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Krishan Lal longs to return home after living in a government shelter for nearly a week, but like many who fled the border in Kashmir, he fears India’s ceasefire with Pakistan won’t last.Tens of thousands of people living near India’s contested frontier with Pakistan were forced to flee as both countries launched deadly attacks and counter-attacks over four days, starting May 7.The two nuclear-armed neighbours agreed to a ceasefire on Saturday but have since traded accusations of breaching the truce.”I am desperate to go to my village because each day I don’t open my shop I lose money,” said Lal, a 50-year-old tailor. His home lies in Kashmir, a mountainous Muslim-majority region divided between the two countries that is claimed in full by both. “But the word on the street is that the war is not over,” said Lal.Many people who returned home, believing the worst was over, were forced to flee again following fresh drone sightings and, in some cases, renewed artillery fire.”People had come back thinking it was safe now,” said 31-year-old Pardeep Kumar from the Kashmir village of Kotmaira, which came under artillery fire just hours after the ceasefire was announced. “But now we know better,” he said.  – ‘We are being cautious’ -Indian authorities said they were discouraging people from returning to “sensitive” areas.”We are being cautious about places within one to two kilometres (0.6 to 1.2 miles) of the border,” said a senior official in Jammu, who asked to remain anonymous as they were not authorised to speak to the media.Many displaced residents cited the lack of nearby bunkers as a key reason for not returning.”We request the government to construct more bunkers because we don’t feel safe otherwise,” said Akshay Kumar from the border town of Naushera.The 30-year-old, who has been sheltering in a Sikh temple 108 kilometres (67 miles) from his home, said he found it difficult to “trust Pakistan”. “Areas that were never targeted in the past have seen heavy shelling this time,” he said. “We cannot go back until there’s absolute certainty that we’ll be safe.”The fighting —  the deadliest between the two South Asian rivals since 1999 —  followed an April 22 attack on tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir that killed 26 civilians.India accused Pakistan of backing the “terrorists” it said were responsible for the Pahalgam attack — a charge Islamabad denied — and last week launched missiles at sites in Pakistan it said were hosting the militants.The surprise ceasefire, which came on the brink of all-out war, offered some relief. But several reported violations have left many residents sceptical.”We really want to go back, but it seems it is not the right time yet,” said Usha Kumari, who is staying in a classroom at a government school. “Pakistani drones are still out there.”For others, there is little left to return to.Nirta Kaur fled her home in the village of Mankote after a shell flattened three of its four rooms.”Who knows what is left of it now?” said the 52-year-old from her dormitory room in a Sikh temple in Jammu. “But I will have to, one day or another.”

Three suspected rebels were killed in Indian-administered Kashmir on Tuesday in a gun battle with soldiers, the army said, the first since an attack on tourists last month brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war.The clash happened after the army’s special counter-insurgency force received information that militants were in Keller forest in the southern Kashmir valley, the army said.The site is around 65 kilometres (40 miles) from Pahalgam, where militants in April killed 26 people, mostly male Hindu tourists, sparking the worst fighting between India and Pakistan since 1999.A “search and destroy Operation” was launched leading to a clash, the Indian army said on X.”During the operation, terrorists opened heavy fire and fierce firefight ensued, which resulted in elimination of three hardcore terrorists,” it said.India accused Pakistan of backing the “terrorists” it said were responsible for the Pahalgam attack — a charge Islamabad denied — and last week launched missiles at sites in Pakistan it said were hosting the militants.Four days of tit-for-tat jet fighter, drone, missile and artillery attacks followed, until they agreed to a ceasefire Saturday that US President Donald Trump said was brokered by Washington.