Author: i2wtc

KARACHI: The ongoing torrential rains and surging floods have inundated large swaths of farmlands and destroyed ready-to-reap crops across Pakistan, triggering fears of a food crisis and inflation, the UN and growers warned on Monday. The raging floods struck the northeastern Punjab, the country’s largest province and food basket, last week, submerging hundreds of villages, schools and health centers, washing away livestock and destroying crops, aside from killing around 50 people and triggering evacuations. The surging floods have so far affected more than 2 million people, in ad-dition to evacuation of more than 700,000 people, according to official statistics. The…

The US Open’s Labour Day Monday largely belonged to the underdogs, as Naomi Osaka and Felix Auger-Aliassime delivered commanding performances that carried them back to Grand Slam quarter-finals after years in the wilderness. Osaka looked every bit the four-time major champion while dismantling third seed Coco Gauff 6-3 6-2 in 64 minutes, making her first Flushing Meadows quarter-final in five years with a display that mixed power with poise at Arthur Ashe Stadium. “I’m a little sensitive and I don’t want to cry. I had so much fun out here,” said Osaka, whose smile never left her face during the…

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 2, 2025. Mirziyoyev is in China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit 2025, as well as commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)BEIJING, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping met here with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on Tuesday.Mirziyoyev is in China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit 2025, as well as commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of…

RAWALPINDI: The investigation into the high-profile May 9 GHQ attack case has seen its investigating officer replaced for the second time, police sources con-firmed on Monday. The case, registered at R.A. Bazaar Police Station, names PTI founding chairman Imran Khan and other key party leaders as accused. According to sources, Inspector Tariq Gondal has now been appointed as the new investigating officer for the GHQ attack case under the Anti-Terrorism Act. Inspector Nazim Shah, the previous second investigating officer, retired after completing his tenure, while the first officer, Mirza Javed, was re-moved from the investigation following his promotion to DSP.…

Pakistan’s middle-order batter Asif Ali announced his retirement from international cricket on Monday, calling it the “greatest honour” of his life to represent the country. Asif, 33, played 21 ODIs and 58 T20Is, mainly as a finisher in the middle order. “Wearing the Pakistan jersey has been the greatest honour of my life and serving my country on the cricket field has been my proudest chapter,” he said in a post on social media. “To my fans, teammates, and coaches, thank you for your love, belief, and support through every high and low. He made his T20I debut against West…

ISLAMABAD: The newly constituted bench formed to hear the case regarding incarcerated Pakistani neurosci-entist Dr Aafia Siddiqui’s health and repatriation has been dissolved. Justice Inaam Ameen Minhas of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday forwarded the file to the IHC chief justice, Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar, for the for-mation of a larger bench. This case had earlier been transferred from the court of Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, who had issued contempt notices to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his cabinet members for disregarding its order to provide reasons for not assisting a US court hearing the case of…

30 August 2025, China, Tianjin: The flag of China (r-l) flies alongside the flags of India, Kazakhstan, Pakistan and other countries represented at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit. The ten member states of the regional security organization are meeting from Sunday to Monday in the northern Chinese port city of Tianjin, along with observer and host countries. Johannes Neudecker | Picture Alliance | Getty ImagesThe annual Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit has wound down in Tianjin with signals of a closer relationship among its members at a time when the world has been roiled by U.S. trade policies and tariffs.The two-day…

LAHORE: Authorities in Pakistan issued fresh flood alerts on Monday after India released a large volume of water into the Sutlej and Chenab rivers without prior notice, raising the threat of severe inundation across multiple districts of Punjab. Officials said India bypassed the communication channels laid down in the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) and informed Islamabad only after the release, through the Indian High Commission. Pakistan’s Ministry of Water Resources confirmed high flood levels at Lower Harike and Lower Ferozepur on the Sutlej, with water flows surging since early September 1. Punjab’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) warned that floodwaters…

Australia’s white-ball pace spearhead Mitchell Starc has retired from Twenty20 internationals six months out from the World Cup in India and Sri Lanka to focus on extending his career in test and one-day cricket. The 35-year-old left-armer retires as the nation’s most prolific fast bowler in the format, with 79 wickets from 65 T20Is, second on the all-time Australia list to spin bowling teammate Adam Zampa. Test cricket is and has always been my highest priority,” he said in a Cricket Australia statement on Tuesday. “I have loved every minute of every T20 game I have played for Australia, particularly…

PESHAWAR/ ISLAMABAD: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur said on Monday that construction of Kalabagh Dam was ‘essential for the state’ and urged that concerns over the controversial project should be addressed through dialogue. Speaking to reporters after a party meeting at K-P House in Islamabad, Gandapur blamed the absence of large dams for the devastation caused by rains and floods. “We are afraid to even name some dams. Kalabagh Dam is necessary for the state, and if there are reservations, they should be addressed through talks,” he said. “We are ready to contribute our share in its construction,…