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India’s Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a ritual river dip on Wednesday at the world’s largest religious festival, a week after a stampede killed at least 30 pilgrims.Many millions of people have already bathed in the confluence of rivers at the Kumbh Mela, a six-week-long Hindu celebration of prayer and bathing held every 12 years.Modi, dressed in a saffron-coloured top and counting prayer beads in his hands, waded out thigh-deep to the holiest site of the Sangam, the meeting point of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers.He then dunked his head under the waters several times, watched by vast crowds packed along the river banks in the north Indian city of Prayagraj, in Utter Pradesh state.Modi said he was “blessed” to take part, calling it a “moment of divine connection”.”Like the tens of millions of others who have taken part in it, I was also filled with a spirit of devotion,” he added in a statement.Hindus believe that those who immerse themselves in the waters cleanse themselves of sin, breaking free from the cycle of rebirth and ultimately attaining salvation.Organisers say the scale of the Kumbh Mela is that of a temporary country, boasting that as many as 400 million pilgrims are expected to attend.Last month, at least 30 people were killed and many more injured after a surging crowd spilt out of a police cordon and trampled bystanders.More than 380 million people have so far taken a dip in the rivers during the festival, which began last month and runs until February 26, according to state government figures.Modi was accompanied by Yogi Adityanath, a hardline Hindu monk and Uttar Pradesh state chief minister, a key figure in the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).Yogi’s successful management of the mega event was seen as a critical test for the 52-year-old firebrand leader, viewed as a potential eventual successor to Modi, 74. But the deadly stampede on January 29 took the sheen off Yogi and his government’s claims touting the stellar management of the event promoted on billboards across the city.Modi’s visit to the Kumbh coincides with state elections in the capital New Delhi, where the BJP is the main challenger to the incumbent Aam Aadmi Party, led by charismatic Arvind Kejriwal.

Myanmar’s junta failed in its attempt to auction Aung San Suu Kyi’s lakeside mansion on Wednesday, with no bids submitted for the former democracy leader’s home — the third time the sale has flopped.The two-storey Yangon house, with about 0.8 hectares (1.9 acres) of land, was put up for sale with a minimum price of $140 million following a decades-long dispute over the property between the Nobel laureate and her brother.Suu Kyi, who spent years under house arrest at the mansion under a former junta, has been detained since the military seized power once again in February 2021.Around a dozen journalists, watched over by security personnel in plain clothes, attended the kerbside sale outside the colonial-era house on leafy University Avenue, a few doors from the US embassy.After calling for bids starting from 297 billion kyats — around $140 million at the official exchange rate — and getting no response, the auctioneer called off the sale, AFP reporters at the scene saw.”I announce the auction is not successful after calling for bids three times,” the auctioneer said.Similar auctions failed in March and August last year.With Myanmar’s economy shattered by the civil war triggered by the military coup, it is unclear who in the country would be in a position to spend $140 million on a single, increasingly dilapidated property.Real estate agents say similar-sized properties in upmarket Yangon areas might fetch $1 million to $2 million. The house holds a special place in Myanmar history — Suu Kyi was confined within its crumbling walls for around 15 years after shooting to fame during huge demonstrations against the then-junta in 1988.Cut off from her husband and children in England, Suu Kyi spent time playing the piano, reading detective novels and meditating as her status as a democracy leader grew.Hundreds of people would regularly gather on the pavement outside to hear her talk about democracy and fighting military rule through non-violence.After her release in 2010 she lived on in the villa, receiving a string of foreign leaders, including then US president Barack Obama, journalists and diplomats.Suu Kyi, 79, is serving a 27-year prison sentence on charges ranging from corruption to not respecting Covid-19 pandemic restrictions — charges rights groups say are a junta sham designed to eliminate her politically.

Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities raided well-known women’s radio station Radio Begum on Tuesday, arresting two employees, the broadcaster said, calling for the speedy release of its staff. The Taliban information ministry said the station had been suspended for “multiple violations”, in the latest search by the government of local media outlets in Afghanistan.”Officers from the General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) assisted by representatives of the Ministry of Information and Culture raided today Begum’s compound in Kabul,” a statement from the radio station said.The broadcaster said Taliban authorities searched the office, seizing computers, hard drives and phones, and detaining two male employees “who do not hold any senior management position”.It said it would not provide further comment, fearing for the security of the detained employees, and asked that the authorities “take care of our colleagues and release them as soon as possible”.The Taliban information ministry said the station had been suspended, in a statement on social media site X.”Besides multiple violations, it was providing materials and programmes to a TV station based abroad,” it said.”Due to the violation of the broadcasting policy and improper use of the license (from the ministry), the radio station was suspended today so that the related documents can be carefully evaluated and the final decision can be taken,” it added.Radio Begum said it has never been involved in any political activity and was “committed to serving the Afghan people and more specifically the Afghan women”. – Media shuttered -Reporters Without Borders (RSF), posting on X, demanded “the ban be lifted immediately”. The freedom of information watchdog says the Taliban authorities closed at least 12 media outlets in 2024.Radio Begum was founded on March 8, International Women’s Day, 2021, five months before the Taliban swept to power, ousting the US-backed government and implementing a strict interpretation of Islamic law.The Taliban authorities have imposed broad restrictions on women, squeezing them out of public life with rules the United Nations has labelled “gender apartheid”.Women have been barred from secondary school and university as well as squeezed from certain types of work.The few women who still appear on TV channels are covered except for their eyes and hands. Many radio stations have ceased broadcasting women’s voices. Radio Begum station staff have broadcast programming for women, by women, including educational shows, book readings and call-in counselling.In 2024, Radio Begum’s Swiss-Afghan founder Hamida Aman also launched a satellite television station, Begum TV, broadcasting educational programmes from Paris to help Afghan girls and women continue their education.Thousands of videos covering the Afghan national curriculum have also been uploaded on a sister website, available for free.The suspension of Radio Begum is the latest such action against local media in Afghanistan.In December last year, Taliban authorities shut down Afghan station Arezo TV and detained seven employees. The Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (PVPV) accused the channel of betraying Islamic values and being supported by media based outside the country, which have been heavily restricted and criticised by the Taliban authorities.

The Pakistani Taliban claimed the killing of a police officer as he travelled Monday to guard polio vaccinators on the first day of a nationwide immunisation effort after a year of rising cases.The officer was travelling to guard polio vaccinators in the area of Jamrud town in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province when he was killed, local police official Zarmat Khan told AFP.”Two motorcycle riders opened fire on him,” he said. “The constable died instantly at the scene.”Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan are the only countries where polio is endemic and militants have for decades targeted vaccination teams and their security escorts.The Pakistani Taliban in a statement claimed responsibility for the “targeted attack” and said militants also “seized” the slain officer’s weapon.Pakistan reported at least 73 polio infections in 2024, compared to just six cases in 2023. The vaccination campaign which started on Monday is the first of the year and is due to last a week.”Despite the incident, the polio vaccination drive in the area remains ongoing,” Khan said.Abdul Hameed Afridi, another senior police official in the area, also confirmed details of the attack and said officers have “launched an investigation”.Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif acknowledged the violence in a statement from his office, saying “the anti-polio campaign will continue with full vigour”.Polio can easily be prevented by the oral administration of a few drops of vaccine, but scores of vaccination workers and their escorts have been killed over the years.In the past, clerics falsely claimed that the vaccine contained pork or alcohol, declaring it forbidden for Muslims.In more recent years the attacks have focused on vulnerable police escorts accompanying the vaccinators as they go door-to-door.Last year, dozens of Pakistani policemen who accompany medical teams on campaigns went on strike after a string of militant attacks targeting them.Pakistan has witnessed rising militant attacks since the Taliban returned to power in neighbouring Afghanistan.More than 1,600 people were killed in 2024 — the deadliest year in almost a decade — according to the Center for Research and Security Studies, an Islamabad-based analysis group.Islamabad accuses Kabul’s new rulers of failing to rout militants organising on Afghan soil, a charge the Taliban government routinely denies.In November, at least seven people — including five children — were killed in a bombing targeting police gathered to guard vaccinators near a school in southwestern Balochistan province.Balochistan — which also neighbours Afghanistan — was the area with the largest number of polio cases in 2024, despite being the most sparsely populated.