- New death toll -On Tuesday Pakistan’s army announced a new death toll from the fighting, saying India’s “unprovoked and reprehensible dastardly attacks” killed 40 civilians, including seven women and 15 children, and 11 military service members.”While defending the motherland with exemplary valour, 11 personnel of the Pakistan Armed Forces embraced martyrdom and 78 were wounded.”Previously Pakistan’s official toll was 33 civilians with no military losses.India has said that 15 civilians and five soldiers died.Despite mutual claims on initial violations, the ceasefire still appeared to be holding on Tuesday.Trump said Monday that US intervention had prevented a “bad nuclear war”.”We stopped a nuclear conflict… millions of people could have been killed. So I’m very proud of that,” he told reporters at the White House.Schools have reopened their doors in Chakothi, a Pakistani village along the border, as well as in Srinagar, a key city in India-held Kashmir.Syeda Zohra Kazmi, a 13-year-old student in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, returned to school after it was “closed due to shelling”.”Shells also landed near our house, and splinters hit it. But I told my family that I would go to school today because it is reopening,” she told AFP. “I am not afraid of the shelling”.- ‘Strong response’ -Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a televised address to the nation Monday that Pakistan has chosen to attack rather than help it fight “terrorism”.”If another terrorist attack against India is carried out, a strong response will be given,” he said.A post from his X account Tuesday said he had met with service members involved in the conflict.”It was a very special experience to be with those who epitomise courage, determination and fearlessness. India is eternally grateful to our armed forces for everything they do for our nation,” he said.Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that it rejected the “provocative and inflammatory assertions” made by Modi and his “propensity to fabricate misleading narratives to justify aggression”.”Make no mistake, we will closely monitor India’s actions and behaviour in this regard in the coming days. We also urge the international community to do the same,” the ministry added.The flare-up in violence was the worst since the rivals’ last open conflict in 1999 and sparked global shudders that it could spiral into full-blown war.Pakistan’s military statement Tuesday listed the highest ranked service member to be killed in the latest conflict as an airforce squadron leader.The military has said it downed five Indian jets, but has not admitted losing any aircraft of its own.India has not disclosed losing any aircraft.Militants have stepped up operations in Kashmir since 2019, when Modi’s Hindu nationalist government revoked the region’s limited autonomy and took it under direct rule from New Delhi.Divided Muslim-majority Kashmir is claimed in full by both countries, who have fought several wars over the territory since their independence from Britain in 1947.burs-stu/fox/tc/mlm

Three suspected rebels were killed in Indian-administered Kashmir on Tuesday in a gun battle with soldiers, the army said, the first since an attack on tourists last month brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war.The clash happened after the army’s special counter-insurgency force received information that militants were in Keller forest in the southern Kashmir valley, the army said.The site is around 65 kilometres (40 miles) from Pahalgam, where militants last month killed 26 people, mostly male Hindu tourists, sparking the worst fighting between India and Pakistan since 1999.A “search and destroy Operation” was launched leading to a clash, the Indian army said on X.”During the operation, terrorists opened heavy fire and fierce firefight ensued, which resulted in elimination of three hardcore terrorists,” it said.India accused Pakistan of backing the “terrorists” it said were responsible for the Pahalgam attack — a charge Islamabad denied — and last week launched missiles at sites in Pakistan it said were hosting the militants.Four days of tit-for-tat jet fighter, drone, missile and artillery attacks followed, until they agreed to a ceasefire Saturday that US President Donald Trump said was brokered by Washington.- New death toll -On Tuesday Pakistan’s army announced a new death toll from the fighting, saying that India’s “unprovoked and reprehensible dastardly attacks” killed 40 civilians, including seven women and 15 children, and 11 military service members.”While defending the motherland with exemplary valour, 11 personnel of the Pakistan Armed Forces embraced martyrdom and 78 were wounded.”Previously Pakistan’s official toll was 33 civilians with no military losses.India has said that 15 civilians and five soldiers died.Despite mutual claims on initial violations, the ceasefire still appeared to be holding on Tuesday.Trump said Monday that US intervention had prevented a “bad nuclear war”.”We stopped a nuclear conflict… millions of people could have been killed. So I’m very proud of that,” he told reporters at the White House.