemic, and militants have for decades targeted vaccination teams and their security escorts.A police officer guarding polio vaccinators in the northwest was shot dead by militants on Monday, the first day of the annual campaign that is due to last a week.In Kashmir, health worker Manzoor Ahmad trudged up snowy mountains as temperatures dipped to minus six degrees Celsius (21 degrees Fahrenheit) to administer polio vaccinations in the region. “It is a mountainous, hard area… we arrive here for polio vaccination despite the three feet of snowfall,” Ahmad, who heads the polio campaign in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, told AFP.- Huge risk -Social worker Mehnaz, who goes by one name and has been helping the vaccinators since 2018, said the difficult climate poses a huge risk to the vaccination teams.”We have no monthly salary… we come here to give polio shots to the children despite the glaciers and avalanches,” she told AFP.”We risk our lives and leave our children at home.”The challenge is larger this year for the country with a population of 240 million, after it recorded at least 73 polio cases in 2024 — a sharp increase from just six cases the year before.Health workers aim to vaccinate approximately 1,700 children within a week in the town of Surgan, around 150 kilometres (90 miles) north of Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir.”Our target is to give polio shots to 750,000 children below the age of five. There are 4,000 polio teams that visit house-to-house,” Ahmad said.”There have been no polio cases in Kashmir for the last 24 years,” he added with pride.Polio can easily be prevented by an oral vaccine, but in the past some Islamic religious leaders have falsely claimed that the vaccine contains pork or alcohol, declaring it forbidden for Muslims to consume.