AFP Asia

Wicketkeeper-batsman Dhruv Jurel and Ravindra Jadeja hit half-centuries to stretch India’s lead to 164 against the West Indies on day two of the first Test on Friday.A dominant India reached 326-4 at tea after the hosts lost KL Rahul for 100 in the first over of the second session at the world’s biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad.Jurel, on 68, and the left-handed Jadeja (50) then put on an unbeaten stand of 108 to further grind down the West Indies bowlers.Jurel raised his second Test fifty with a boundary off Justin Greaves and celebrated with a salute to the Indian dressing room.Jadeja hit four sixes en route to his fifty on a pitch that already seems to be breaking away.A delivery from Jomel Warrican snaked past Jadeja at ankle length after hitting a rough patch formed due to bowlers’ footmarks.Warrican had Rahul caught at short extra-cover with his left-arm spin on the fifth ball after lunch.The opener did not trouble the scorers after reaching his 11th Test century.Rahul reached the ton in the morning, kissing the India flag on his helmet and getting applause from the few hundred fans sprinkled in a sea of orange seats at the 132,000-capacity stadium.Starting the day on 121-2 in response to West Indies’ 162, Rahul and skipper Shubman Gill, who made 50, put on 98 runs to pile on the agony against the opposition bowlers.The two overnight batters had a few nervy moments.Rahul survived a reprieve on 57 when an edge from his bat went between the wicketkeeper and slip in the first over.Rahul, who started the day on 53, hit regular boundaries with his exquisite timing and technique.Gill looked to find his mojo after a cautious start and reached his eighth Test fifty with a single off debutant spinner Khary Pierre.The captain soon got out to skipper Roston Chase’s off-spin after he attempted a reverse sweep but lobbed it to Greaves at slip.India are hot favourites to sweep the two-Test series.

A Thai gunman was sentenced to life in prison on Friday for the murder of a Cambodian opposition politician in Bangkok, with the former lawmaker’s widow left questioning who ordered the killing.French national Lim Kimya, a former opposition parliamentarian in Cambodia, was shot dead on January 7 by Ekkalak Paenoi as the ex-MP arrived in the Thai capital with his wife.Cambodian opposition figures have accused the country’s powerful former leader Hun Sen of ordering the shooting, and Lim Kimya’s widow called this week for a full accounting of who was behind it.Ekkalak faced a potential death sentence in Thailand for premeditated murder, but a judge said Friday that the Bangkok court reduced his sentence to life imprisonment since he confessed.The Thai man was arrested in neighbouring Cambodia a day after the shooting, and admitted to committing the murder in a livestream video.The trial began just three days ago with an examination of witnesses, including Lim Kimya’s widow, Anne-Marie Lim.”Anne-Marie is probably satisfied with today’s verdict, but she is still questioning who ordered the crime,” her lawyer Nadhthasiri Bergman told reporters outside the court on Friday.”She wants authorities to get to the bottom of it.”Lim, who is also French, attended the opening of the trial on Tuesday, telling AFP she wanted to know the “reason for this crime and who ordered it”.- ‘Full justice’ -Bergman said Friday that they knew there were additional suspects in Cambodia, and the Thai government “could help push the extradition process to bring them to justice”.The judge did not offer details about the killer’s motive or a possible mastermind behind the murder.Thai police said in January that they were also seeking to arrest a Cambodian national believed to be behind the killing.They identified two Cambodian suspects: Ly Ratanakrasksmey, accused of having recruited the gunman, and Pich Kimsrin, the alleged lookout who local media has reported was on the bus alongside the victim and his wife.Days after the killing, following media reports that Ratanakrasksmey was a former adviser to Hun Sen, Cambodia’s ruling party released a statement saying he was dismissed from the role in March 2024.Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, who is the eldest son of Hun Sen, has denied any official involvement.The former premier led Cambodia for nearly four decades until 2023, and Western nations and human rights organisations have long accused his government of using the legal system to crush the opposition.Am Sam Ath, operations director of Cambodian rights group Licadho, told AFP the life sentence for the Thai gunman offered partial justice for the slain politician.”Since Lim Kimya is also a Cambodian, we want to see that Thai authorities and the Thai court conduct further investigations in order to render full justice for him,” Am Sam Ath said.”We want to see an investigation into people involved (in the killing).”Lim Kimya was an MP in Cambodia from 2013 to 2017, when his party, the main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), was banned by the country’s Supreme Court.He then withdrew from politics and returned to France, his wife’s lawyers have said.The Bangkok court on Friday also dismissed the charges against a second defendant, Thai national Chakrit Buakhil, who was accused of driving Ekkalak to the Cambodian border after the shooting.Chakrit’s lawyer Natchapong Moosakopas said he was “only a driver and did not know what was happening”.Some Thai media reported this year that Ekkalak was paid 60,000 baht ($1,800) for the killing but police said he claimed he did not receive payment and took the job “to pay a debt of gratitude”.