- ‘Strong response’ -Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a televised address to the nation on Monday that Pakistan has chosen to attack rather than help it fight “terrorism”.”If another terrorist attack against India is carried out, a strong response will be given,” he said.A post from his account on X Tuesday said he had met with service members involved in the conflict.”It was a very special experience to be with those who epitomise courage, determination and fearlessness. India is eternally grateful to our armed forces for everything they do for our nation,” he said.The flare-up in violence was the worst since the rivals’ last open conflict in 1999 and sparked global shudders that it could spiral into full-blown war.Pakistan’s military statement Tuesday listed the highest ranked service member to be killed in the latest conflict as an airforce squadron leader.The military has said it downed five Indian jets, but has not admitted losing any aircraft of its own.India has not disclosed losing any aircraft.Militants have stepped up operations in Kashmir since 2019, when Modi’s Hindu nationalist government revoked the region’s limited autonomy and took it under direct rule from New Delhi.Divided Muslim-majority Kashmir is claimed in full by both countries, who have fought several wars over the territory since their independence from Britain in 1947.burs-stu/fox/dhc

Indian cricket will enter an uncertain new era next week when selectors name a Test squad without all-time greats Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for the first time in more than a decade.Batting great Kohli and captain Rohit both retired from Tests in the past week, leaving Shubman Gill as the front-runner to lead a new-look India in England.The retirement last year of veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin leaves India without the backbone of the side that was formerly number one in the world Test rankings.Top-order batsman Gill is favourite to be given the task of starting India’s rebuild with the five-Test England series, which begins on June 20 at Headingley.”Gill looks like the heir apparent but his record overseas hasn’t looked too great,” veteran cricket journalist Ayaz Memon told AFP.The 25-year-old Gill has scored 1,893 runs at an average of 35.05 in 32 Tests since his debut in 2020, with five hundreds. But in 13 Tests away from home his average is only 29.50.Gill is likely to move up the order to open alongside the 23-year-old Yashasvi Jaiswal, with big-hitting Shreyas Iyer in the frame to replace Kohli at the fall of the second wicket.Others who could be charged with the almost impossible task of following in all-time great Kohli’s footsteps are Sarfaraz Khan, Rajat Patidar and Dhruv Jurel. Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has also been mentioned as a future captain, but his current poor form and less-than-inspiring leadership of Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL are counting against his immediate elevation.Leading pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah was Rohit’s deputy in Australia and led the team in two Tests, winning one, and was seen as another candidate for captain.But Bumrah has only recently returned to action after suffering a back injury during the final Test at Sydney in January.The five Tests in England are crammed into six weeks, meaning India will need to manage the workload of their pace attack by resting bowlers for one or more matches, effectively ruling Bumrah out of the captaincy debate.- Team in transition -Memon, who called Kohli’s retirement “a big moment in Indian cricket”, said there was enough strength in depth to fill the void left by Kohli, opener Rohit and Ashwin. “There are senior pros like (Mohammed) Shami, if he is in form and selected, and (Ravindra) Jadeja,” said Memon. “The new crop of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, maybe Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj look good.”They could be looking for a young spinner, maybe Washington Sundar because Ashwin is not there.”Off-spinner Ashwin called an abrupt halt to his international career after playing the second Test in Adelaide last year.He ended his career with 537 wickets in 106 matches, eighth on the all-time list and behind only Anil Kumble for India, who had 619 dismissals.India’s 1983 World Cup-winning all-rounder Sandeep Patil believes the new-look India could come out stronger after a period of transition.”The two stalwarts, the two pillars of Indian cricket, have gone,” Patil, who was chief selector when Kohli became captain in 2015, told The Times of India.”It is time to rebuild. It will be a challenge for the national selectors, but I am sure we will find a solution. “If one player exits, the next one is ready.”

