AFP Asia

Mohammad Naseem says his neighbours laughed when he borrowed money and built a concrete bunker under his home in a village near the disputed Kashmir border.But this week when mortar bombs rained in Salamabad, 38 people — men, women, and children — huddled in it as about a dozen shells exploded outside in quick succession.One of them destroyed Naseem’s home.”Many of us would have died had we not moved into the bunker,” Naseem, a 34-year-old hotel chef, told AFP.”We grabbed our children and rushed inside. It got so packed that after some time we felt suffocated, two of our children became unconscious,” he said.”The children had to be hospitalised after daybreak when the shelling stopped.”Other villagers hid behind rocks and bushes on the mountain slopes. Some watched their homes being reduced to rubble.Deadly confrontations between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan erupted after New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing an April 22 attack on tourists on the Indian-run side of the disputed territory, which killed 26 people. Pakistan denies the charge.- ‘Our life is worth nothing’ -“We took our children out and went up the mountain slope holding them tightly as bombs exploded around us,” Naseer Ahmed Khan, 50, said outside his damaged house on Thursday.”Our life is worth nothing. At any time entire families could be wiped out,” Khan said. “Our children are not able to sleep and we cannot have a meal in peace.”The exchange of heavy fire has destroyed or severely damaged dozens of homes in Uri, about 100 kilometres (66 miles) from the Kashmir capital Srinagar, forcing many to flee to safer areas in towns like Baramulla, about 50 kilometres away.Sajjad Shafi, a local lawmaker told AFP that about 10 percent of Uri’s population — some 22,000 people — fled since the latest fighting began.On Friday, many more were fleeing in buses and trucks provided by the government or driving off in their own cars.”How can we stay here?” Rubina Begum said outside her destroyed home. “The government should lodge us somewhere safe”.Begum’s daughter, Saima Talib, added: “We have nothing left except the clothes we are wearing”.Displaced people are struggling to find food and work and many are now sheltering in government buildings in Uri.- ‘Return empty’ -Mohammad Lateef Bhat, a road construction worker, said: “I work as a labourer with army’s border roads organisation but their work also stopped.””This morning I came to the market looking for work but there is nothing,” Bhat said.Some vegetable sellers briefly set up shop before closing.Mohammad Bashir was also despondent.”I came to the market to find some work so I can buy some food for my family (of eight) but there is nothing,” Bashir, 60, said.  The death toll from India and Pakistan’s biggest clashes in decades passed 50 on Friday with each accusing the other of staging drone attacks in waves.Farooq Ahmed Khan, 35, a bus driver from Sultandhaki village near the border, said “this fighting has made our life miserable.”Nagni, a rare mixed settlement of Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs, sits on mountain slopes near the Indian army’s border headquarters in Uri.Villagers say 35 of the 50 families there have fled. Badal, a 22-year-old student who only gave his first name, was cleaning up after his sister’s wedding at his freshly painted home.- ‘There should be war’ -He showed a crater caused by a mortar bomb that landed a few metres away on the night of the wedding. “Luckily there was no loss of life but a lot of damage. What we need.. is bunkers, but there are none”. “This village has always been a target of Pakistani attacks in the past because the (Indian) army headquarters are nearby,” said Sahil Kumar, another Nagni resident. Locals say they are fed up.”I say there should be a war just to decide where Kashmir goes,” said Farooq Ahmed Khan, the bus driver. “I will also go to fight in that war so that this trouble ends for good,” Khan said.