Paralysed banks, grounded planes and chaotic hospitals: for two days, life ground to a halt in Afghanistan after the Taliban unexpectedly cut off the internet and phone networks.Authorities had for weeks been restricting broadband access in several provinces to prevent “vice” on the orders of the Taliban’s supreme leader. But no one in Kabul was prepared for a nationwide shutdown.Young Kabulis first travelled to high points in the mountainous capital, phones raised skyward, hoping to catch a signal. Then they tried buying SIM cards from different operators — before giving up. For Afghanistan’s 48 million people, it became impossible to send news to their relatives or receive precious remittances from abroad to pay their bills. Some residents of Herat and Kandahar travelled to border towns to pick up signal from neighbouring Iran and Pakistan.But for the rest of the country, with no news from the outside world, rumours swelled to the rhythm of helicopters.”The Americans are going to retake Bagram Air Base!” whispered the streets, after US president Donald Trump’s recent calls to have the US-built facility returned.Others wondered, incorrectly, that the reclusive Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and loyalists had replaced Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, who advocates a pragmatic approach to running the country.As of Thursday, the Taliban authorities had still yet to comment on the shutdown.- ‘A return to candlelight?’ -Across the country, one of the poorest in the world, banking systems stopped functioning and the informal money exchange system used by much of the nation also broke down.  “Cash withdrawals, card payments, fund transfers — everything relies on the internet. We can’t do anything without it,” a private bank manager told AFP.For Afghans, there was no choice but to survive on whatever cash they had on hand.In the half-deserted streets, Taliban security personnel communicated via walkie-talkies. “I’ve worked in security for 14 years and I’ve never seen anything like this,” he said on condition of anonymity.”What next? Are we going to cut off the electricity and go back to candlelight?” added another civil servant, speaking on condition of anonymity. Domestic and international flights were also grounded, but with no way to be warned, passengers continued to flock to airports.Hospital emergency rooms lacked both staff and patients — as many Afghans were too frightened to travel.Doctor Sultan Aamad Atef, Afghanistan’s only neurologist, saw a 30 percent drop in visits.”Without online appointments, patients have to show up spontaneously and hope I can take them, or wait, sometimes for nothing,” he told AFP.- Wedding day drama -Overnight, two million Afghan women were deprived of online courses, according to the Malala Fund, a lifeline in a country where the Taliban government have banned education for girls beyond primary school.”I was so scared this would last and I wouldn’t be able to get my bachelor’s degree… studying remotely is all I have left,” a 20-year-old student told AFP on Wednesday. Her parents refused to send her younger brother to school without a mobile phone. Restaurants without delivery services, the post office, travel agencies and shops all told AFP they had suffered heavy economic losses.Weddings — often involving a lifetime of savings and up to 2,000 guests — became an “unmanageable situation”, a wedding hall boss in the capital Kabul told AFP.”We plan weddings well in advance, but we can’t get any confirmation that the bride and groom, and their guests will even show up,” he told AFP, hours before the blackout ended on Wednesday night and the wedding went ahead.”Ten years wouldn’t be enough to compensate for the economic losses of the last two days,” laments Khanzada Afghan, a grocery store manager in eastern Jalalabad, who sent his employees home. “I beg our leaders to tell us the reason for this outage — not to leave us in the dark. The enemy could take advantage of this situation.”

