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Bangladeshi high schooler Laiba is being educated for the future, but what she learns has been determined by the latest chapter in her country’s battle over its past. Last year, a student-led revolution overthrew the government of iron-fisted premier Sheikh Hasina when public anger over her increasingly autocratic rule boiled over.Her ouster has prompted Bangladesh to do something that has followed every sudden change in national leadership: rewrite its history books to suit new orthodoxies.”The tradition of altering history must stop at some point — the sooner, the better,” Laiba’s mother Suraiya Akhtar Jahan told AFP. “Textbooks should not change every time a new government takes office.”Radical changes to the school curriculum are routine in Bangladesh, where febrile political divisions dating back to its ruinous 1971 independence war against Pakistan have persisted. Until this year, textbooks gave special exaltation to the country’s first president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman for spearheading that liberation struggle.But Mujib, assassinated in 1975 in a military coup, is also Hasina’s father, and his daughter’s disgrace and exile has dented the late leader’s stature. “The books had turned into one side’s political manifesto,” AKM Riazul Hassan, head of the national agency tasked with reforming the curriculum, told AFP. “That does not conform to the purpose of textbooks. We tried to get them back on track.”New history books have expunged dozens of poems, speeches and articles penned by Mujib, alongside images of his daughter.They instead now valorise the hundreds of people killed in the protests that ultimately toppled Hasina last summer, while bringing back from exile other previously erased heroes of Bangladesh’s early history.Among them is former army chief Ziaur Rahman — no relation to Mujib — credited with issuing the first public proclamation of Bangladesh’s independence during the 1971 war.Zia had been left out of the curriculum during Hasina’s time because he founded the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), her chief opposition. His return to the page augurs the resurgence of the political force he created, which is strongly favoured to win elections expected by next year.- ‘Endless cycle’ -While the overhaul of Bangladesh’s official history gives clues as to the country’s future direction, critics say the new curriculum has its own litany of omissions. Of particular contention is one of the country’s darkest chapters — the murderous purge of its intellectual elite in the final days of the 1971 war. Bangladesh’s main Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami, which at the time opposed the country’s independence, helped orchestrate these killings in concert with Pakistani forces. Revised textbooks mention that militia groups were responsible for the murders, without mentioning that the militias were run by Jamaat. The omission is significant because Jamaat — another party suppressed by Hasina’s government — is likely to be a major force in Bangladesh’s next parliament, and has governed in the past in coalition with the BNP.Dhaka University professor Mujibur Rahman — no relation to the independence leader — told AFP that the apparently deliberate attempt to obscure details around the purge raised questions about the reasons behind the changes.”The real question is whether this interim government wants students to learn the actual history,” he added. Asked about the changes, Hassan said that the textbook commission he helms did not want to trap the nation’s youth “in an endless cycle of hatred”.”At some point, we need to start reconciliation,” he added. “Should we make our textbooks flooded with hatred? How rational would it be?”- ‘Minimise their anxiety’ -Other signs suggest the new textbooks have conceded several changes to hardline religious sentiment in the Muslim-majority nation. Hasina’s government, for all its other shortcomings on rights issues, was lauded for championing the rights of Bangladesh’s transgender community.The new textbooks excise references to transgender Bangladeshis, a demand long held by Islamist groups. Hassan acknowledged that the decision had been taken following objections from a Muslim group campaigning against representations of transgender issues in the curriculum. “We took their concerns into account,” he said, “and made adjustments accordingly to minimise their anxiety.”