Pakistan’s army announced on Tuesday a new death toll of 40 civilians and 11 military service members killed last week in the worst confrontation with India in decades.The nuclear-armed neighbours engaged in four days of tit-for-tat strikes that threatened to escalate into all-out war before US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire Saturday he said Washington brokered.Pakistan’s army said in a statement that India’s “unprovoked and reprehensible dastardly attacks” killed 40 civilians, including seven women and 15 children.”While defending the motherland with exemplary valour, 11 personnel of the Pakistan Armed Forces embraced martyrdom and 78 were wounded,” it said.”Let there be no ambiguity: any attempt to challenge Pakistan’s sovereignty or territorial integrity, ever again, shall be met with a swift, full-spectrum, and decisive response”, it added.Previously Pakistan’s official toll was 33 civilians with no military losses.India has said that 15 civilians and five soldiers died.Despite mutual claims on initial violations, the ceasefire still appeared to be holding on Tuesday.Trump said Monday that US intervention had prevented a “bad nuclear war”.”We stopped a nuclear conflict… millions of people could have been killed. So I’m very proud of that,” he told reporters at the White House.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a televised address to the nation on Monday that Pakistan has chosen to attack rather than help it fight “terrorism”.”If another terrorist attack against India is carried out, a strong response will be given,” he said.A post from his account on X Tuesday said he had met with service members involved in the conflict.”It was a very special experience to be with those who epitomise courage, determination and fearlessness. India is eternally grateful to our armed forces for everything they do for our nation.,” he said.The latest flare-up followed an April 22 attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir which killed 26 people.India accused Pakistan of backing the attack, but Islamabad denied involvement.- ‘Terrorist camps’ -The fighting began before dawn last Wednesday, when India launched missile attacks destroying what it called “terrorist camps” in the Pakistan-administered part of Kashmir.Each side then accused the other of launching waves of warplane and drone strikes, as well as missile and artillery bombardments that killed at least 60 people on both sides.”If Pakistan wants to survive, it will have to destroy its terror infrastructure,” Modi said Monday.”India will strike with precision and decisiveness against the terrorist groups thriving under the cover of nuclear blackmail.”India’s stand is very clear. Terror and talks cannot go together… Terror and trade cannot go together… Water and blood cannot flow together.”The flare-up in violence was the worst since the rivals’ last open conflict in 1999 and sparked global shudders that it could spiral into full-blown war.Pakistan’s military statement Tuesday listed the highest ranked service member to be killed in the latest conflict as an airforce squadron leader.The military has said it downed five Indian jets, but has not admitted losing any aircraft of its own.India has not disclosed losing any aircraft.burs-stu/fox

India and Pakistan have announced a ceasefire after coming close to all-out conflict, but on social media citizens on both sides are vying to control public perceptions by peddling disinformation.Platforms such as Facebook and X are still awash with misrepresented footage of the attacks that killed at least 60 people and sent thousands fleeing. AFP fact-checkers have debunked many of the clips, which actually show the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or the war in Ukraine.Indian and Pakistani media outlets have also amplified misinformation, including false or unverifiable claims of military victories that experts say have exacerbated tensions and contributed to a flood of hate speech.”It’s complicated to establish the military facts because, in addition to the reality of strikes that are difficult to ascertain, there’s a communication war going on,” said General Dominique Trinquand, an international relations analyst and former head of the French military mission to the United Nations.Disinformation peaked when India launched deadly air strikes on Wednesday targeting “terrorist camps” in Pakistan, two weeks after a deadly attack on the Indian-run side of disputed Kashmir.New Delhi blames Islamabad for backing the April 22 attack near the tourist town of Pahalgam, which killed 26 people — almost all of them Hindu men. Pakistan denies the claim.After the first round of Indian air strikes, the Pakistani military shared footage that had previously circulated in reports about a 2023 Israeli air strike in Gaza. The clip quickly appeared on television and social media but was later retracted by numerous media outlets, including AFP.AI-generated imagery has also muddied the waters, including a video that purportedly shows a Pakistan Army general saying the country lost two of its aircraft. AFP fact-checkers found the clip was altered from a 2024 press conference.”We have seen a new wave of AI-based content in both video and still images due to increased access to deepfake tools,” said Joyojeet Pal, an associate professor in the School of Information at the University of Michigan.