The death toll from India and Pakistan’s biggest clashes in decades passed 50 on Friday with each country accusing the other of sending waves of drone attacks.The escalation between the nuclear-armed rivals follows an attack on tourists in the Indian-run part of disputed Kashmir that killed 26 people on April 22 and Indian air strikes on “terrorist camps” on Wednesday.In the third day of tit-for-tat exchanges since, the Indian army that it “repulsed” Pakistani attacks using drones and other munitions overnight and gave a “befitting reply”.India also accused Pakistani forces on Thursday of targeting three military stations — two in Kashmir and one in the neighbouring state of Punjab.Pakistan’s Information Minister Ataullah Tarar said Pakistan has “not targeted any locations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir, or across international border, so far”. Five civilians were killed including a two-year-old girl by Indian shelling overnight in areas along the heavily militarised Line of Control, Pakistani security and governments officials said. “In response, the Pakistan Army carried out a strong counterattack, targeting three Indian posts across the Line of Control (LoC),” police official Adeel Khan, based in Kotli district where four of the deaths occurred, told AFP.Pakistani military sources said that its military had shot down 77 Indian drones in the last two days, claiming they were Israeli-made.In Indian-administered Kashmir, a police official said one woman died after heavy overnight shelling in Uri, some 100 kilometres (60 miles) from the state capital Srinagar, and two men were wounded.”The youth of Kashmir will never forget this act of brutality by India,” said 15-year-old Muhammad Bilal in Muzaffarabad, the main city in Pakistan-administered Kashmir where a mosque was hit in Wednesday’s strikes.In Indian-administered Jammu, Piyush Singh, a 21-year-old student, said: “Our [attack] is justified because we are doing it for whatever happened to our civilians.”- Schools closed -India and Pakistan have fought several wars over Kashmir which has been split since 1947 when British colonial rule ended and which both countries claim in full.Pakistan has rejected claims by India’s government that it was behind last month’s attack, calling for an independent investigation.Pakistani authorities insist they have the right to retaliate to India’s initial strikes. In a late Wednesday TV address to the nation, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif warned they would “avenge” those killed by Indian air strikes.On Friday schools were closed on both sides of the Pakistan and Indian border in Kashmir and Punjab, affecting tens of millions of children. India has also closed 24 airports, but according to local media the suspension on civilian flights may be lifted on Saturday morning. The Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket mega tournament was also suspended for a week, the Indian cricket board announced.This came after an IPL match was abandoned in Dharamsala, less than 200 kilometres (125 miles) from the town of Jammu, where explosions had been reported.The Pakistan Super League meanwhile was moved to the United Arab Emirates, after an Indian drone struck Rawalpindi stadium on Thursday.India has ordered X to block more than 8,000 accounts, the platform said, adding that it was reluctantly complying with what it described as government-imposed “censorship”.The move appears to be part of India’s sweeping crackdown targeting social media accounts of Pakistani politicians, celebrities and media organisations.- ‘Immediate de-escalation’ -American Vice President JD Vance has called for de-escalation, while underlining that Washington was “not going to get involved in the middle of a war that’s fundamentally none of our business”.Several countries have offered to mediate, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in New Delhi on Thursday, days after visiting Pakistan.Diplomats and world leaders have pressured both countries for restraint.However, the International Crisis Group said “foreign powers appear to have been somewhat indifferent” to the prospect of war, despite warnings of possible escalation.”A combination of bellicose rhetoric, domestic agitation and the remorseless logic of military one-upmanship have heightened the risks of escalation, particularly because for some time there was no diplomatic communication between the sides,” it said. Amnesty said the warring sides “must take all necessary measures to protect civilians and minimise any suffering and casualties”.burs-ecl/stu

India said Friday it had repulsed a wave of Pakistani drone and artillery attacks overnight, and Islamabad insisted it had not struck targets across the border, as the latest conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours showed no signs of relenting.Nearly 50 people have been killed on both sides, mainly in Pakistan, since India launched air strikes on Wednesday targeting “terrorist camps” and sparking the worst clashes in decades.New Delhi blames Islamabad for backing an April 22 attack near Pahalgam, a tourist town on the Indian-run side of disputed Kashmir which killed 26 people, almost all of them travellers and Hindu men.Pakistan denies the claim.The countries have fought two of their three full-scale wars over Kashmir, a disputed territory that both claim in full but have administered separate portions of since 1947 when the sub-continent was