At a scam compound in Myanmar, Filipina worker Pieta had just days to romance strangers online and trick them into investing in a fake business — failing which she would be beaten or tortured with electric shocks.Pieta was one of 260 people — many visibly injured or bruised — rescued from an illicit centre along the Myanmar border this week and handed over to Thailand, following a series of crackdowns on the illegal operations.Scam compounds have mushroomed in Myanmar’s borderlands and are staffed by foreigners, sometimes trafficked and forced to work, swindling people around the world in an industry analysts say is worth billions of dollars.Pieta, a pseudonym to protect her identity, thought she was accepting a job in Thailand that paid $1,500 a month when she left the Philippines six months ago.Instead, she was forced to work gruelling shifts for no pay at the compound in Kyauk Khet, a village in Myanmar’s Karen state, scamming people in Europe and living in constant fear of punishment.”If we didn’t reach the target, we were beaten up… (or given) electric shocks,” she told AFP from a holding centre in Phop Phra, about 30 kilometres (19 miles) south of Thailand’s Mae Sot after the rescuees were taken by boat across a small border river on Wednesday.”I’m just going to cry. Oh my God. I’m so happy… that I left that place,” she said, adding that enforced squats — sometimes up to 1,000 — were also meted out as punishment. The 260 foreign nationals — among thousands allegedly lured into the notorious cyberscam centres with promises of high-paying jobs before they are effectively held hostage — came from over a dozen countries including Ethiopia, Brazil and Nepal.- Signs of physical abuse -AFP spoke to some of them under the condition of anonymity. Many bore signs of physical abuse, including one woman who had huge bruises on her left arm and thigh and said she had been electrocuted. Liu, one of 10 Chinese nationals rescued, described gory methods his Chinese bosses inflicted as punishment.He told AFP that he saw one worker having his face rubbed into a metal grate on the floor until he bled to death — a claim AFP is unable to verify.”So many were beaten to death, it was so bloody,” he said.Scam centres have proliferated across Southeast Asia in recent years, including the Philippines, where police this week rescued 34 Indonesians from a Manila compound.Chinese supervisors there had allegedly stripped them of their passports and said they would be moved to a new site in Cambodia against their will.Gilberto Cruz, of the Philippines’ anti-organised crime commission, told AFP Friday that about 21,000 Chinese nationals who had worked for now-banned offshore gaming centres continued to operate smaller-scale scam operations in the country.Thai officials said the Kyauk Khet centre is also run by Chinese nationals and first appeared on the other side of the Moei River in 2019, although it is still under construction.None of the returnees — exhausted and overwhelmed — told how they travelled, or were trafficked into the compound.Other victims in the past have said that after arriving in Thailand, they were whisked across the border and forced to commit online fraud.But Thatchai Pitaneelaboot, a senior police official, told local news outlet The Standard on Friday that in many instances, victims come to work in the centres voluntarily. – Escape attempt -“The majority are aware of what to expect, although some are deceived while still in their countries of origin,” he said.For those who come out of choice, it is unlikely they fully understand the horror awaiting them.Kokeb from Ethiopia said he and his fellow were workers were forced to toil for 17 to 18 hours a day, and many had their phones confiscated to prevent escape.Still, two other Kenyans — who said they had been forced to defraud internet users in “rich countries” such as the United States — staged an escape with several others days before the handover, and were caught by a local militia. The Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) which controls the Kyauk Khet area — where the compound is located — claimed responsibility for extracting the workers.General Saw Shwe Wah, DKBA’s second commander-in-chief said on Wednesday he was “relieved to have safely handed them over” to Thai authorities.They and another Myanmar military group have said they will be releasing thousands more scam centre workers into Thailand in the coming weeks. The returnees told how thousands were still being held in Kyauk Khet, but they are overjoyed to finally be returning home.Liu left behind his wife in his hometown in Yunnan province when she was pregnant with his second child.”I can’t wait to see my children,” he said.