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With the US presidential election just two months away, recent polls reveal a tight race between Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump and Democratic candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris. A survey conducted by The New York Times and Siena College shows Trump with a narrow lead at 48 per cent, just one percentage point ahead of Harris. However, when averaging polls conducted across the nation, Harris has edged ahead with 49pc, giving her a 2-point lead over Trump. The poll results highlight the competitive nature of the race as the candidates prepare for their first televised debate on September 10. The debate, set to take place at ABC News studios in New York, will be a crucial moment for both candidates as they vie for voters’ support ahead of the November 5 election. Nearly 30pc of the respondents admitted they were not well-informed about Harris’s political stance, indicating potential challenges for the Democratic candidate in solidifying her platfor

Pakistan’s dire recent performances in international cricket have sparked debate over the invasion of politics in sport, with claims nepotism at the top is sabotaging success on the field. Pakistan last week fell to eighth , their worst Test ranking in nearly six decades, after a shock 2-0 home series defeat to Bangladesh. It was the 10th winless home Test in a row for the country and came after humiliating early exits from both the 50-over and T20 World Cups in the past year. The current Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman is Mohsin Naqvi, who has a second full-time job as interior minister in a nation grappling with a surge in militant attacks . In the past two years Pakistan cricket has ploughed through four coaches, three board heads, three captains and numerous formats of the domestic competition — instability experts say rides on the whims of politicians. “This has a knock-on effect on team performance,” said cricket journalist and former PCB media manager Ahsan Ifti

A judicial magistrate on Monday denied post-arrest bail to Natasha Danish — the driver booked in the Karsaz accident — in a case filed against her by the police after her medical report showed she was under the influence of methamphetamine (crystal meth). On August 19, a speeding Toyota Land Cruiser, driven by Danish, hit three motorcycles and another car before overturning on the city’s Karsaz Road. Sixty-year-old Imran Arif and his 22-year-old daughter Amna were killed in the accident, while three others were wounded. The driver was arrested and booked for manslaughter charges. The police then said that Danish’s medical report — conducted upon the request of the victims’ counsel — showed she was under the influence of crystal meth. Consequently, a separate first information report (FIR) was registered by the police against Danish under Section 11 (drinking liable to tazir ) of the Prohibition (Enforcement of Hadd) Order (PEHO) of 1979 . Danish was granted bail last week af

Amina Sohail veers through heavy traffic to pick up her next passenger — the sight of a woman riding a motorcycle drawing stares in Karachi. The 28-year-old is the first woman in her family to enter the workforce, a pattern emerging in urban households coming under increasing financial pressure in Pakistan. “I don’t focus on people, I don’t speak to anyone or respond to the hooting, I do my work,” said Sohail, who joined a local ride-hailing service at the start of the year, transporting women through the dusty back streets of the city. “Before, we would be hungry, now we get to eat at least two to three meals a day,” she added. The South Asian nation is locked in a cycle of political and economic crises, dependent on IMF bailouts and loans from friendly countries to service its debt. Prolonged inflation has forced up the price of basic groceries such as tomatoes by 100 per cent. Electricity and gas bills have risen by 300pc compared to July last year, according to official dat

ISLAMABAD: As the PTI finalises its preparations for the Sept 8 power show on the outskirts of the federal capital, the capital police have blocked almost all entry points of the city amid intelligence reports about a ‘medium-level’ terrorism threat in light of the political gathering. According to a security plan, there is a likelihood that some miscreants may create a law and order situation in Islamabad, in this regard containers are placed in the capital at various places, including all the entry points. The 21 points blocked with containers are Nicholson’s Monument, New Margalla Road turn on G.T Road, Sangjani Toll Plaza, Water Tanki on Margalla Road, New Margalla Road Loop opposite F-10/2, 26 Number Chongi, Zero Point, Faisal Chowk, Khayban Chowk, Rawat T-Cross, Khanna Bridge, Tramri Chowk, Shahpur Road Turn, U-Turn on Murree Road, Bridge on Murree Road near Traffic Office, Faizabad, 9th Avenue, Gandum Godown, Golra Mor Haji Camp, Motorway Old Toll Plaza, and Tarnol Phattak,