- Cyber alert, social media crackdown -Both India and Pakistan have taken advantage of the information vacuum to raise alarm bells and promote their own claims and counter-claims.Pakistan appears to have lifted a more than one-year-old ban on X the same day of the Indian strikes, according to an AFP analysis of data from the nonprofit Open Observatory of Network Interference.”In a time of crisis, the government needed its people’s voice to be heard all around the world and not to be silenced anymore like it was before for domestic political purposes,” said Usama Khilji, a digital rights expert and activist in Pakistan.The country’s National Cyber Emergency Response Team (NCERT) on May 8 issued an alert about “increased cyberattacks and misinformation via emails, social media, QR codes, and messaging apps”.Both Pakistan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Karachi Port Trust later said their X accounts had been hacked.A post from the latter account said the port — one of South Asia’s busiest — was attacked by the Indian military. The page was later restored and the port authority said no attack had taken place.India, meanwhile, has executed a sweeping crackdown targeting the social media accounts of Pakistani politicians, celebrities and media organisations.The government ordered X to block more than 8,000 accounts and banned more than a dozen Pakistani YouTube channels for allegedly spreading “provocative” content, including news outlets.Press Information Bureau (PIB) Fact Check, a government-run website, has also refuted more than 60 claims about the ongoing crisis, many having to do with supposed Pakistani military victories.- ‘Cyclical relationship’ -The avalanche of disinformation online has been accompanied by a spike in hate speech offline.A report from the US-based India Hate Lab documented 64 in-person hate speech events between April 22 and May 2. Most were filmed and later shared on social media.”There is a cyclical relationship between offline hate speech and the rise of harmful online content,” said Raqib Hameed Naik, executive director of the Center for the Study of Organized Hate.He said the Pahalgam attack sparked in India a “significant surge in rallies where far-right leaders weaponised the tragedy to incite hate and violence against Muslim Indians and Kashmiris.”Several clips online show people dressed in Hindu garb calling for economic boycotts of minority Muslims. Rallies in the northern Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand have seen similar incendiary speeches.Now that a ceasefire has been declared, Naik warned that hate speech “will once again refocus on religious minorities.””The war machine may have paused, but the hate machinery never stops. I worry it might return with a greater force.”

A Myanmar junta airstrike hit a school Monday killing 22 people, including 20 children, witnesses said, despite a purported humanitarian ceasefire called to help the Southeast Asian nation recover from a devastating earthquake.The strike hit a school in the village of Oe Htein Kwin — around 100 kilometres (65 miles) northwest of the epicentre of the March 28 quake — at about 10:00 am (0330 GMT), locals said.UN chief Antonio Guterres is “deeply alarmed” by reports of the strike, his spokesman told reporters in New York, adding that “schools must remain areas in which children have a safe place to learn and not be bombed.”The green school building was a shattered husk on Monday afternoon, its metal roof crumpled with gaping holes blasted through its brickwork walls.Over a dozen abandoned book bags were piled before a pole flying the Myanmar flag outside, as parents chiselled small graves out of the hard earth to bury the shrouded bodies of their children.”For now 22 people in total — 20 children and two teachers — have been killed,” said a 34-year-old teacher at the school, asking to remain anonymous.”We tried to spread out the children, but the fighter was too fast and dropped its bombs,” she added. “I haven’t been able to collect all the casualty data as parents are in a rush.”An education official from the area of the village in Sagaing region gave the same toll.The junta information team said reports of the strike were “fabricated news”. “There was no airstrike on non-military targets,” it said in a statement.Myanmar has been riven by civil war since the military deposed a civilian government in 2021, with the junta suffering stinging losses to a myriad of anti-coup guerillas and long-active ethnic armed groups.But the military pledged a ceasefire throughout this month “to continue the rebuilding and rehabilitation process” after the magnitude 7.7 quake in Myanmar’s central belt that killed nearly 3,800 people.- ‘Needs are immense’ -Tens of thousands are still living outside after the catastrophic jolt demolished or badly damaged their homes, facing the prospect of the monsoon season starting in the coming weeks.”The needs are immense,” Jagan Chapagain, secretary general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, told AFP on Monday.”My worry is that time is not on our side.”The United Nations and independent conflict monitors say the junta has continued its campaign of aerial bombardment despite the armistice meant to alleviate suffering.Last week, the UN said that since the earthquake more than 200 civilians had been killed in at least 243 military attacks, including 171 airstrikes.In its ceasefire declaration, the military warned it would take “necessary defensive measures” if pressed by its opponents.Numerous anti-coup and ethnic armed groups have made own pledges to pause hostilities. However during the truce some residents in eastern Myanmar said they have been displaced as anti-coup forces besieged junta-held towns on a lucrative trade route towards neighbouring Thailand.The March earthquake saw the ground shear up to six metres (20 feet) in places, according to NASA analysis — levelling apartments, opening yawning holes in roads and collapsing one major bridge.The relief response is also being hobbled by funding shortfalls after US President Donald Trump slashed Washington’s international aid budget.

