Pakistan

Credit-rating firm Fitch on Monday maintained its long-term foreign-currency issuer default rating on India at ‘BBB-’, citing the country’s strong economic growth and resilient external finances. “India’s economic outlook remains strong relative to peers, even as momentum has moderated in the past two years,” Fitch said in a statement. The agency forecast GDP growth of 6.5 per cent for the fiscal year ending March 2026 (FY26), unchanged from FY25, and well above the ‘BBB’ median of 2.5pc. Fitch’s rating comes days after S&P Global Ratings lifted its sovereign credit rating on India, citing strong economic growth, marking its first upgrade in 18 years. Economic Affairs Secretary Anuradha Thakur had then said she expects other rating agencies to take note of the factors behind S&P’s upgrade and follow suit. Domestic demand will remain “solid”, helped by the government’s ongoing capital spending drive and steady private consumption, Fitch said, but flagged that private investment will remain moderate due to risk...

Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic overcame early tests to reach the US Open second round before the Grand Slam descended into chaos late on Sunday when Daniil Medvedev launched a tirade at the match umpire and fans disrupted his opponent’s service game. New York’s famously rowdy fans caused a six-minute delay by refusing to stop jeering and booing midway through Medvedev’s 6-3 7-5 6-7(5) 0-6 6-4 defeat by Benjamin Bonzi on Louis Armstrong Stadium. The controversy began when a photographer entered the court prematurely after Bonzi missed his first serve on match point at 5-4 in the third set, prompting chair umpire Greg Allensworth to award the Frenchman another first serve for the disturbance. An incensed Medvedev exploded at the official and whipped up the crowd, preventing a rattled Bonzi from serving. Russia’s Daniil Medvedev talks to the referee during his first round match against France’s Benjamin Bonzi. — Reuters Daniil Medvedev breaks his racket after losing in five sets to Benjamin Bonzi of France d...

Karachi residents faced disruptions in their daily commute on Monday morning due to traffic jams caused by repair work on tattered and flooded roads in the aftermath of last week’s heavy rains. Torrential rains on August 19 had flooded neighbourhoods, severely strained Karachi’s fragile infrastructure, left people stranded on roads for hours, disrupted industrial operations and led to prolonged power outages. Thoroughfares are still riddled with potholes, exposing the devastation of Karachi’s road network and posing serious dangers to commuters across the metropolis. Subsequently, as Karachiites left their homes for offices and schools this morning, they faced hurdles caused by accumulated rainwater and “development work” being carried out to repair the ruined roads, as reported by the traffic police. Areas in the Malir, East and Korangi districts were affected, with locations including the busy thoroughfare of Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road near Shaheen Complex. Dawn.com staffers also reported traffic congestion nea...

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) announced on Monday that the spillways of Tarbela Dam were opened at 8:00 am to manage rising water levels.

On the special directives of the Prime Minister, Pakistan has dispatched another consignment of humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza.

In a bid to improve public convenience, Director General of Passports Mustafa Jamal Qazi has announced a new administrative structure for passport services across Punjab.

The World Bank on Monday approved a $47.9 million grant to improve primary education in Punjab, saying the project will expand early childhood schooling, re-enrol out-of-school children and strengthen teacher support. The move came over a month after the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and the World Bank teams conducted the 12th and final mission to review and evaluate progress against the targets set under the Higher Education Development in Pakistan (HEDP) project. “The World Bank has approved a US$47.9 million grant, funded by the Global Partnership for Education Fund, to help improve girls’ and boys’ participation at pre-primary and primary levels in Pakistan’s Punjab province,” the organisation said in a press release dated August 23, shared on social media today. According to the press release, the GRADES-Balochistan project will also improve the responsiveness of the education sector to climate change and emergencies. Among the four million children that the project aims to benefit are 80,000 out-of-...

India has reached out to Pakistan under the framework of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), sharing early flood warnings for the first time since the May military conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, official sources confirmed on Monday.

Pakistan Railways has unveiled plans to launch a high-speed bullet train service between Lahore and Karachi by 2030, cutting travel time between the two provincial capitals from 20 hours to just five.

India fears a planned Chinese mega-dam in Tibet will reduce water flows on a major river by up to 85 per cent during the dry season, according to four sources familiar with the matter and a government analysis seen by Reuters, prompting Delhi to fast-track plans for its own dam to mitigate the effects. The Indian government has been considering projects since the early 2000s to control the flow of water from Tibet’s Angsi Glacier, which sustains more than 100 million people downstream in China, India and Bangladesh. But the plans have been hindered by fierce and occasionally violent resistance from residents of the border state of Arunachal Pradesh, who fear their villages will be submerged and way of life destroyed by any dam. Then in December, China announced that it would build the world’s largest hydropower dam in a border county just before the Yarlung Zangbo river crosses into India. That triggered fears in New Delhi that its longtime strategic rival — which has some territorial claims in Arunachal Prad...

Pakistan Railways has suspended train operations between Quetta and Peshawar for two days due to the prevailing flood situation.

Mansehra - Additional Deputy Commissioner (Relief) Mansehra, Asad Lodhi, has said that 95 percent of compensation has been paid to victims of the recent floods in Haleem Dairy and Neel Bund, the main disaster-hit areas of the district.

ISLAMABAD - An international conference on Kashmir, titled “Jammu and Kashmir in the Current International Political Scenario,” was convened at the European Press Club Brussels, bringing together diplomats, political leaders, academics, and activists to deliberate on the longstanding dispute.

Fatima Sana will lead the women’s side in the upcoming ICC Women’s World Cup as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday announced a 15-member squad for the tournament set to take place in India and Sri Lanka in September. Pakistan will play all their matches of the 50-over World Cup in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo when India hosts this year’s tournament from Sept 30 to November 2. Following India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy earlier this year, a “hybrid model” was decided upon whereby India would play all its matches in Dubai, chosen as a neutral venue. The women’s national selection committee named the squad for the tournament, and announced that the same squad will also feature in a three-match ODI series against South Africa, scheduled at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore from Sept 16-22. “Uncapped right-handed batter Eyman Fatima, who recently made her T20I debut against Ireland, is part of the ODI squad,” PCB said. “Fatima Sana, who represented Pakistan in the previous edition o...

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif was hosted at a dinner reception by Thailand’s former Prime Minister and prominent business leader in the telecommunications sector, Thaksin Shinawatra.

DPM holds series of high-level engagements in Dhaka Dar, Yunus discuss revitalising SAARC for regional connectivity Bilateral agreements signed to strengthen cooperation Both sides call for tapping trade potential Dar’s visit marks first trip to Bangladesh by Pakistani foreign minister in 13.

Rivers Indus, Chenab likely to become furious in next 24 hours: FFD India releases water into Tawi River n Seven die in DI Khan in rain-related incidents Flash floods claimed 788, lives, injured 1,018 since June 26: NDMA.

ISLAMABAD - China has said the Pakistani Army serves as the ballast of national stability and a staunch defender of the China-Pakistan friendship and cooperation, guaranteeing economic as well as regional prosperity.

Islamabad - Supreme Court’s Justice Athar Minallah has cast doubts on the autonomy of Pakistan’s judicial system, saying the country needed “an independent judiciary and judges”.

The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee on Sunday announced that the moon of Rabi-ul-Awwal 1447 Hijri was not sighted in any part of the country.