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Dimuth Karunaratne said he had fulfilled a childhood dream after the Sri Lanka opener announced that his 100th Test, against Australia starting Thursday, will be his last.The 36-year-old former skipper was a rock at the top of the Sri Lankan order for more than a decade, but has gone 25 innings without a century. The second Test against Australia in Galle will be his farewell to the five-day game. “As a kid my only dream was to play just one Test match,” Karunaratne, who has scored 7,172 runs in his 99 Tests, said on Wednesday.”Reaching 100 Tests is something truly special. But as you may have heard, this will also be my last.”You have to take stock of things and make a call at the right time. I’m at peace with my decision.”Renowned for his cool head and affable nature, Karunaratne also proved a shrewd leader.Taking over the captaincy at a turbulent time in 2019, he steadied the ship and led Sri Lanka to a historic series win in South Africa. To this day, Sri Lanka remain the only Asian team to conquer the Proteas in their own backyard.”You always set goals in life and the beauty of the game is that you chase your dreams, though you may not achieve all of them,” Karunaratne said. Karunaratne relinquished the captaincy in 2023, saying it was time for younger cricketers to lead, and said Wednesday it was again time to “pass the baton to the next generation”. “There are so many talented young players waiting in the wings,” he added.Karunaratne said he planned to travel to Australia after the series to study coaching. “Then I want to come back and contribute to Sri Lankan cricket as a coach,” he added.Sri Lanka trail the two-match series after losing the opener by an innings and 242 runs, their worst-ever Test defeat.

Wild monkeys egged on by YouTubers have been rampaging at Cambodia’s famed Angkor Wat complex, attacking tourists, wrecking temple stonework and damaging information boards, officials said Wednesday.The agency that runs the UNESCO-listed site warned visitors to steer clear of the growing gangs of “aggressive” macaques that live around the sprawling complex of ruins and have been biting tourists.The macaques are native to the lush forests that surround Angkor Wat, but Apsara National Authority said human interaction — particularly by people filming content to post online — had changed their behaviour.A small number of YouTubers regularly fed monkeys to create videos and this has “changed the monkeys’ natural behaviour from being wild animals to domestic ones that are aggressive, steal foods, and cause injuries among people”, it said in a statement.Some have reportedly even filmed themselves abusing macaques.Long Kosal, a spokesman for the Apsara National Authority, told AFP that as well as the danger posed to tourists, the agency was increasingly worried about the monkeys damaging the centuries-old stonework.”On top of biting visitors, they have been climbing up and pushing stones down, damaging temples,” he said, adding that the macaques had also damaged information boards.The agency has urged tourists to leave the monkeys alone while visiting the ruins, and said it is looking for “an appropriate solution” to the problem.Angkor Wat, built from the 9th to the 15th centuries, was the capital of the Khmer Empire and is Cambodia’s top tourist attraction, bringing in valuable revenue to a poor country.More than a million foreign tourists visited the park last year.Since it became a world heritage site in 1992, Angkor Wat and the surrounding jungle have benefited from increased legal and physical protections.There are hopes that wildlife sightings will also spark interest in local and foreign tourists and boost conservation education efforts.Last year, the agricultural ministry announced a plan to conduct a census of monkeys in public areas and to identify and relocate those posing a danger to humans.

Racehorse billionaire and Islamic spiritual leader the Aga Khan died on Tuesday aged 88, leaving millions of followers in mourning across the world.Prince Karim al-Husseini was regarded as a direct descendent of the Prophet Mohammed, given nearly divine-status as the 49th hereditary imam of the Ismaili sect of Shia Islam.The Swiss-born philanthropist was bequeathed the title of Aga Khan aged 20 by his grandfather, who skipped the line of succession for the first time since the seventh century to appoint a “young man” of the “new age”.He was the son of a British socialite and a playboy ambassador for Pakistan, who became known for having a string of high-profile lovers that landed him in the diary columns of glossy magazines.The Aga Khan went on to have a jetset lifestyle himself marked by private planes, yachts, skiing in the Winter Olympics, and a marriage to a British model, with whom he had three children.They later divorced and he married German singer Gabriele Thyssen, with whom he had a son. During the divorce case, French judges had difficulty estimating the Aga Khan’s wealth, because of a rare fiscal privilege that allows him to pay taxes in Switzerland, despite living in France.- Leave a ‘better world’ -Fuelled by his enormous wealth, he launched an apolitical secular development foundation in 1967 credited with raising literacy levels in 18 countries across South and Central Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Its work in Pakistan earned the Aga Khan the wrath of Sunni Taliban militants who accused the foundation’s schools of “brainwashing” men and women to stay away from Islam. In his youth he had dreamed of becoming an architect, before graduating instead from Harvard University with a degree in Islamic history.He has also pursued a goal of educating the world about the richness of Muslim culture.”I was born with Islamic ethics in a Muslim family. There is nothing wrong with being well off as long as money has a social and ethical value and is not the object of one’s own greed,” he told AFP in 2008.”One of the principles of Islam is that on his deathbed every person must try to leave behind a better world.”The Aga Khan has among other things helped finance the reconstruction of Bosnia’s Ottoman-era Mostar bridge, which was destroyed during the Balkan Wars in the 1990s.He boasts a enviable collection of over 1,000 years of Islamic art, one of the world’s largest and most valuable, that he has put on display in his cultural centres in London, Lisbon, Vancouver and Dubai.”We don’t do enough to illustrate to the peoples of our world the greatness of Islamic civilisations,” he told AFP in an interview in 2008 in Syria, after funding the restoration of Aleppo’s majestic citadel.- Racing empire -Just three years after taking on his religious responsibilities, he acquired a racehorsing empire assiduously built up by his grandfather and his father. “The idea of entering into an activity that was in no way central to the Ismaili Imamat, an activity in which no member of my family — neither my brother nor my sister nor I — had any understanding, in itself raised a major question mark,” he said in a book published in 2011 celebrating 50 years in the racehorse business.He will be, in the public’s eye, forever best remembered for the ill-fated Shergar, who clinched a mind-bogglingly easy win at the 1981 Epson Derby.John Matthias, the jockey of the second horse Glint of Gold, actually believed he had won the race because he couldn’t see the winner.Shergar was kidnapped two years later from the Aga Khan’s Ballymany Stud in Ireland.In March 2016, the Ismaili spiritual leader, then aged 79, fell for an audacious scammer who tricked rich targets out of millions of euros by impersonating one of France’s top politicians. His Aga Khan Development Network made bank transfers totalling 20 million euros to accounts in France, Poland and China. Some of the transfers were later blocked, but eight million euros disappeared without trace.

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.