divided into two nations after British colonial rule ended.”Pakistan Armed Forces launched multiple attacks using drones and other munitions along entire Western border on the intervening night of 08 and 09 May,” the Indian army said in a statement on Friday.”The drone attacks were effectively repulsed and befitting reply was given,” it said.Islamabad denied launching drone attacks after India on Thursday said Pakistani forces targeted three military stations — two in Kashmir and one in the neighbouring state of Punjab.”Pakistan has not targeted any locations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir, or across international border, so far,” Pakistan’s Information Minister Ataullah Tarar said late Thursday.In Indian-administered Kashmir, a police official said one woman died after heavy overnight shelling in Uri, some 100 kilometres (60 miles) from the state capital Srinagar, and two men were wounded.- Airports, schools closed’ -Schools were closed on Friday in parts of Kashmir, six border districts in the neighbouring state of Punjab and in the provincial capital Chandigarh, and Rajasthan which also borders Pakistan. India has also closed 24 airports, but according to local media the suspension on civilian flights may be lifted on Saturday morning. The majority of the casualties have been in Pakistan, where at least 32 people have been killed, including 12 children.Islamabad said Thursday its forces had neutralised 29 Israeli-made Harop drones that attacked Pakistan.The cities targeted included Rawalpindi, headquarters of the military and also the cricket stadium hosting the ongoing Pakistan Super League. The remaining matches of the league have been moved to the United Arab Emirates.Indian cricket bosses will decide Friday what happens to the rest of their IPL season, a senior official said, in the face of the deadly confrontations.A match in Dharamsala — less than 200 kilometres (125 miles) from Jammu, where explosions were reported hours earlier — was abandoned late Thursday because of apparent floodlight failure. India meanwhile ordered X to block more than 8,000 accounts, the platform said, adding that it was reluctantly complying with what it described as government-imposed “censorship”.The move appears to be part of India’s sweeping crackdown targeting social media accounts of Pakistani politicians, celebrities and media organisationsNew Delhi has blamed the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba — a UN-designated terrorist organisation for the April 22 shooting near Pahalgam.Pakistan has denied involvement and called for an independent investigation.- ‘Immediate de-escalation’ -Diplomats and world leaders have pressured both countries for restraint.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with leaders in both countries Thursday and urged “immediate de-escalation”, his spokeswoman said.US Vice President JD Vance echoed that call but added that Washington was “not going to get involved in the middle of a war that’s fundamentally none of our business”.Several countries have offered to mediate, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in New Delhi on Thursday, days after visiting Pakistan.Amnesty said the warring sides “must take all necessary measures to protect civilians and minimise any suffering and casualties”.Pakistani authorities insist they have the right to retaliate to India’s initial strikes. In a late Wednesday TV address to the nation, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif warned they would “avenge” those killed by Indian air strikes.burs-ach/fox

India and Pakistan accused each other Thursday of carrying out waves of drone attacks, as deadly confrontations between the nuclear-armed foes drew global calls for calm.The fighting comes two weeks after New Delhi blamed Islamabad for backing an attack on the Indian-run side of disputed Kashmir, which Pakistan denied.On Thursday, Pakistan’s army said it shot down 28 Indian drones, while New Delhi accused Islamabad of launching raids with “drones and missiles”, and claimed it destroyed an air defence system in Lahore.At least 48 people have been killed on both sides of the border since India launched air strikes on Wednesday that it said targeted “terrorist camps”, sparking the worst violence in decades between the South Asian neighbours.The majority of the casualties have been in Pakistan, where authorities said at least 32 were killed, including 12 children.The countries have fought two of their three full-scale wars over Kashmir, a disputed territory that both claim in full but administer separate portions of since gaining independence from British rule in 1947.- Explosions in Jammu -“Pakistan attempted to engage a number of military targets… using drones and missiles,” India’s defence ministry said in a statement Thursday, adding that “these were neutralised”.The defence ministry said earlier its military had “targeted air defence radars and systems at a number of locations in Pakistan”, adding it had destroyed an air defence system in Lahore, Pakistan’s second city.On Thursday evening, explosions were reported at the airport of Jammu, a key city in the Indian-administered part of Kashmir, a security source who was not authorised to speak to the media told AFP, without giving further details.Pakistan denied that it had launched any strikes on India on Thursday, with the top military spokesman terming India’s drone strikes a “phantom defence”.