Author: i2wtc

Pakistan left out Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan from the T20 squad named on Sunday for the Asia Cup and a warm-up tri-series beginning this month against Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates, according to a press release issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board. Azam and Rizwan have been star performers in the shortest format in the past, but have not played since December, which head coach Mike Hesson put down to other players performing well while addressing a press conference. “We know what a fine player Babar (Azam) is,” said Hesson. “Babar has been asked to improve in certain…

Dressed-up humanoid robots perform a fashion show during the opening ceremony of The 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 14, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)BEIJING, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) — At the 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, four robots dressed in 3D-printed terracotta warrior armor beat drums in synchrony, while five others at the front danced in seamless harmony alongside a live performer, creating a striking cross-millennial dialogue between technology and art.”With their dexterous hands, these humanoid robots hold drumsticks and execute precise strikes perfectly in time with the music,” said Gao Qian, deputy head of…

BAJAUR: Authorities have imposed a week-long curfew in 24 areas of Mamond tehsil, Bajaur tribal district, as security forces launch a targeted operation against terrorists. According to an official notification issued with the approval of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Home Department, the curfew came into effect at 5pm on Friday (Aug 16) and will remain in force until 5pm on Aug 21. The order bars residents from leaving their homes or moving on roads during the period. Authorities warned that any violations of the restrictions would be dealt with strictly, and individuals flouting the curfew would be held accountable for any untoward…

SILESIA: Kishane Thompson laid down a marker ahead of next month’s world championships when the Jamaican came out on top in the highly-anticipated 100 metres against Olympic champion Noah Lyles at the Silesia Diamond League meeting on Saturday. A host of world and Olympic champions headlined by the likes of Keely Hodgkinson, Karsten Warholm, Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis, Faith Kipyegon and Femke Bol shone in hot and humid conditions in front of more than 40,000 fans in the Polish city. The men’s sprint brought together American Lyles and Thompson for the first time since their unforgettable Olympic final last year in…

WASHINGTON/MOSCOW/KYIV: US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Ukraine should make a deal to end the war with Russia because “Russia is a very big power, and they’re not”, after a summit where Vladimir Putin was reported to have demanded more Ukrainian land. After the two leaders met in Alaska on Friday, Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that Putin had offered to freeze most front lines if Kyiv ceded all of Donetsk, the industrial region that is one of Moscow’s main targets, a source familiar with the matter said. Zelenskiy rejected the demand, the source said. Russia already…

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Saturday announced the trials schedule for U-19 and Emerging women players as part of the two-week countrywide talent hunt which is set to begin on Thursday. Players born on or after Sept 1, 2006 are eligible to take part in the U-19 trials, while there is no cutoff date for the Emerging players. The minimum age for U-19 players has been sanctioned to 12. The trials are being arranged to select the next crop of U-19 players, who will be mentored, trained and then given a chance to develop in the four-team women’s…

RAWALPINDI: The chief military spokesperson said on Saturday that residents in Balochistan are increasingly providing information on terrorists and their facilitators, a move he called critical to the success of counterterrorism operations in the restive province. Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif, Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), told students in a special session of the army’s internship programme that intelligence-based operations (IBOs) rely heavily on local cooperation. “We don’t conduct sweeping operations unless locals support us by identifying threats. Military presence alone doesn’t secure an area – local ownership is the key,” he said in a candid discussion with…

KARACHI: Newcastle United cult hero Nolberto Solano landed in Pakistan on Saturday, being garlanded upon his arrival at the Pakistan Football Federation headquarters in Lahore after taking over as the head coach of the national senior and under-23 teams. The Peruvian wing wizard dazzled during his time in the English Premier League but the highlight of his coaching career came back in 2018 when, as assistant coach, he took his home country to their first World Cup finals in 36 years. “We need to work really had to make Pakistan competitive at international level,” Solano said in an in-house PFF…

ISLAMABAD: The Sikh community in the United States is set to hold a Khalistan referendum in Washington DC on Sunday (today) with thousands of Sikhs from across the country expected to participate, Kashmir Media Service reported. Organised by Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a pro-Khalistan group, the referendum provides a platform for the Sikh community to voice their democratic aspirations as part of the global movement for an independent Khalistan. At a news conference, SFJ leaders lauded US President Donald Trump for his tough stance on India’s actions, while criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government for its global drive against the…

Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit India for the first time in three years to discuss the latest round of border talks, the Chinese foreign ministry has confirmed. During the trip from August 18 to 20, the top Chinese diplomat will serve as the “special representative of the China-India boundary question” in the 24th round of border talks “at the invitation of the Indian side”, according to a Saturday statement from the ministry. This series of negotiations aims to address long-standing border disputes, which have seen a temporary de-escalation following years of tension. Wang is expected to meet top Indian…