Bangladesh kicked off their Women’s Cricket World Cup campaign in style, cantering past Pakistan’s modest 129 with seven wickets and 18.5 overs to spare in Colombo on Thursday.On WODI debut, opener Rubya Haider announced herself with an unbeaten half-century, steering the chase with the composure of a seasoned pro as Bangladesh barely broke sweat in pursuit of the below-par target.But it was their bowlers who set the tone.Lone seamer Marufa Akter struck with a double blow in her very first over, two wickets in successive balls, before a spin web tightened the screws on a hesitant Pakistan line-up.”We are thrilled to get a win under our belt in our first outing,” said Marufa.”There was lot of support from my team-mates. Special credit to our team analyst who fed me with some valuable input leading into the game.”We showed lot of energy on the field and we take lot of positives from this game.”With a rich spin arsenal at their disposal, Bangladesh never let Pakistan off the hook.Left-arm spinner Nahida Akter snared two quick wickets to leave the opposition tottering at 47-4 inside 14 overs, before leg-spinner Shorna Akter came on to deliver the final nails on the coffin.Bowling with metronomic accuracy, she cleaned up the tail, returning remarkable figures of 3-5 in 3.3 overs without conceding a run in her first three overs.Then, Rubya anchored the chase, her half-century carved through cut shots that threaded the gap between point and cover.She looked particularly strong square of the wicket, never needing to go aerial.Pakistan, by contrast, produced a limp batting display with only two players crossing 20.They must quickly come to grips with the sluggish Colombo surface, where all their matches will be staged.One silver lining was the spell of seamer Diana Baig, a double international who has also donned Pakistan colours in football.Her late inswingers kept Bangladesh’s batters guessing, but with no scoreboard pressure to defend, her efforts weren’t enough.”We just lost too many wickets early on and never recovered,” Pakistan captain Fatima Sana said.”We need to put this defeat behind us now and bounce back stronger. We have a lot of young players in our ranks and the World Cup is their first big tournament and hopefully they will learn from the mistakes.”

Days of violent clashes between anti-government protesters and police have gripped Pakistan’s Kashmir on the border with India, with nine confirmed killed among scant news to emerge after an internet blackout.Thousands first took to the streets of Muzaffarabad on Monday, demanding an end to lucrative benefits for the political class, such as free electricity and expensive cars.Internet and mobile phone services have been blocked in the towering mountain valley, and local media were warned earlier by authorities against covering the daily demonstrations.AFP reporters on Wednesday saw streets that were stained with blood and littered with spent bullet casings, shards of glass and scattered stones, apparent evidence of the chaos.”The politicians here behave like gangsters ruling over our heads; we want them gone and their privileges removed,” said Asad Tabbasum, a 51-year-old protester. “They should stand with us.” Security forces and police have flooded the streets of Muzaffarabad in response to the protests, firing tear gas to hold back the crowds that reached up to 6,000 at their peak. According to an official statement by the Azad Kashmir government on Wednesday, six civilians and three policemen have been killed since Monday.More than 170 police personnel have been injured, along with 50 civilians, in the “violent demonstrations”, the government statement said.Protest organisers say more than 100 civilians were wounded.The military has not made a statement on the protests or responded to AFP requests for comment.Criticism of the military is a red line in Pakistan, which was ruled for decades by the generals who analysts say are at the centre of real power in the South Asian nation.- ‘We’re here for our rights’ -Muslim-majority Kashmir is claimed in full by both India and Pakistan but has been divided between them since their independence from British rule.The area is considered highly sensitive by the Pakistani military after years of frequent skirmishes and full-blown wars.Nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan fought for four days in May, their worst clash in decades.Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said in a statement to the media that a “few miscreants, on the enemy’s instigation, are attempting to disrupt peace and order in Azad Kashmir”.Naqvi did not identify “the enemy”, although it is a phrase regularly used to refer to neighbouring rival India.”Peaceful protest is everyone’s right, but taking the law into one’s own hands will never be allowed,” he said.The Kashmir protests have been led by civil rights organisation Awami Action Committee (AAC), formed to fight for local rights in the mostly rural region, echoing similar movements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. On Wednesday, markets and schools were closed as thousands of chanting protesters walked past buildings scorched by fire or with broken windows.Protest leader Shaukat Nawaz, an AAC member, claimed that police had fired at protesters.”The bullets being fired at us are made in Pakistan to be used against the enemy and are now being used against us,” he said.The government did not respond to his claims. Protesters also accused the authorities of harassing journalists and preventing coverage of their demonstrations.”Our voice has been muted, not just that, they are reporting us as miscreants when we are here for our rights,” said 22-year-old Akash Kazmi.The government said in its statement it was ready for dialogue and had accepted “90 percent of the demands”.The AAC, which has asked for affordable electricity, more hospitals, and for private mobile network providers to enter the market, denied that its demands had been met.Amnesty International on Thursday  appealed for “an immediate, impartial and transparent investigation” into the clashes, including “the excessive use of force by law enforcement”.It added that the ongoing communications blackout was causing panic among the population and fuelling misinformation.Protests, as well as funerals, continued on Thursday.”Sometimes they call us betrayers, sometimes Indian agents, we are neither,” Nawaz roared through a microphone.”We will keep fighting till we get our rights.”

Red-hot Mohammed Siraj and  Jasprit Bumrah led India’s bowling charge with seven wickets between them as the hosts dismissed the West Indies for 162 on day one of the first Test on Thursday.A depleted West Indies won the toss in Ahmedabad but the Indian attack struck regular blows at the start of the two-match series to bowl out the visitors in 44.1 overs in the second session.Siraj returned figures of 4-40 to extend his tally of Test wickets to 27 this year, having played a key role in India’s 2-2 draw in England.After an initial first spell of 3-19 in seven overs, Siraj returned in the second session to get one more wicket and was ably supported by Bumrah.Number seven Justin Greaves top-scored with 32 before being bowled by Bumrah.Skipper Roston Chase (24) and Shai Hope attempted to revive the innings after the West Indies slipped to 42-4 in the first hour of play.Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav bowled Hope for 26 to end the 48-run fifth-wicket stand at the stroke of lunch.Kuldeep got his second to wrap up the innings as early tea was called.Earlier Siraj drew first blood when he got Tagenarine Chanderpaul caught behind down the leg side for a duck with wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel taking a good catch.Bumrah had opener John Campbell caught behind for eight.The decision was denied by the umpire but replays suggested the ball grazed the bat and India reviewed in their favour.Siraj kept up the onslaught as he bowled Brandon King for 13 when the batsman attempted to leave an incoming delivery.West Indies were swept 3-0 at home by Australia this year and were bowled out for 27 in the third match, the second-lowest score in Test history.They have been forced into late changes after injuries to pace bowlers Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph, and are a pale shadow of the team that once dominated cricket.India are strongly tipped to sweep the series.