- Blasts in Lahore -Pakistan called Delhi’s drone attacks “another act of aggression”, and said it had neutralised 28 out of 29 Israeli-made Harop drones that crossed into the country on Thursday.Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said the drones “made attempts to attack military installations” and “targeted civilians”, killing one and injuring four, with four army personnel also wounded.Among the cities targeted was Rawalpindi, where the military is headquartered. The city’s cricket stadium was one of the venues of the Pakistan Super League, which later announced its remaining eight matches would be moved to the United Arab Emirates.Residents in Lahore reported hearing the sound of blasts, and aviation authorities briefly shut down operations at the main airport there and in the capital Islamabad.- ‘Shrapnel pierced her chest’ -India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said New Delhi had a “right to respond” following the attack on tourists in Pahalgam in Kashmir last month, when gunmen killed 26 people, mainly Hindu men.New Delhi blamed the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba — a UN-designated terrorist organisation for the Pahalgam shooting, and the nations traded days of threats and diplomatic measures.Pakistan has denied any involvement and called for an independent investigation into the April 22 attack.Pakistan’s military said on Wednesday that five Indian jets had been downed across the border, but New Delhi has not responded to the claims.An Indian senior security source, who asked not to be named, said three of its fighter jets had crashed on home territory.There was trauma on both sides of the disputed border after the exchange of heavy artillery in darkness on Wednesday.”A missile struck the mosque nearby, and a piece of shrapnel from the blast pierced my daughter’s chest,” 50-year-old Safeer Ahmad Awan told AFP in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir that was hit by Wednesday’s Indian strikes.”It was only when her clothes were soaked in blood that we discovered the injury,” he added of the 15-year-old girl, who still had the metal lodged in her body.On the other side of the border in Poonch, a town in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir that was bombarded by Pakistan on Wednesday, Madasar Choudhary said his sister saw two children killed.”She saw two children running out of her neighbour’s house and screamed for them to get back inside,” said Choudhary, 29.”But shrapnel hit the children — and they eventually died.”- Global pressure -Diplomats and world leaders have pressured both countries to step back from the brink.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with leaders in both countries Thursday and urged “immediate de-escalation”, his spokeswoman said.US Vice President JD Vance later reiterated that call in a televised interview, but added that Washington was “not going to get involved in the middle of a war that’s fundamentally none of our business.”Several countries have offered to mediate, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in New Delhi on Thursday, days after visiting Pakistan.Pakistani authorities insist they have the right to retaliate to India’s initial strikes. In a late Wednesday TV address to the nation, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif warned they would “avenge” those killed by Indian air strikes.”We make this pledge, that we will avenge each drop of the blood of these martyrs,” he said.burs-ecl-aha/des

Pakistan’s T20 cricket league will be relocated to the United Arab Emirates, officials said Friday, after Indian attacks on the country including a drone that reached Rawalpindi stadium. Pakistan’s army “neutralised” 28 Indian drones, including one near the city’s stadium on Thursday morning, the foreign minister Ishaq Dar said.He called it “a deliberate attempt to target domestic and foreign cricket players”.”Pakistan Cricket Board confirms that the remaining matches of the Pakistan Super League has been shifted to the UAE,” read a PCB release, which added that the schedule would be updated in due course.The decision was reached after several meetings between the franchise and the PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the country’s interior minister.Former champions Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi were due to play at Rawalpindi stadium on Thursday but the match was postponed after a drone fell close to the stadium.Thirty-seven foreign players including from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the West Indies, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan are involved in the League.Sources told AFP foreign players did not want stay in Pakistan after deadly confrontations between the nuclear-armed foes drew global calls for calm.India sent air strikes into Pakistan on Wednesday, two weeks after New Delhi blamed Islamabad for backing an attack on the Indian-run side of disputed Kashmir, which Pakistan denied.Pakistan responded with heavy artillery fire and both sides accused each other on Thursday of carrying out waves of drone attacks.International cricket resumed in Pakistan in 2020 after remaining suspended in the wake of 2009 terrorist attacks on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore.Several Australian and New Zealand players involved in the PSL’s recent edition, including Australia’s David Warner, had travelled to Pakistan with their national teams in the recent past.

