Pakistan

Powerhouse Australia said it was “up for the challenge” on Friday of winning an unprecedented eighth ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, naming a star-studded squad to defend their title in India and Sri Lanka. Led by Alyssa Healy, the 15-strong line-up features fellow seasoned campaigners Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Annabel Sutherland, Tahlia McGrath and Ashleigh Gardner. Sophie Molineux makes her return from knee surgery in January, while Darcie Brown (quad) and Georgia Wareham (groin) both brushed off recent niggles to take their places. Molineux is among five Australians who will feature in a 50-over World Cup for the first time, alongside opener Phoebe Litchfield who was recently player-of-the-tournament at English cricket’s Hundred. Leg-spinner Wareham, quick Kim Garth and batter Georgia Voll will also taste World Cup cricket for the first time. The remaining quad members were all part of Australia’s 2022 triumph at the last tournament in New Zealand, where they thumped England by 71 runs in the final. “A Wor...

State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry on Friday reaffirmed the government’s readiness to engage with Balochistan’s leadership and political representatives to find practical solutions to the province’s longstanding issues.

An egg was hurled at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s sister, Aleema Khanum, during a press conference outside Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on Friday.

The Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) Faisalabad has postponed the 2025 second annual matric examinations due to severe flooding in the region.

Like the previous fiscal year, the salaried class has once again emerged as the largest contributor to income tax in the ongoing fiscal year 2025-26, according to data released by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).

A National Assembly session chaired by Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq was marked by a boycott from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members after their de-notifications.

Authorities in India banned the X account of an Austrian economist after he shared a map showing Khalistan having been carved out of India and called for “dismantling India”, the local media reported on Friday. The Khalistan movement is a Sikh separatist movement seeking an independent state for the religious minority carved out of Indian territory. It is considered a security threat by the Indian government. The economist, Gunther Fehlinger-Jahn, appeared to be calling for the creation of Khalistan in his post on X, stating: “I call to dismanlte India into ExIndia. Narendra Modi is Russia’s man. We need friend of freedom for @KhalistanNet.” The map also seemed to be implying the separation of various other regions of India. According to NDTV, India’s Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology “flagged the viral post and directed X to withhold access to the account for Indian users. The account has since been disabled in India”. The report added that the post resulted in “...

Daniel Levy stepped down as Tottenham executive chairman in a shock move on Thursday after a controversial reign lasting nearly 25 years. Levy was the driving force behind Tottenham’s 1.2 billion ($1.6bn) stadium and state of the art training centre. But the 63-year-old was a polarising figure among Tottenham fans, with numerous protests against him during difficult spell for the Premier League team. Levy, who was the longest-serving chairman in the Premier League, had come under fire more than ever over the last few seasons. A series of failed managerial appointments and the club’s transfer policy infuriated supporters and turned up the heat on Levy, who was accused of caring more about the club’s financial profits than success on the pitch. Tottenham endured their worst top-flight finish since 1976-77 last season, coming 17th before salvaging the campaign by winning the Europa League to qualify for the Champions League. That success — which ended Tottenham’s 17-year trophy drought — was not enough to spare ...

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Friday directed relevant departments to immediately prepare and implement a comprehensive rehabilitation package for families affected by recent floods.

The Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) on Friday forecast the 10th spell of monsoon rains, expected to begin on Saturday (September 6) and continue until September 9, urging citizens to take precautionary measures.

Anthropic is barring Chinese-run companies and organisations from using its artificial intelligence services, the US tech giant said, as it toughened restrictions on “authoritarian regions”. The startup, heavily backed by Amazon, is known for its Claude chatbot and positions itself as focused on AI safety and responsible development. Companies based in China, as well as in countries including Russia, North Korea and Iran, are already unable to access Anthropic’s commercial services over legal and security concerns. ChatGPT and other products from US competitor OpenAI are also unavailable within China — spurring the growth of homegrown AI models from Chinese companies such as Alibaba and Baidu. Anthropic said in a statement dated Friday that it was going a step further in an update to its terms of service. Despite current restrictions, some groups “continue accessing our services in various ways, such as through subsidiaries incorporated in other countries,” the US firm said. So “this update prohibits companie...