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday offered to sell state-of-the-art fighter jets to India as he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to ramp up trade, rekindling a bond that defies the new US administration’s punitive approach to much of the world.Modi, only the fourth world leader to visit the White House since Trump’s return, described the fellow nationalist as a friend and told him he was adopting a take on his “Make America Great Again” slogan.Trump said that he found a “special bond” with Modi and India and, in an uncharacteristic if ironic show of humility, complimented Modi as being a “much tougher negotiator” than he is.Successive US administrations have seen India as a key partner with like-minded interests in the face of a rising China, and Trump announced that the new administration was ready to sell one of the top US military prizes — F-35s.”Starting this year, we’ll be increasing military sales to India by many billions of dollars,” Trump told a joint news conference with Modi.”We’re also paving the way to ultimately provide India with the F-35 stealth fighters,” Trump said.India would join an elite club of countries that include NATO allies, Israel and Japan that would be allowed to buy the F-35, which can operate without detection at supersonic speeds.India currently relies on an ageing fleet of Russian fighter jets as well as a small number of French-made Rafale aircraft.India’s arch rival and neighbour, Pakistan, however said it was “deeply concerned” about the sales. “Such steps accentuate military imbalances in the region and undermine strategic stability. They remain unhelpful in achieving the objectives of durable peace in the region,” said Shafqat Ali Khan, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.- Dangling tariffs -Continuing a push from his predecessor Joe Biden, Trump said that the two countries also planned investment in ports, railways and underseas cable to “build one of the greatest trade routes in all of history,” running from India to Israel to Europe and beyond.Trump has dueled with both friends and foes on economic issues. Hours before meeting, Trump announced reciprocal tariffs on all countries, including India.Speaking next to Modi, Trump called India’s “unfair, very strong tariffs” a “big problem” but said that the two countries would hold negotiations to close a trade deficit in India’s favor.Modi said that the world’s largest and fifth-largest economies would work on a “mutually beneficial trade agreement” to be sealed “very soon,” with a focus on oil and gas.Joining Trump’s meeting with Modi was SpaceX and Tesla tycoon Elon Musk, who has launched an aggressive effort as Trump’s right-hand man to overhaul the US bureaucracy.Modi also met one-on-one with Musk, raising questions over whether the world’s richest man was meeting the Indian leader in an official or business capacity.The Indian premier posted pictures of himself shaking hands with the beaming Musk, with several children on Musk’s side of the room, and Indian officials on the other.- Courting Trump -Modi offered quick tariff concessions ahead of his visit, with New Delhi slashing duties on high-end motorcycles — a boost to Harley-Davidson, the iconic US manufacturer whose struggles in India have irked Trump.India has already accepted a US military flight carrying 100 shackled migrants last week as part of Trump’s immigration crackdown. The treatment drew protests from India’s opposition which accused Modi of sacrificing the dignity of citizens to please Trump.Trump in turn announced the United States would extradite to India a suspect in the bloody 2008 siege of Mumbai, whom he called “one of the very evil people in the world.” Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin who was based in Chicago, was convicted in 2011 and later sentenced to 13 years in prison.Modi and Trump share much in common, with both campaigning on promises to promote majority communities over minorities and both doggedly quashing dissent.In 2020, Modi delighted Trump by inviting him before a cheering crowd of more than 100,000 people to inaugurate the world’s largest cricket stadium in his home state of Gujarat.Trump could visit India later this year for a summit of the Quad — a four-way grouping of Australia, India, Japan and the United States.burs-dk-sct/bfm/stu

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded a whistle-stop diplomatic tour Friday having secured significant pledges of support from Washington and Paris to help step up his country’s nuclear energy programme. New Delhi has vowed to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2070 partly by increasing the number of nuclear plants in the country from eight, which currently account for around three percent of power generation in India.Modi’s White House meeting with President Donald Trump resulted in an agreement to build US-designed nuclear reactors in India.”This path forward will unlock plans to build large US-designed reactors and enable collaboration to develop, deploy and scale up nuclear power generation with advanced small modular reactors,” a joint statement said Thursday. India revealed a similar deal with France following Modi’s meeting with President Emmanuel Macron earlier this week. Foreign secretary Vikram Misri said Wednesday that India and France aimed to initiate cooperation on developing small modular nuclear reactors, nothing that the technology was still in its “initial stages”.”Our intent is to be able to cooperate in co-designing the reactors, co-developing them, and co-producing them,” he told reporters.Both partnerships come days after Modi’s government announced plans to amend its strict nuclear liability law, which holds operators liable for any damage or accident, with exceptions made for certain situations including natural disasters.Despite the nuclear tilt, fossil fuels remain very much on the agenda with New Delhi saying it was working towards establishing the United States as its “leading supplier of crude oil and petroleum products and liquified natural gas”. The plan is “in line with the growing needs and priorities of our dynamic economies”, India said. Misri said India purchased “about $15 billion in U.S. energy output” and that there was a “good chance” that the figure could go up to as much as $25 billion in the near future.Earlier this year, India also greenlit a $1.9 billion plan to help snap up supplies of a range of critical minerals vital for the country’s green energy and defence sectors.