A Pakistan police officer travelling to guard polio vaccinators was shot dead Monday, police said, on the first day of a nationwide immunisation effort after a year of rising cases.The officer was travelling to guard polio vaccinators in the area of Jamrud town in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province when he was killed, local police official Zarmat Khan told AFP.”Two motorcycle riders opened fire on him,” he said. “The constable died instantly at the scene.”Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan are the only countries where polio is endemic and militants have for decades targeted vaccination teams and their security escorts.Pakistan reported at least 73 polio infections in 2024, a significant increase compared to just six cases in 2023.The vaccination campaign which started on Monday is the first of the year and is due to last a week.”Despite the incident, the polio vaccination drive in the area remains ongoing,” Khan said.Abdul Hameed Afridi, another senior police official in the area, also confirmed details of the attack and said officers have “launched an investigation”.No group immediately claimed responsibility, however Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — which neighbours Afghanistan — is a hive of militant activity.The Pakistani Taliban are the most active group in the area.Polio can easily be prevented by the oral administration of a few drops of vaccine, but scores of vaccination workers and their escorts have been killed over the years.In the past, clerics falsely claimed that the vaccine contained pork or alcohol, declaring it forbidden for Muslims.In more recent years the attacks have focused on vulnerable police escorts accompanying the vaccinators as they go door-to-door.Last year, dozens of Pakistani policemen who accompany medical teams on campaigns went on strike after a string of militant attacks targeting them.Pakistan has witnessed rising militant attacks since the Taliban returned to power in neighbouring Afghanistan.More than 1,600 people were killed in attacks in 2024 — the deadliest year in almost a decade — according to the Center for Research and Security Studies, an Islamabad-based analysis group.Islamabad accuses Kabul’s new rulers of failing to rout militants organising on Afghan soil, a charge the Taliban government routinely denies.In November, at least seven people — including five children — were killed in a bombing targeting police gathered to guard vaccinators near a school in southwestern Balochistan province.Balochistan — which also neighbours Afghanistan — was the area with the largest number of polio cases in 2024, despite being the most sparsely populated.Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Sunday last year’s polio eradication efforts faced “a major setback”.”We must eradicate polio from Pakistan at any cost,” he said as he launched the new vaccination drive.

India’s Abhishek Sharma hit a brutal 135 to set up a crushing 150-run win over England in the fifth T20 international and seal the series 4-1 on Sunday.Opener Abhishek’s incredible 54-ball knock, laced with 13 sixes, fired India, who clinched the series in the fourth T20, to 247-9 after being invited to bat first at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.The tourists were never in the chase despite Phil Salt’s 23-ball 55 as India bowled out the tourists for 97 for their second biggest T20 victory by runs.Abhishek also two wickets in the only over he bowled with left-arm spin. “It’s a special one, coming for the country, always a great feeling,” said the 24-year-old Abhishek.”When I see it’s my day, I always try to go from the first ball. And the way the coach and the captain have treated me from the first day. They’ve always wanted this intent, they’ve always backed me.”England slipped to 68-4 as Jos Buttler (7), Harry Brook (2) and Liam Livingstone (9) all failed to make an impact.Shivam Dube, a batting all-rounder who bowls medium pace, removed Salt with the first ball he bowled after he was controversially replaced by fast bowler Harshit Rana as a concussion substitute in the previous match.The rest of the England batting fell quickly with Jacob Bethell, who made 10, the only batter to reach double figures other than Salt.- Chakravarthy spins a web -Wrist spinner Varun Chakravarthy and Dube also took two each.Chakravarthy was named player of the series for his 14 wickets in the five matches.Pace bowler Mohammed Shami finished with three wickets as he wrapped up the England innings in 10.3 overs.Abhishek dominated a partnership of 115 for the second wicket with Tilak Varma following England’s decision to bowl first.He raced to his fifty in 17 balls with a six and then reached his second T20 century for India in 37 deliveries. Dube was the next highest scorer with 30.Speedster Mark Wood dismissed Hardik Pandya for nine after earlier removing opener Sanju Samson.Leg-spinner Adil Rashid had Abhishek caught out in the 18th over as India lost four wickets in the final five overs.”I’ve seen a lot of cricket, and I thought Abhishek’s innings today was one of the best,” said England captain Buttler.Fast bowler Brydon Carse took three wickets including Suryakumar for two, with the Indian captain’s batting woes showing no signs of ending – 28 runs in five matches.”Some of the guys’ bowling performances – even today, Brydon Carse and Mark Wood were outstanding,” Buttler said of his team’s positives.India won the opening two matches before England came back to keep the series alive in the third game.India took an unassailable 3-1 lead in the fourth T20 after Rana’s inclusion in place of Dube — not a like-for-like replacement — angered England.The two teams now head into three one-day internationals starting February 6 in Nagpur.The series is a warm-up for the 50-over Champions Trophy starting February 19 in Pakistan and Dubai.