The remainder of the Indian Premier League will be played between May 17 and June 3 across six venues, the country’s cricket board announced Monday.The T20 tournament was paused last week due to clashes between India and Pakistan, but the Board of Control for Cricket in India has decided to stage the 17 outstanding matches following a ceasefire agreement.”After extensive consultations with government and security agencies, and with all the key stakeholders, the board has decided to proceed with the remainder of the season,” the BCCI said in a statement.Royal Challengers Bengaluru will host defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday followed by one of two double-headers Sunday.Jaipur, Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai and Ahmedabad are the other host cities for the remaining league phase matches.The venues for the four play-off ties, including the final on June 3, will be announced later.The original hosts for the playoffs were Hyderabad and Kolkata, with the final at Eden Gardens on May 25.The first qualifier will now be on May 29, followed by the eliminator on May 30. The second qualifier is slated for June 1 and the final two days later.Nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan had called a halt to hostilities on Saturday.The IPL was suspended for a week last Friday, a day after a match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals was abandoned in Dharamsala, less than 200 kilometres (125 miles) from the northern city of Jammu, where explosions were reported hours earlier.A special train was arranged for players to return to Delhi on Friday as airspace was closed, while overseas stars began to head home on Saturday.India and Pakistan 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.New Delhi launched missile strikes on Wednesday morning in retaliation for a deadly attack on tourists in Indian-run Kashmir two weeks ago that India blames on Pakistan.Islamabad has denied any involvement.At least 60 people have been killed on both sides of the border since Wednesday, in the worst violence in decades between the South Asian neighbours.

Dozens trekked to Nepal’s Yala glacier for a ceremony Monday to mark its rapid disappearance due to climate change and put a spotlight on global glacial retreat.The Yala glacier, located between 5,170 and 5,750 metres above sea level, is in the Langtang Valley in northern Nepal.Since 1974, the glacier has shrunk in area by 66 percent and retreated 784 meters, according to the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development(ICIMOD). Scientists warn it may eventually disappear by the 2040s if the warming trend continues, and might be among the first in Nepal to join the growing numbers of glaciers declared “dead” worldwide.”In the 40 years I have studies this glacier, I have seen it halve with my own eyes. We worry that the next generation might not be able to see it,” Sharad Prasad Joshi, a cryosphere specialist at ICIMOD, told AFP.Prayer flags fluttered Monday as Buddhist monks performed a ceremony for Yala, with the Himalayas towering behind them. Two granite plaques were unveiled engraved with memorial messages in Nepali, English and Tibetan.”This monument is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it,” part of the message in one of the plaques read. The words were by Icelandic writer Andri Snaer Magnason, whose message is also at the site of the world’s first glacier funeral in Iceland. Glacier funerals have also been held in Mexico, the United States and Switzerland.  The ceremony comes as the world marked near-record high global temperatures in April, according to the EU’s climate monitor.In its latest bulletin, the Copernicus Climate Change Service said that April was the second-hottest in its dataset, which draws on billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft and weather stations.All but one of the last 22 months exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the warming limit enshrined in the Paris agreement, beyond which major and lasting climate and environmental changes become more likely.-‘Time to act’-Yala is one of seven glaciers in the 3,500 kilometre-long arc of the Hindu Kush Himalayas to have been monitored annually for a decade or more, according to ICIMOD. Joshi said that the ceremony was also to honour the glacier as it has been an “open textbook” for young researchers and glaciologists. Himalayan glaciers, providing critical water to nearly two billion people, are melting faster than ever before due to climate change, exposing communities to unpredictable and costly disasters.Experts say that on current melt rates, many glaciers worldwide will not survive the 21st century. Last month, the United Nations said that all 19 of the world’s glacier regions experienced a net loss of mass in 2024 for the third consecutive year.Together, they lost 450 billion tonnes of mass, the organization said, citing new data from the Swiss-based World Glacier Monitoring Service.Maheshwar Dhakal, chief at the Nepal government’s climate change management division, said in a statement shared by ICIMOD that Nepal is at the frontlines of the impacts of temperature rise despite minimal emissions. “We are urging world leaders to pay attention to the changes in mountain glaciers, such as Yala, because our own fate, and futures, is bound up in those of our frozen freshwater reserves,” Dhakal said. “Glacier loss is irreversible on human timescales. The time to act is now.