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi met US President Donald Trump — and billionaire Elon Musk — at the White House on Thursday, with the two national leaders hailing their close bond despite Trump’s expanding global trade war.”He is a great friend of mine. For a long time we’ve had a wonderful relationship,” Trump said as he greeted Modi in the Oval Office for a visit that he promised would bring “wonderful” trade deals.Modi, trying to build on the bromance that he fostered with Trump in his first term, said that the two had “the same bond, with the same trust and the same excitement.” SpaceX and Tesla tycoon Musk — who has launched an aggressive effort as Trump’s right-hand man to overhaul the US bureaucracy — was in the Oval Office for the talks with Trump.Musk also held a one-on-one meeting with Modi earlier Thursday, in an encounter that drew questions over whether the world’s richest man was meeting the Indian premier in an official or a business capacity. Modi said the meeting was “very good.”The Indian premier posted pictures of himself shaking hands with the beaming Musk, with several children on Musk’s side of the room, and Indian officials on the other.The White House said Trump and Modi hoped to agree on a long-sought US-India trade deal and a new defense partnership, while Trump said they would also sign deals on oil and gas.But Trump had earlier put the leader of the world’s most populous nation on notice over possible tariffs.The meeting came hours after the US president announced reciprocal tariffs on all countries, including India — but New Delhi is hoping to avoid further levies that Trump says are needed to counter the US trade deficit.”India, traditionally, is the highest, just about the highest tariff country. They charge more tariffs than any other country. And I mean, we’ll be talking about that,” Trump told reporters.”India is a very hard place to do business because of the tariffs.”US officials said there had been “early body language” from India but there was a “lot more work to do.” Modi offered quick tariff concessions ahead of his visit, with New Delhi slashing duties on high-end motorcycles — a boost to Harley-Davidson, the iconic US manufacturer whose struggles in India have irked Trump.India has already accepted a US military flight carrying 100 shackled migrants last week as part of Trump’s immigration overhaul, and New Delhi has vowed its own “strong crackdown” on illegal migration.Modi is the fourth world leader to visit Trump since his return, following the prime ministers of Israel and Japan, and the king of Jordan.The Indian prime minister assiduously courted Trump during his first term.The two share much in common, with both campaigning on promises to promote majority communities over minorities and both doggedly quashing dissent.In 2020, Modi invited Trump before a cheering crowd of more than 100,000 people to inaugurate the world’s largest cricket stadium in his home state of Gujarat.Trump could visit India later this year for a summit of the Quad — a four-way grouping of Australia, India, Japan and the United States.burs-dk/bgs

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was meeting Donald Trump and Elon Musk in Washington Thursday, as he seeks to rekindle his bromance with the US president and avoid his wrath on tariffs and trade.White House officials said Trump and Modi would be aiming for a “fair” trade deal between their countries — a long-sought goal — this year, as well as a new defense partnership and military sales.Modi said he had first held a “very good” one-on-one meeting with tech billionaire Musk, who has launched an aggressive effort as Trump’s right-hand man to overhaul the federal bureaucracy.The Indian premier posted pictures of himself shaking hands with the beaming SpaceX and Tesla tycoon in front of US and Indian flags, with several children on Musk’s side of the room, and Indian officials on the other.”We discussed various issues, including those he is passionate about such as space, mobility, technology and innovation,” Modi said on Musk’s X social network, adding that he had spoken about “India’s efforts towards reform.”Modi will later meet Trump in the Oval Office before they hold a joint press conference — a rare move from the Indian leader, who is a prolific social media user but seldom takes questions from reporters.”There’s a lot of natural warmth dating back to President Trump’s first term,” a senior Trump administration official said.But the official said that while there was “early body language from the government of India that has been well received,” they were “modest steps” and there remained “a lot more work to do.”So far Modi has offered quick tariff concessions ahead of his visit, with New Delhi slashing duties on high-end motorcycles — a boost to Harley-Davidson, the iconic US manufacturer whose struggles in India have irked Trump.The two leaders would make a further push towards a trade deal with a hope to have it in place sometime this year, the official added.US officials said it would be up to Trump to talk about any possible tariffs on India. The United States had a $45.6 billion trade deficit with India in 2024, according to US figures.