India’s Abhishek Sharma smashed 135 runs, plundering the England bowling with 13 sixes, to power India to 247-9 in the fifth and final T20 international on Sunday.Left-handed opener Abhishek came out firing in a 54-ball knock after England won the toss and asked India to bat first at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.The hosts already hold an unbeatable 3-1 series lead.England’s bowlers checked the run surge in the final few overs, with the total at one stage looking likely to exceed 300. India were 143-2 after 10 overs.Fast bowler Brydon Carse took three wickets including Suryakumar Yadav for two, with the Indian captain’s batting woes showing no signs of ending.Abhishek was brutal and, with Tilak Varma (24), took 25 runs from one Jamie Overton over, the pair putting on 115 runs for the second wicket.The 24-year-old raced to his fifty in 17 balls with a six and then reached his second T20 century for India in 37 deliveries. Shivam Dube was the next highest scorer with 30.Speedster Mark Wood dismissed Hardik Pandya for nine after earlier removing opener Sanju Samson.Leg-spinner Adil Rashid had Abhishek caught out in the 18th over as India lost four wickets in the final five overs.

A miner in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan poured water over a block of jade, exposing the green stone that is part of the Taliban authorities’ push to capitalise on the country’s rich mineral resources.Touting the return of security, the Taliban government is rushing to court local and foreign investors to exploit the country’s underground wealth and secure a crucial revenue stream — though experts warn of the risks of cutting corners.Emeralds, rubies, marble, gold and lithium: the resources buried across Afghanistan’s rocky landscape are estimated to be worth a trillion dollars, according to US and UN assessments from 2010 and 2013.Though decades of war spared these reserves from large-scale exploitation, roughly 200 contracts — the majority with local companies — worth billions of dollars in total have been signed since the Taliban’s 2021 return to power, official figures show.”We want Afghanistan to be self-sufficient but there are obstacles,” Humayoun Afghan, the spokesman for the Ministry of Mines, told AFP.”We have no experts, no infrastructure, no knowledge.”The Taliban authorities will “welcome anyone who wants to invest, especially those with mining experience”, he added.Many of these contracts focus on mining exploration, a process that can take years and yield little results, while loosely regulated extraction can leave behind environmental scars, experts caution.The US Geological Survey (USGS) has noted the production of coal, talc and chromite, “sharply increased” in 2021 and 2022.The authorities are prioritising resources that could lose value before tackling others, such as lithium, the prices of which may still rise on global markets.The mines ministry regularly publishes tenders for exploration and extraction projects, sending their embassies lists of available mining projects to invite foreign companies to apply, according to documents reviewed by AFP.The World Bank says the results are already visible: a 6.9 percent expansion of mining and quarrying drove an industrial sector increase of 2.6 percent in 2023-2024.But while the government “has auctioned several small mining contracts to meet its cash requirements, many of these contracts have yet to commence operations”, it said in a December report. For mining sector expert Javed Noorani, authorities are tendering “maybe 10 times more than its own capacity to do things”.- ‘Country is stabilised’ -The Taliban fought a two decade insurgency against the US and NATO-backed Afghan government in Kabul, seizing power in a rapid military campaign in 2021 after foreign forces withdrew.Foreign investors had largely abandoned the country, but security has drastically improved and the country’s road network has opened up.Most now fear being associated with the “Islamic Emirate”, which remains unrecognised internationally and under Western sanctions.However, some countries that maintain diplomatic and economic ties with Kabul, such as Iran, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Qatar, have seized the opportunity, with China leading the way.”The first thing investors say when they meet with us is that the county has been stabilised so now they want to invest,” said Afghan, who estimates that 150,000 jobs have been created by the sector since 2021.Despite improved stability in the mountainous country, there have been sporadic attacks on foreigners claimed by the Islamic State group — including a Chinese mine worker killed while travelling in northern Takhar province in January.- China in the lead -The Chinese state-owned company MCC is already operating at the Mes Aynak copper deposit, the world’s second-largest, located 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Kabul, under a 2008 contract revived by the Taliban government.Chinese companies have secured at least three other major mining projects, particularly in gold and copper, Afghan said.At a mine carved out of a mountainside in Goshta in eastern Nangarhar province, jade is extracted to be used in jewellery.”The majority of our nephrite goes to China,” said Habibrahman Kawal, co-owner of the mine. Kawal is pleased with his thriving business, having never invested in mining before the Taliban takeover.Only 14 mining companies currently active were operating under the previous government, according to the Britain-based Centre for Information Resilience.”This suggests that a new set of companies dominates the mining sector in Afghanistan,” it said.The government declined to disclose revenue figures but it profits by taking stakes in some companies and collecting royalties.- Environmental risks -Shir Baz Kaminzada, president of the Afghanistan Chamber of Industries and Mines, said some investors disregard international sanctions knowing “they can make money”. In countries with strict regulations, “you’ll spend billions to start a mine”.”In a place like Afghanistan, where there’s very little experience with mining and very few, if any, regulations for mining, that’s an advantage to companies coming in,” said geophysicist David Chambers, president of a non-profit providing technical assistance in mining activities.This allows for faster work, but “could cause environmental or economic harm”, he said.The main danger lies in mine waste, as only one percent of what is excavated is removed.The rest may contain iron sulfide minerals that contaminate the ground if it comes into contact with water.The mines ministry claims to adhere to existing legislation to ensure that the mines are “cleaned” after extraction, without providing further details.”Every dollar you don’t spend in designing a safe tailings dam (to contain waste) or in cleaning up water, that’s profit,” said Chambers. “But again, that leads to potential longer term costs.”In Afghanistan, Kaminzada admitted, “people are not taking care of the long term”.