Fast bowler Mohammed Siraj took three wickets to lead some inspired Indian bowling as West Indies stumbled to 90-5 at lunch on day one of the first Test on Thursday.A depleted West Indies won the toss at the world’s biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad but the Indian pace bowlers struck regular blows at the start of the two-match series.Skipper Roston Chase was batting on 22 when left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav bowled Shai Hope for 26 to end a 48-run fifth-wicket stand. The umpires then called lunch.Siraj drew first blood when he got Tagenarine Chanderpaul caught behind down the leg side for a duck with wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel taking a good catch.Jasprit Bumrah had opener John Campbell caught behind for eight.The decision was denied by the umpire but replays suggested the ball grazed the bat and India reviewed in their favour.Siraj kept up the attack as he bowled Brandon King for 13 when the batsman attempted to leave an incoming delivery from the in-form bowler.Siraj got one more wicket to return figures of 3-19 from his first spell of seven overs, and West Indies slipped to 42-4.The 31-year-old Siraj was India’s leading bowler with 23 wickets in the recent five-Test tour of England, which ended in a 2-2 draw.West Indies were swept 3-0 at home by Australia this year and were bowled out for 27 in the third match, the second-lowest score in Test history.They have been forced into late changes after injuries to pace bowlers Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph, and are a pale shadow of the team that once dominated cricket.India are strongly tipped to sweep the series.

Just before nightfall on Wednesday, the near-deserted streets of Afghanistan’s capital Kabul suddenly filled with people — mobile phones everywhere had pinged back to life.With phones pressed to their ears or tightly gripped in their hands, Afghans poured onto the streets to check if others were also online.”Congratulations, the internet is back!” a shopkeeper shouted, as drivers honked in response.Children were handed balloons, parents bought sweets and friends gathered in restaurants — all while chatting animatedly on their phones. For 48 hours, Afghans had been offline — cut off from mobile and internet services — in a telecommunications shutdown imposed by authorities without warning. “It felt we had gone back centuries. We were thinking of sending letters just to get updates from our families,” mobile phone shop owner Mohammad Rafi said.”The streets were empty — it felt like a holiday even though it was a weekday. But now, even in evening, it’s crowded again,” the 33-year-old added.Sohrab Ahmadi, a 26-year-old delivery driver, had sat idle for two days, unable to reach clients through the apps he works for. Now, rows of bikes lined up to collect orders from restaurants lit by neon signs or from juice vendors playing music.”It’s like Eid al-Adha; it’s like preparing to go for prayer,” he said.Also visible on the streets was an increase in the number of women, who have faced sweeping restrictions under the Taliban government, including a ban on education beyond primary school.”I can’t tell you how relieved I am. I’m breathing again,” said one young woman, who is studying online and asked not to be named.”Online classes are the only hope left for Afghan girls.”- ‘A loss for everyone’ -The United Nations said the shutdown in connectivity threatened economic stability and exacerbated one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.The Taliban government have yet to comment on the blackout. However, it came weeks after the government said it would begin cutting high-speed internet in some provinces to prevent “immorality”.Balkh provincial spokesman Attaullah Zaid said at the time the ban had been ordered by the Taliban’s shadowy supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.The internet was still a relatively nascent technology during the Taliban’s first rule between 1996 and 2001, when the country was too war-torn and poor to build infrastructure.But in recent decades, the economy has become increasingly dependent on internet connectivity.Even in rural areas, many Afghans use mobile phones to conduct business.”The world has progressed. This is not like 30 years ago,” said mobile credit seller Ghulam Rabbani, whose store was packed on Wednesday night.”We were hopeful that internet would return. It was a loss for everyone — including the government.”