- ‘Trump’s anger’ -India has already accepted a US military flight carrying 100 shackled migrants last week as part of Trump’s immigration overhaul, and New Delhi has vowed its own “strong crackdown” on illegal migration.For nearly three decades, US presidents from both parties have prioritized building ties with India, seeing a natural partner against a rising China.But Trump has also raged against India over trade, the biggest foreign policy preoccupation of his new term, in the past calling the world’s fifth-largest economy the “biggest tariff abuser.”Former property tycoon Trump has unapologetically weaponized tariffs against friends and foes since his return.Modi “has prepared for this, and he is seeking to preempt Trump’s anger,” said Lisa Curtis, the National Security Council director on South Asia during Trump’s first term.One thing Modi is set to avoid, however, is official US scrutiny of his record on the rights of Muslims and other minorities. Trump is unlikely to highlight an issue on which former president Joe Biden’s administration offered gentle critiques.Modi is the fourth world leader to visit Trump since his return, following the prime ministers of Israel and Japan, and the king of Jordan.The Indian prime minister assiduously courted Trump during his first term.The two share much in common, with both campaigning on promises to promote majority communities over minorities and both doggedly quashing dissent.In 2020, Modi invited Trump before a cheering crowd of more than 100,000 people to inaugurate the world’s largest cricket stadium in his home state of Gujarat.Trump could visit India later this year for a summit of the Quad — a four-way grouping of Australia, India, Japan and the United States.burs-dk/aha

Once shunned and now eagerly courted by the West, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stood by Donald Trump’s side at a huge rally and also been lauded by the US president as a “total killer”.Modi’s political ascent was marred by allegations of his culpability in India’s worst religious riots this century, and his tenure has dovetailed with rising hostility towards Muslims and other minorities.Supporters revere Modi’s tough-guy persona, burnished by his image as a steward of India’s Hindu majority faith and myth-making that played up his modest roots.”They dislike me because of my humble origins,” he said in rallies ahead of 2019 elections, lambasting his opponents.”Yes, a person belonging to a poor family has become prime minister. They do not fail to hide their contempt for this fact.”Modi was born in 1950 in the western state of Gujarat, the third of six children whose father sold tea at a railway station.He was an average student but his gift for rousing oratory was first seen as a keen member of a school debate club and his participation in theatrical performances.The seeds of his political destiny were sown at the age of eight when he joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a hardline nationalist group.Modi dedicated himself to its cause of promoting Hindu supremacy in constitutionally secular India, even walking out of his arranged marriage soon after his wedding at the age of 18. Remaining with his wife — whom he never officially divorced — would have hampered his advancement through the ranks of the RSS, which expected senior cadres to stay celibate.- Deadly riots -The RSS groomed Modi for a career in its political wing, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which grew into a major force through the 1990s. He was appointed chief minister of Gujarat in 2001 but the state was rocked by sectarian riots the following year, sparked by a fire that killed dozens of Hindu pilgrims.At least 1,000 people were killed in the ensuing violence, most of the victims Muslims.Modi was accused of both helping stir up the unrest and failing to order a police intervention.He later told a BBC reporter that his main weakness in responding to the riots was not knowing “how to handle the media”.A probe by India’s top court eventually said there was no evidence to prosecute Modi, but the international fallout saw him banned from entering the United States and Britain for years.However, it was a testament to India’s changing political tides that his popularity only grew at home.He built a reputation as a leader ready to assert the interests of Hindus, who he contended had been held back by the secularist forces that ruled India almost continuously since independence from Britain. – ‘Friend of mine’ -Critics have sounded the alarm over a spate of prosecutions directed at Modi’s political rivals and the taming of a once-vibrant press.India’s Muslim community of more than 200 million people is also increasingly anxious about its future.Modi’s rise to the premiership was followed by a spate of lynchings targeting Muslims for the slaughter of cows, a sacred animal in the Hindu tradition.But Western democracies have sidestepped rights concerns in the hopes of cultivating a