Pakistani separatist militants claimed on Saturday an attack on a highway in a volatile southwestern province that killed 18 paramilitaries and seriously wounded three others.The attack was claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army, a group behind rising violence in Balochistan province that borders Afghanistan and Iran.A vehicle carrying unarmed border troops “came under gunfire from 70 to 80 armed assailants who had blocked the road”, a police official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.The official said 17 troops were killed, along with another who came to their aid in the overnight attack on Friday near Mangochar, a city close to the Afghan border. The military said 18 paramilitaries were killed as they responded to militants who “attempted to establish roadblocks”, while 12 attackers were killed. The BLA said in a statement it had killed 17 troops and had carried out multiple “operations”.Attacks have increased in Balochistan province in recent months, often against security forces.The BLA frequently claims deadly attacks against security forces or Pakistanis from other provinces, notably Punjabis in Balochistan.The group has also targeted energy projects with foreign financing — most notably from China — accusing outsiders of exploiting the resource-rich region while excluding residents in the poorest part of Pakistan.In November, the BLA claimed responsibility for a bombing at Quetta’s main railway station that killed 26 people, including 14 soldiers.The group also said it was behind coordinated attacks by dozens of assailants in August that killed at least 39 people, one of the highest tolls in the region.Violence has surged in Pakistan’s border regions since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021.Pakistan has accused the Taliban government of failing to rout out militants who launch attacks from Afghan soil, a charge it denies.More than 1,600 people were killed in attacks in 2024 — the deadliest year in almost a decade — including 685 civil and military security forces, according to the Center for Research and Security Studies, an Islamabad-based analysis group.

Sri Lanka suffered their heaviest defeat in Test cricket history on Saturday as Australia flexed their muscles to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series with a crushing victory by an innings and 242 runs. The contest was wrapped up before tea on day four, with rookie left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann’s match-winning spell delivering him career-best figures of 9-149 over both innings. “We were put under pressure,” Sri Lanka skipper Dhananjaya de Silva said afterwards. “The batters should have put up a better show.”Kuhnemann underwent surgery only two weeks ago on a broken right thumb sustained during the Big Bash League and battled through the match in pain, requiring constant medical attention.He was well-supported by the ever-dependable Nathan Lyon, who spun a web around the Sri Lankan batters to finish with seven match wickets.Sri Lanka’s heaviest defeat before Saturday was in Nagpur in 2017, when India hammered them by an innings and 239.Sri Lanka resumed on 136 for five overnight but their first innings folded for 165, losing their last five wickets for a mere nine runs. Put straight back in to bat chasing 489, they lost three wickets before lunch and then capitulated in the second session — a humiliating finish for a team once renowned for its prowess on turning tracks.Dinesh Chandimal had waged a lonely battle in the first innings to top-score with 72 and, with Angelo Mathews, stitched together one of only two 50-plus partnerships in the second. However, he was sent back for 31 on the last ball before lunch when he gloved Lyon to Travis Head at short leg.Oshada Fernando failed to make an impact in his return to the side, undone by a sharp inswinger from Mitchell Starc that trapped him plumb in front for six to go with his first innings seven.Former skipper Dimuth Karunaratne’s horror run with the bat continued after an avoidable dismissal for nought by Todd Murphy. – ‘Tough place to play’ -Rain forced an early lunch on day three before washing out the final two sessions. Australia declared on 654-6 late on the second day after opener Usman Khawaja’s career-best 232.”Galle is a tough place to play cricket and we are very happy with this win,” Khawaja said. “I’ve played a lot of cricket in Sri Lanka, this being my fifth tour. I’ve made lot of mistakes before. I guess all that experience came in handy in this game.”Stand-in skipper Steve Smith also had a game to remember, becoming only the fourth Australian to breach the 10,000-run mark in Test cricket on the first ball he faced. He finished his innings with a masterful 141, while wicketkeeper Josh Inglis hit a century on debut.Galle will host the second and final match of the series next week before a two-match ODI series in Colombo.