India has ordered X to block more than 8,000 accounts, the platform said Thursday, adding that it was reluctantly complying with what it described as government-imposed “censorship.”The move appears to be part of India’s sweeping crackdown targeting social media accounts of Pakistani politicians, celebrities and media organizations amid heightened tensions and deadly confrontations between the nuclear-armed neighbors.The order, which X said includes demands to block international news organizations and other prominent users, comes a day after Meta banned a prominent Muslim news page on Instagram in India at New Delhi’s request.”X has received executive orders from the Indian government requiring X to block over 8,000 accounts in India, subject to potential penalties including significant fines and imprisonment of the company’s local employees,” the site’s global government affairs team said in a statement.It added that in most cases, the government had not specified which posts from the accounts violated Indian laws, and in many others, it provided no evidence or justification for the blocks.The Elon Musk-owned platform said it disagreed with the demands but it had begun the process to withhold the specified accounts in India.”Blocking entire accounts is not only unnecessary, it amounts to censorship of existing and future content, and is contrary to the fundamental right of free speech,” the statement said.”This is not an easy decision, however keeping the platform accessible in India is vital to Indians’ ability to access information.”The move comes amid fierce fighting between India and Pakistan, two weeks after New Delhi blamed Islamabad for backing a deadly attack on tourists in the Indian-run side of the disputed Muslim-majority region of Kashmir.Pakistan rejects the charge.At least 48 people have been killed on both sides of the border in escalating violence since India launched air strikes on Wednesday that it said targeted “terrorist camps.”Both countries accused each other on Thursday of carrying out waves of drone attacks.X said it could not make the Indian executive orders public due to legal restrictions, but it encouraged the impacted users to seek “appropriate relief from the courts.”It did not name the affected users, but in recent days the Indian media has reported that the country has blocked the X accounts of Pakistani politician Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Pakistan’s former prime minister and cricket captain Imran Khan.India has also banned more than a dozen Pakistani YouTube channels for allegedly spreading “provocative” content, including Pakistani news outlets.Pakistani Bollywood movie regulars Fawad Khan and Atif Aslam were also off limits in India, as well as a wide range of cricketers — including star batters Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan and retired players Shahid Afridi and Wasim Akram.Rising hostilities between the South Asian neighbors have unleashed an avalanche of online misinformation, with social media users circulating everything from deepfake videos to outdated images from unrelated conflicts, falsely linking them to the ongoing fighting.

India and Pakistan accused each other Thursday of carrying out waves of drone attacks, as deadly confrontations between the nuclear-armed foes drew global calls for calm.The fighting comes two weeks after New Delhi blamed Islamabad for backing an attack on the Indian-run side of disputed Kashmir, which Pakistan denied.India on Wednesday launched missiles it said targeted “terrorist camps”, and Pakistan retaliated with a barrage of artillery strikes, with at least 48 deaths reported on both sides since the escalation, 32 of them in Pakistan, including children.The South Asian neighbours have fought multiple wars over Kashmir since the end of British rule in 1947.Pakistan’s army said it shot down 28 Indian drones, while New Delhi accused Islamabad of launching overnight raids with “drones and missiles”, and claimed it destroyed an air defence system in Lahore.”Pakistan attempted to engage a number of military targets… using drones and missiles,” India’s defence ministry said in a statement Thursday, adding that “these were neutralised”.The defence ministry said earlier its military had “targeted air defence radars and systems at a number of locations in Pakistan”, adding it had been “reliably learnt that an air defence system at Lahore has been neutralised”.On Thursday evening, explosions were reported at the airport of Jammu, a key city in the Indian-held part of disputed Kashmir, a security source who was unauthorised to speak to the media told AFP, without giving further details.Shesh Paul Vaid, a former director general of police for Jammu and Kashmir, also wrote on social media that there were “loud explosions”. – Blasts heard in Lahore -Pakistan’s military said on Thursday it had neutralised 28 out of 29 Israeli-made Harop drones that crossed into the country in “another act of aggression by India”.Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said the drones “made attempts to attack military installations” and “targeted civilians”, killing one and injuring four, while four army personnel were also wounded.Among the cities targeted was Rawalpindi, where the military is headquartered and the cricket stadium is hosting the Pakistan Super League. Residents in Lahore reported hearing the sound of blasts, and aviation authorities briefly shut down operations at the main airport there and in the capital, Islamabad.Karachi airport remained closed on Thursday evening.Trading was halted on Pakistan’s benchmark KSE-100 index after it slumped 6.3 percent on news of the drone attacks.- ‘Shrapnel pierced her chest’ -India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said New Delhi had a “right to respond” following the attack on tourists in Pahalgam in Kashmir last month, when gunmen killed 26 people, mainly Hindu men.New Delhi blamed the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba — a UN-designated terrorist organisation for the Pahalgam shooting, and the nations traded days of threats and diplomatic measures.Pakistan has denied any involvement and called for an independent investigation into the April 22 attack.Pakistan’s military said on Wednesday that five Indian jets had been downed across the border, but New Delhi has not responded to the claims.An Indian senior security source, who asked not to be named, said three of its fighter jets had crashed on home territory.There was trauma on both sides of the disputed border after the exchange of heavy artillery in darkness on Wednesday.”A missile struck the mosque nearby, and a piece of shrapnel from the blast pierced my daughter’s chest,” 50-year-old Safeer Ahmad Awan told AFP in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan Kashmir that was targeted by Indian air strikes.”It was only when her clothes were soaked in blood that we discovered the injury,” he added of the 15-year-old girl, who still has the metal lodged in her body.On the other side of the border in Poonch, a town in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir that was bombarded on Wednesday, and bore the brunt of shelling by Pakistan, Madasar Choudhary said his sister saw two children killed by shells.”She saw two children running out of her neighbour’s house and screamed for them to get back inside,” said Choudhary, 29.”But shrapnel hit the children — and they eventually died.”- Global pressure -Diplomats and world leaders have pressured both countries to step back from the brink.”I want to see them stop,” US President Donald Trump said Wednesday.Top US diplomat Marco Rubio spoke with leaders of both countries Thursday and urged “immediate de-escalation,” his spokeswoman said.Meanwhile Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in New Delhi, days after visiting Pakistan, as Tehran seeks to mediate.Based on past conflicts, analyst Happymon Jacob — director of the New Delhi-based Council for Strategic and Defence Research, said the latest would “likely end in a few iterations of exchange of long-range gunfire or missiles into each other’s territory”.In a late Wednesday TV address to the nation, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif warned they would “avenge” those killed by Indian air strikes.”We make this pledge, that we will avenge each drop of the blood of these martyrs,” he said.burs-ecl/des

England’s Maro Itoje said it was a “tremendous honour” to be named captain of the British and Irish Lions rugby union team on their upcoming tour of Australia as the squad was announced Thursday.The 30-year-old lock only took over as England skipper ahead of this season’s Six Nations but guided the side to a creditable second-placed finish behind champions France.Now he has been chosen as skipper for a Lions tour including three Tests against the Wallabies by head coach Andy Farrell, seconded from his day job as Ireland boss.”It’s a tremendous honour, it’s a tremendous privilege,” said Itoje after taking the stage at London’s O2 Arena where some 2,000 spectators were present — the first time there had been an audience of fans for a Lions squad announcement.”You think about the people who have held this position before and it’s remarkable. It’s an honour and I will do my very best to make sure I can contribute to a successful tour.”Farrell said: “As a two-time tourist (in 2017 and 2021), Maro fully understands what the Lions is all about and also the role of the captain in helping the group achieve its goal of winning a Test series this summer.”Itoje’s path to the Lions captaincy was eased when his main rival for the coveted post, Caelan Doris, suffered a shoulder injury playing in Leinster’s Champions Cup semi-final loss to Northampton last weekend.The Ireland No 8 was ruled out of the squad as he requires surgery. Itoje is the first English player to lead the Lions — made up of leading players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales — since Martin Johnson in 2001.But there was no place in a 38-man squad for former England captain Owen Farrell, the son of Andy Farrell.Owen Farrell is barred from representing England after deciding to play his club rugby outside of the country at Paris-based Racing 92, and has suffered