regional ally that can help check China’s assertiveness.He has taken credit for India’s rising diplomatic and economic clout, claiming that the country has become a “vishwaguru” — a teacher to the world — under his watch.He is now looking to rekindle his cosy friendship with Trump when he meets the US president at the White House on Thursday.Modi assiduously courted Trump during his first term and the two share much in common.Both campaigned on promises to promote the interests of their countries’ majority communities over minorities and both pursue critics doggedly.The pair heaped praise on each other in a joint appearance at a stadium in Houston in 2019, touting a close, personal alliance in front of tens of thousands of Indian-Americans.Some 50,000 people attended the event — dubbed “Howdy, Modi!” — and it was billed as the largest gathering by a foreign leader in the United States other than the pope.The following year Modi invited Trump before a cheering crowd of more than 100,000 people to inaugurate the world’s largest cricket stadium in his home state of Gujarat.Modi also took Trump and wife Melania on a guided visit of independence hero Mahatma Gandhi’s ashram.”He’s great. He’s a friend of mine,” Trump told a podcast hosted by stand-up comedian Andrew Schultz last year.”On the outside he looks like he’s your father. He’s the nicest. Total killer.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will try to rekindle his bromance with Donald Trump — and avoid the US president’s wrath on tariffs and immigration — when they meet on Thursday at the White House.Modi will hold a joint press conference with Trump, the White House said — a rare move from the Indian leader, who is a prolific social media user but seldom takes questions from reporters.He will also hold a one-on-one meeting with tech billionaire Elon Musk, whose aggressive efforts as Trump’s right-hand man to overhaul the federal bureaucracy have alarmed critics. The latest in a series of foreign leaders beating an early path to the Oval Office door since the Republican’s return to power, Modi shared good relations with Trump during his first term.The premier has offered quick tariff concessions ahead of his visit, with New Delhi slashing duties on high-end motorcycles — a boost to Harley-Davidson, the iconic American manufacturer whose struggles in India have irked Trump.India also accepted a US military flight carrying 100 shackled migrants last week as part of Trump’s immigration overhaul, and New Delhi has vowed its own “strong crackdown” on illegal migration.India’s top career diplomat Vikram Misri said last week that there had been a “very close rapport” between the leaders, although their ties have so far failed to bring a breakthrough on a long-sought bilateral trade deal.Modi was among the first to congratulate “good friend” Trump after his November election win.For nearly three decades, US presidents from both parties have prioritized building ties with India, seeing a natural partner against a rising China.But Trump has also raged against India over trade, the biggest foreign policy preoccupation of his new term, in the past calling the world’s fifth-largest economy the “biggest tariff abuser.”Former property tycoon Trump has unapologetically weaponized tariffs against friends and foes since his return.- ‘Trump’s anger’ -Modi “has prepared for this, and he is seeking to preempt Trump’s anger,” said Lisa Curtis, the National Security Council director on South Asia during Trump’s first term.The Indian premier’s Hindu-nationalist government has meanwhile obliged Trump on another top priority: deporting undocumented immigrants.While public attention has focused on Latin American arrivals, India is the third-biggest source of undocumented immigrants in the United States after Mexico and El Salvador.Indian activists burned an effigy of Trump last week after the migrants on the US plane were flown back in shackles the whole journey, while the opposition accused Modi of weakness.One thing Modi is likely to avoid, however, is any focus on his record on the rights of Muslims and other minorities.Trump is unlikely to highlight an issue on which former president Joe Biden’s administration offered gentle critiques.Modi is the fourth world leader to visit Trump since his return, following the prime ministers of Israel and Japan, and the king of Jordan.Modi assiduously courted Trump during his first term. The two share much in common, with both campaigning on promises to promote the interests of their countries’ majority communities over minorities and both doggedly pursuing critics.In February 2020, Modi invited Trump before a cheering crowd of more than 100,000 people to inaugurate the world’s largest cricket stadium in his home state of Gujarat.Trump could visit India later this year for a scheduled summit of the Quad — a four-way grouping of Australia, India, Japan and the United States.dk-sct-mlm-gle/sco

