Author: i2wtc

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Senator Ishaq Dar, is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia from August 25 to 26 to participate in the Extraordinary Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM), which will be held in Jeddah. The DPM will proceed directly from Dhaka—following the conclusion of his two-day visit to Bangladesh—to attend the high-level meeting, according to a press release from the Foreign Office. “The high-level meeting will bring together foreign ministers and senior officials from OIC member states to deliberate upon coordinated responses to the escalating developments in Palestine,” the Foreign Office spokesperson said. Deputy…

KABUL: Fast-rising Afghanistan announced a spin-heavy squad on Sunday led by Rashid Khan for the T20 tri-series and Asia Cup to be played in the United Arab Emirates. Along with Rashid, Afghanistan will have Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, AM Ghazanfar and Mohammad Nabi in the spin department as they play their first Twenty20 Internationals this year. The tri-series, also involving Pakistan and hosts the UAE, starts in Sharjah on Friday, while the six-nation Asia Cup begins on Sept 9. The 19-year-old Ghazanfar has yet to play a T20I but has made rapid strides in domestic matches in that format…

KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday a meeting with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin would be “the most effective way forward” amid stalled diplomatic attempts to end the war as he celebrated Ukraine’s Independence Day. Ukraine launched drone strikes on Russia, triggering a fire at a nuclear power plant as Ukrainians marked their independence day with the conflict now in its fourth year. After a push by US President Donald Trump to broker a Ukraine-Russia summit, hopes for peace dimmed when Russia on Friday ruled out any immediate Putin-Zelensky meeting. But Zelensky said Sunday the “format of talks between…

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…

PESHAWAR: Security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Upper Dir district foiled a major terrorist attack from Afghanistan, killing at least five Fitna-al-Khwarij terrorists in a joint counterterrorism operation on Sunday. According to senior security officials, intelligence had warned a week earlier of terrorist regrouping in the border regions, prompting police and security units to remain on high alert. Acting on the information, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), District Police, Rapid Response Force (RRF) and Elite Force launched a targeted operation in the areas of Dobando, Barikot, Salam Kot and Atandra under the leadership of Upper Dir District Police Officer (DPO) Syed Muhammad…

BAHAWALNAGAR: Water released into the Sutlej River by India turned catastrophic for Bahawalnagar on Sunday, claiming two lives, submerging thousands of acres of crops, and threatening nearby populations. The surge has begun encroaching on villages, breaching protective embankments and cutting off access to settlements near Baba Farid Bridge and Bhukan Patan. According to Rescue 1122, 928 people and hundreds of livestock have been relocated to safer areas. Villagers reported that standing crops — including cotton, paddy, maize, vegetables, and fodder — were destroyed by the floodwaters, leaving farmers devastated as their livelihoods were washed away. High flooding is expected to…

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Bangladesh on Sunday signed a number of agreements aimed at enhancing cooperation in trade, diplomacy, media, education, and cultural exchanges, marking a significant step forward in efforts to reset relations after years of frosty ties, as Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar sought to move beyond the baggage of 1971. Dar, who is on a landmark visit to Dhaka, the first by a Pakistani foreign minister in 13 years, held a series of high-level meetings with Bangladesh’s top leadership and political figures. The foreign minister held talks with Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, Foreign Policy Advisor Touhid Hossain…

Over 120 people have died in Punjab during the past six weeks as torrential rains and flash floods swept through rural and urban settlements, according to official figures. The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said the ongoing monsoon spell is expected to continue intermittently until August 27, bringing risks of riverine floods, urban flooding and waterlogging in low-lying areas. Nationwide, more than 700 people have lost their lives and nearly 1,000 others have been injured in rain-related incidents since the start of the season, including women and children. In Punjab alone, 54 fatalities were reported in the first half of…

China’s Foreign Ministry has applauded the leadership of Army Chief, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, describing the Pakistan Army as a stabilising force in the country and a steadfast guardian of the enduring China–Pakistan friendship, PTV World reported on Sunday. This acknowledgment followed a high-level meeting between Foreign Minister Wang Yi and COAS Munir in Islamabad on August 21. In its statement, the Foreign Ministry said Wang Yi praised the Pakistan Army as a pillar of national stability and a steadfast guardian of the China–Pakistan friendship, noting the military’s role in advancing consensus reached by the leadership of both countries.…

A pilot instructs students to learn about the instrument panel aboard an aircraft at a general aviation industrial park in Laixi, Qingdao, east China’s Shandong Province, Aug. 24, 2025. Laixi City has made efforts in promoting general aviation industry, including establishing a professional industrial park, introducing airplane manufacture companies and developing flight training business, which have activated the vitality of low-altitude economy. (Photo by Zhang Jingang/Xinhua)An instructor (R) checks the aircraft with a trainee before the flight at a general aviation industrial park in Laixi, Qingdao, east China’s Shandong Province, Aug. 24, 2025. Laixi City has made efforts in promoting…