Mobile networks and the internet were restored across Afghanistan on Wednesday, 48 hours after the Taliban authorities shut down telecommunications.Confusion gripped the South Asian country on Monday night when mobile phone service and the internet went down without warning, freezing businesses and cutting Afghans off from the rest of the world. The massive blackout came weeks after the government began cutting high-speed internet connections to some provinces to prevent “immorality”, on the orders of shadowy supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.AFP journalists reported on Wednesday that mobile phone signals and wifi had returned to provinces across the country, including Kandahar in the south, Khost in the east, central Ghazni, and Herat in the west.The Taliban government has yet to comment on the telecommunications shutdown. On Wednesday night, hundreds of Afghans poured onto the streets in the capital Kabul, spreading the word that the internet was back. “It’s like Eid al-Adha; it’s like preparing to go for prayer,” said 26-year-old Sohrab Ahmadi, a delivery driver.”We are very happy from the bottom of our hearts.”After days of tension, Afghans celebrated by buying sweets and balloons, as drivers honked their horns, phones pressed to their ears.”The city is alive again,” Mohammad Tawab Farooqi, a restaurant manager in the city told AFP.- Businesses, airports, banks closed -It is the first time since the Taliban government won their insurgency in 2021 and imposed a strict version of Islamic law that communications have been cut in the country.Netblocks, a watchdog organisation that monitors cybersecurity and internet governance, said the blackout “appears consistent with the intentional disconnection of service”.It said connectivity had slowed to one percent of ordinary levels.A government official warned AFP minutes before the shutdown on Monday evening that the fibre optic network would be cut, affecting mobile phone services, “until further notice”.There were widespread closures of businesses, airports, and markets, while banks and post offices were unable to operate.Afghans were unable to contact each other in or out of the country, and many families stopped their children from going to school during the uncertainty. Those living in Herat and Kandahar travelled to border towns to catch signals from neighbouring Iran and Pakistan.The United Nations said on Tuesday the shutdown “left Afghanistan almost completely cut off from the outside world”, and called on authorities to restore access.Internet connections have been extremely slow or intermittent over the past weeks.On September 16, when the first internet services were first cut in northern provinces, Balkh provincial spokesman Attaullah Zaid said the ban had been ordered by the Taliban’s leader.”This measure was taken to prevent vice, and alternative options will be put in place across the country to meet connectivity needs,” he wrote on social media.”Recent studies in Afghanistan found that internet applications have badly affected the ongoing, economic, cultural and religious foundations of society,” he said.

Mobile networks returned to several provinces across Afghanistan on Wednesday, including the capital Kabul, 48 hours after the Taliban authorities shut down telecommunications.Confusion gripped the South Asian country on Monday night when mobile phone service and the internet went down.The massive blackout came weeks after the government began cutting high-speed internet connections to some provinces to prevent “immorality”, on the orders of shadowy supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.AFP journalists reported on Wednesday that mobile phone signals and wifi had returned to provinces across the country, including Kandahar in the south, Khost in the east, central Ghazni, and Herat in the west.The Taliban government has yet to comment on the telecommunications shutdown. It is the first time since the Taliban government won their insurgency in 2021 and imposed a strict version of Islamic law that communications have been cut in the country.Netblocks, a watchdog organisation that monitors cybersecurity and internet governance, said the blackout “appears consistent with the intentional disconnection of service”.It said connectivity had slowed to one percent of ordinary levels.A government official warned AFP minutes before the shutdown on Monday evening that the fibre optic network would be cut, affecting mobile phone services, “until further notice”.There were widespread closures of businesses, airports, and markets, while banks and post offices were unable to operate.Afghans were unable to contact each other in or out of the country, and many families stopped their children from going to school during the uncertainty. Those living in Herat and Kandahar travelled to border towns to catch signals from neighbouring Iran and Pakistan.The United Nations said on Tuesday the shutdown “left Afghanistan almost completely cut off from the outside world”, and called on authorities to restore access.Internet connections have been extremely slow or intermittent over the past weeks.On September 16, when the first internet services were first cut in northern provinces, Balkh provincial spokesman Attaullah Zaid said the ban had been ordered by the Taliban’s leader.”This measure was taken to prevent vice, and alternative options will be put in place across the country to meet connectivity needs,” he wrote on social media.”Recent studies in Afghanistan found that internet applications have badly affected the ongoing, economic, cultural and religious foundations of society,” he said.