Ahmad Habibzi pauses to pray at the top of the halfpipe hill on a mountain at the Yabuli Ski Resort in northeastern China. The Afghan-Canadian snowboarder was giving thanks to God after a whirlwind trip to China, and asking for protection before setting off down the U-shaped course on Wednesday.The 33-year-old is the oldest of Afghanistan’s snowboarding trio at the Asian Winter Games in Harbin, where they are up against world-class competitors from South Korea, China and Japan.They are all refugees and are Afghanistan’s first representatives at the Asian Winter Games since 2011, when the country fielded one cross-country skier.Habibzi, a Toronto-based IT and security worker, fled Kabul with his family at four years old.His teammates, Ahmad Romal Hayat who is 30 and 24-year-old Nizaruddin Ali Zada, left when the Taliban seized control in 2021.”I hold this Canadian passport, but at the end of the day I am Afghan,” said Habibzi, who dreamed of competing for his birth country since taking up snowboarding a decade ago.”My friends, family and relatives, they are all so happy for me,” said the Kabul-born Habibzi. “My mom and dad were crying.”Afghanistan compete under the black, red and green flag of the toppled republic at major games, as the International Olympic Committee does not recognise the black-and-white emblem of the ruling Taliban government.Afghanistan have never competed at the Winter Olympics and have just one summer medallist, Rohullah Nikpai, who won taekwondo bronze in 2008 and 2012.”We are not professional and try to gain experience from these competitions,” said Ali Zada, who had the “special feeling” of carrying the flag at the opening ceremony. – ‘Afghanistan on your shoulders’ -“It’s like you have the whole of Afghanistan on your shoulders and you want to keep it high.”The three were the last to go in Wednesday’s halfpipe qualification.Gasps of awe turned into surprised laughter in the 100-spectator crowd when Hayat was the first of the trio to set off and stuck to the sides of the halfpipe, prioritising balance over how high he could get in the air.But the amusement gave way to appreciative cheers when he pumped his arms and let out a loud whoop on completing his run.”We know that Afghanistan is facing a lot of problems politically, socially, and economically,” Hayat told AFP.”We have come to… tell them that the messengers of peace are alive.”Hayat whipped out his phone to film Ali Zada, embracing his teammate before the two shared a seat on the lift back up the mountain.”Hi Mom, hi Dad”, said Habibzi, waving to the camera lens. “I love you.”Habibzi, who can practise on mountains in Canada and the United States, recognises he is privileged compared with his teammates, who grew up in Afghanistan.”I always ask,” he said, “why is it me, that I got to leave the country earlier, and not someone else?”When they were in Afghanistan before 2021, getting equipment had been a struggle and snowboarders had been limited to a few provinces considered safe enough to train, said Najibullah Ayoubi, the general secretary of the Afghanistan snowboarding federation who is now based in Germany.The Afghan snowboarders are not the only relative newcomers to the sport at the Asian Winter Games.Cambodia’s four snowboarders told AFP that each of them had managed only two weeks of training in South Korea.Lee Chae-un, the South Korean halfpipe world champion in 2023, called the Afghan crew “kind” and “funny” after meeting them for the first time.”I’ve been so happy riding together,” the 18-year-old Lee told AFP.For Habibzi, reality won’t kick in until he gets home, where his family have been watching.”I still feel like I’m dreaming,” said Habibzi, in a jacket with the Afghan flag and five Olympic rings above his heart.”It’s my biggest achievement.”

Shubman Gill was the toast of Indian cricket Thursday after a match-winning century against England that fuelled optimism that he can carry his blazing form into the Champions Trophy.The vice-captain smashed 112 off 102 balls to set up India’s 142-run hammering of England and sweep the one-day international series 3-0 in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.Gill, who took back the opening slot from Yashasvi Jaiswal, ended the series as the leading batsman with 259 runs after his 87 and 60 in the first two wins.He registered his seventh ODI ton in his 50th match and now has a hundred in all three international formats at Ahmedabad, home of the world’s biggest cricket stadium.His spell comes ahead of the 50-over Champions Trophy starting February 19 in Pakistan and Dubai and after a lean patch in Tests. He scored just 93 runs in five innings during India’s 3-1 Test defeat in Australia. “He is still 25, so imagine what can happen in the next couple of years if we keep backing him and keep putting trust in these young cricketers in that dressing room,” coach Gautam Gambhir told reporters. Gill was appointed deputy to skipper Rohit Sharma ahead of the England ODIs and Gambhir said that he seemed to thrive with the added responsibility.”Hopefully he can continue going forward and in the Champions Trophy as well,” Gambhir added. Gill put on key stands including a 116-run partnership with Virat Kohli in the final England match, hitting 14 fours and three sixes.”This (Champions Trophy) is a tournament that will make us notice Shubman Gill even more,” former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar told ESPNcricinfo.”At this stage he is able to balance his game of attack and defence.”Veteran commentator Harsha Bhogle, on Indian website Cricbuzz, said: “With Shubman there is never a shortage of style, class and elegance.”India begin their Champions Trophy campaign in Dubai against Bangladesh on February 20 and three days later face arch-rivals Pakistan.