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed Monday to respond strongly to any future “terrorist attack”, and warned that New Delhi would not tolerate “nuclear blackmail” in the event of further conflict with Pakistan.A weekend ceasefire which US President Donald Trump said he brokered appeared to be holding Monday after four days of intense jetfighter, missile, drone and artillery attacks — the worst violence between the two nuclear-armed neighbours since 1999.Trump said Monday that US intervention had prevented a “bad nuclear war”.”We stopped a nuclear conflict… millions of people could have been killed. So I’m very proud of that,” he told reporters at the White House.Modi, in a televised address to the nation — his first since hostilities began last Wednesday — said Pakistan has chosen to attack rather than help it fight “terrorism”.”If another terrorist attack against India is carried out, a strong response will be given,” he said.The conflict followed an April 22 attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir which killed 26 civilians.India accused Pakistan of backing the attack, but Islamabad denied involvement.- Spiral to war -The alarming spiral towards all-out war began before dawn on Wednesday, when India launched missile attacks destroying what it called “terrorist camps” in the Pakistan-administered part of Kashmir.Each side then accused the other of launching waves of warplane and drone strikes, as well as missile and artillery bombardments that killed at least 60 people on both sides.”If Pakistan wants to survive, it will have to destroy its terror infrastructure,” Modi said Monday.”India will strike with precision and decisiveness against the terrorist groups thriving under the cover of nuclear blackmail.”India’s stand is very clear. Terror and talks cannot go together… Terror and trade cannot go together… Water and blood cannot flow together.”His address came after the Indian army reported the “first calm night in recent days” in disputed Kashmir and along its western border with Pakistan.The flare-up in violence was the worst since the rivals’ last open conflict in 1999 and sparked global shudders that it could spiral into full-blown war.The rivals also accused each other of breaching the ceasefire just hours after it was unexpectedly announced by Trump on social media on Saturday.- Both sides claim success -Top India and Pakistan military officials held briefings late Sunday with each claiming the upper hand and warning they were ready to respond if there were fresh attacks.”We have delivered the promise we made to our people”, Pakistan’s military spokesman Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said, calling it a “success on the battleground”.”We have thus far exercised immense restraint so far and our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory,” said Indian Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai.Pakistan claimed to have downed five Indian fighter jets — something New Delhi has not commented on.On Monday, people were trickling back to Poonch, a frontier town in Indian-administered and one of the worst-hit places.But thousands of schools remained closed across Pakistan-administered Kashmir as areas were cleared of debris from strikes and firing, said local official Naveed-Ul-Hassan Bukhari.India, meanwhile, reopened 32 airports on Monday that had been closed due to the conflict, authorities said.Militants have stepped up operations in Kashmir since 2019, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government revoked the region’s limited autonomy and took it under direct rule from New Delhi.Divided Muslim-majority Kashmir is claimed in full by both countries, who have fought several wars over the territory since their independence from Britain in 1947.Senior officers from Pakistan and India were reported to have spoken on Monday in order to further secure the ceasefire.Abdul Basit at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore said it would be about modalities of the ceasefire and not policy decisions.The aim is to “avoid any miscalculations, because right now one spark could quickly move towards a nuclear catastrophe,” Basit told AFP.