an injury-hit debut season in France.Scotland back three Blair Kinghorn, who plays for Top 14 and European champions Toulouse, was the lone France-based player in the squad. – Pollock the ‘bolter’ -Henry Pollock may be a fledgling international but the 20-year-old Northampton back-row is the latest ‘bolter’ to be chosen by the 137-year-old Lions.Pollock only made his England debut in March, but came off the bench to score two tries during a 68-14 rout of Wales in Cardiff in the last round of the Six Nations.Pollock has since underlined that form and was outstanding in Northampton’s 37-34 victory away to Leinster in Dublin on Saturday.Scotland’s Finn Russell is one of three fly-halves in the squad together with the England duo of Marcus Smith and Fin Smith after England veteran George Ford and Ireland rising star Sam Prendergast missed out.Australia-born centre Sione Tuipulotu, absent from the whole Six Nations with injury, was one of eight Scotland players selected, with Ireland (15) and England (13) providing the bulk of the squad.Back row Jac Morgan and scrum-half Tomos Williams were the only two Welsh players included, with Wales having not won a Test since the 2023 World Cup.”Getting it down to the final 38 — it is my job to play devil’s advocate,” said Farrell. “From 55 (players) to the 38 is extremely difficult.”The 10-match Lions tour begins with a fixture against Argentina in Dublin on June 20.The first Test against Australia will be in Brisbane on July 19, with two more internationals in Melbourne (July 26) and Sydney (August 2) to follow.The Wallabies have long been regarded as the easiest side for the Lions, who only tour one of Australia and rugby superpowers New Zealand an South Africa once every four years, to beat.Indeed the last time the Lions won a Test series was their 2-1 success against Australia back in 2013. But the Wallabies have been making significant progress since Joe Schmidt took charge shortly after a woeful 2023 World Cup in France, where they failed to reach the knockout stage for the first time.The Kiwi coach also has the added advantage of knowing several Lions players, and indeed Andy Farrell, well following his six-year stint as Ireland boss.

England’s Maro Itoje will captain the British and Irish Lions rugby union team on their upcoming tour of Australia, it was announced Thursday.The 30-year-old lock only took over as England skipper ahead of this season’s Six Nations and guided the side to a creditable second-placed finish behind champions France.Now he has been chosen as skipper for a Lions tour including three Tests against the Wallabies by head coach, Andy Farrell, seconded from his day job as Ireland boss.”It’s hard to articulate,” said Itoje after taking the stage at London’s O2 Arena for a squad announcement where fans were present for the first time.”It’s a tremendous honour, it’s a tremendous privilege. You think about the people who have held this position before and it’s remarkable. It’s an honour and I will do my very best to make sure I can contribute to a successful tour.”Itoje, a previous two-time tourist with the Lions — a side made up of leading players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales — is the first English player to lead the combined team since Martin Johnson in 2001. A tour featuring three Tests with the Wallabies will in fact start with a fixture against Argentina in Dublin on June 20.The first Test against Australia will be in Brisbane on July 19, with two more internationals in Melbourne (July 26) and Sydney (August 2).Australia have long been regarded as the easiest side for the Lions, who only tour every four years, to beat.The only other teams they have played series against in their 137-year history are New Zealand and South Africa, the traditional powerhouses of the 15-a-side code who have won seven World Cups between them.Indeed the last time the Lions won a Test series was their 2-1 success against Australia back in 2013. But the Wallabies have been making significant progress since Joe Schmidt took charge shortly after a woeful 2023 World Cup in France, where they failed to reach the knockout stage for the first time.The Kiwi coach also has the added advantage of knowing several Lions players, and indeed Andy Farrell, well following his six-year stint as Ireland boss.

Australia women’s football captain Sam Kerr and her partner Kristie Mewis announced Thursday the birth of their first child. The footballing couple, who are due to be married later this December, announced that they were expecting a baby back in November. “Our little man is here. Jagger Mewis-Kerr,” the pair said in an Instagram post on Thursday. Matildas star Kerr is a striker for English Women’s Super League champions Chelsea, while United States international Mewis plays for London rivals West Ham.  In February, Kerr was found not guilty of causing racially aggravated harassment after calling a British police officer “stupid and white” following a drunken night out.However, the judge at the court in London said the 31-year-old’s “behaviour contributed significantly to the bringing of this allegation”.