Three children lost their lives and five were injured as a dumper truck ran them over in Abbottabad on Friday at around 8am, police said. Abbottabad police spokesperson Azam Mir Afzal told Dawn.com, “The accident took place as the school children were crossing the road near the Lady Garden public park.” Afzal said a first information report was registered against the driver who fled the scene. The dumper had also been seized, he added. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Ahmad Faizi said, “A rescue team was immediately dispatched to the accident site after receiving information about the incident. The bodies of the deceased, as well as the injured children, were taken to the district headquarters hospital.” Following the incident, family members of the children and local residents staged a protest and blocked the Old Karakoram Highway, police spokesperson Afzal said. They were demanding the arrest of the dumper truck’s driver, Afzal said, adding that the protest ended after negotiations and...

Massive flooding triggered by India’s release of water into Pakistan’s rivers has wreaked havoc across southern Punjab, with embankments collapsing, villages inundated, and at least two people reported drowned.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has constituted a four-member larger bench to hear a petition filed by Dr Fowzia Siddiqui seeking the release and repatriation of her sister, Dr Aafia Siddiqui, from a US prison.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in his message on the occasion of International Day of Charity, appealed to the nation to extend greater support for flood victims across Pakistan.

Special events were organized in schools under the auspices of Frontier Corps (FC) KP North to mark Defence and Martyrs Day.

In a decisive move to prevent a looming flour crisis, the Punjab government on Friday imposed a province-wide ban on the use of wheat in feed mills.

RAWALPINDI: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has predicted torrential rains in Sindh, besides eastern Punjab, from Sept 7 to 9 with occasional gaps. According to it, a low-pressure system currently exists over the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and is likely to move towards west and northwest. It may travel to Rajasthan and its adjoining parts of Sindh on Sept 6. Due to this weather system, strong monsoon currents are likely to penetrate Sindh and eastern Punjab from Sept 6 onwards. The Met department has predicted that under the influence of these meteorological conditions, widespread rain and windstorm / thundershowers, coupled with scattered heavy to very heavy falls, are expected to hit Tharparkar, Islamkot, Nagarparkar, Chachro, Dhali, Diplo, Kaloi, Umerkot, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Khairpur, Shaheed Benazirabad, Matiari, Tando Allayar, Tando Mohammad Khan, Hyderabad, Karachi, Thatta, Badin, Sajawal, Jamshoro, Dadu, Kashmore, Sukkur, Larkana, Jacobabad, Shikarpur and Ghotki from Sept 6 (evening /...

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz came under fire from social media users on Thursday for sharing a two-year old image and claiming that it showed measures taken for the rehabilitation of flood victims. “Innovated portable washrooms constructed and placed at relief camps in Chiniot,” she wrote on X, uploading a photo of a portable washroom. But the image attached to the post — while showing a port-a-loo — also carries the date it was taken, which shows that it was taken in 2023. Eagle-eyed social media users soon spotted that the photo did not appear to be recent, and was taken from the website of an online marketplace. “Maryam should seriously consider sacking her PR & media team,” a journalist suggested on X (formerly Twitter). Following the brouhaha over the outdated image, X accounts linked to PML-N began uploading images and videos from Chiniot, showing the actual portable washrooms that had been provided for those hit by the flood. The account claimed that the Chiniot administration had shared ...

SHARJAH: Fakhar Zaman cracked a robust 77 and spinner Abrar Ahmed registered career-best figures as Pakistan reached the T20I tri-series final with a 31-run win over United Arab Emirates on Thursday. Fakhar hit an aggressive 44-ball 77 not out for his 12th T20I half century while Mohammad Nawaz smashed an undefeated 27-ball 37 to revive Pakistan from 80-5 Pakistan to 171-5 in their 20 overs. Abrar then grabbed 4-9 in four economical overs to restrict UAE to 140-7 with opener Alishan Sharafu fighting a lone hand, scoring a steady 51-ball 68. Sharafu hit four sixes and as many fours. “Fakhar and Nawaz played outstandingly well,” Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha said after the match. “Fakhar is a match-winner — he doesn’t always get the respect he deserves but he showed his (class) today.” The win, Pakistan’s third in four games, not only took Pakistan to Sunday’s final but also ensured Afghanistan who face the hosts in the last group on Friday, would advance. UAE’s power-hitters Mohammad Waseem fell for 19 and ...