The Punjab Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) said on Saturday it had arrested 33 suspected terrorists in 475 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) conducted across the province in the past month. The counterterrorism efforts come amid heightened security concerns across the country. Pakistan experienced an increase in terrorist attacks as a total of 59 terrorist attacks occurred countrywide in August compared to 38 attacks in the previous month, according to a digital database maintained by the Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), an Islamabad-based think-tank. In a press release issued today, the Punjab CTD said it had interrogated 475 suspects during the IBOs and seized various items, including explosives, weapons and banned texts. “During these IBOs… 33 suspects belonging to defunct organisations were arrested,” the statement said. The CTD detailed that the groups included Fitna Al Khwarij (Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan), Daish (also known as the militant Islamic State gro

Boeing’s beleaguered Starliner made its long-awaited return to Earth on Saturday without the astronauts who rode it up to the International Space Station (ISS), after NASA ruled the trip back too risky. After years of delays, Starliner had launched in June for what was meant to be a roughly weeklong test mission — a final shakedown before it could be certified to rotate crew to and from the orbital laboratory. But unexpected thruster malfunctions and helium leaks on the way to the ISS had derailed those plans, and NASA had decided it was safer to bring back crewmates Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on a rival SpaceX Crew Dragon though they will have to wait until February 2025. The gumdrop-shaped Boeing capsule touched down softly at the White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico at 4:01am GMT on Saturday, its descent slowed by parachutes and cushioned by airbags, having departed the ISS around six hours earlier. As it streaked red-hot across the night sky, ground teams reported h

Schools were ordered shut from Saturday in the restive Indian state of Manipur after a rocket attack by insurgents killed a civilian and wounded six others. Fighting had broke out in the northeastern state more than a year ago between the predominantly Hindu Meitei majority and the mainly Christian Kuki community. The conflict simmered since then, splitting previously cohabitating communities along ethnic lines. A local government notice said that all schools in the state would be closed on Saturday, when classes are usually held, to protect the “safety of the students and teachers.” The day before, a group had fired rockets in the state’s Bishnupur district, an attack that local police attributed to “Kuki militants.” A 78-year-old man was killed in the barrage and six people were wounded, according to police statement. Officers responding to the attack “were fired upon by suspected Kuki militants but the police team retaliated robustly and repelled the attack”, the statement sa

The government is renegotiating contracts with independent power producers (IPP) to rein in “unsustainable” electricity tariffs, said the head of the power ministry, as households and businesses buckle under soaring energy costs. Rising power tariffs have stirred social unrest and shuttered industries in the $350 billion economy, which has contracted twice in recent years as inflation hit record highs. “The existing price structure of power in this country is not sustainable,” Federal Minister of Power Division Awais Leghari told Reuters in an interview on Friday. He said discussions were underway between power producers and the government because “there is a clear understanding on both sides that the status quo can’t be maintained.” Leghari stressed that all stakeholders would have to “give in to a certain point” — though without compromising completely on business sustainability — and this would have to be done “as soon as possible”. Faced with chronic shortages a decade ago,

Pakistan’s Haider Ali won bronze in the Men’s Discus Throw F37 on Friday with a 52.54m throw, clinching his fourth Paralympic medal. Uzbekistan’s Tolibboy Yuldashev took home gold with a massive 57.28m throw, setting a personal best on his sixth attempt. Canada’s Jesse Zesseu won silver with a 53.24m throw. A jubilant Ali could be seen taking his victory lap after the competition was over, hugging the other medallists and competitors in the process. Ali led the field in the first attempt with a solid 52.28m throw, his season’s best since the Paralympics marked his first competition of the year. But Zesseu overtook Ali in the third round, with a 52.81m throw, moving up to first place. Yuldashev then stole the spotlight from both, with a huge 53.48m throw in the fourth attempt. But the Uzbek had a surprise for the crowd — and himself with a whopping 56.03m throw in his fifth attempt, setting a new personal best. The 21-year-old wasn’t done for the day, throwing a monstrous per

A year after extremists forced Muslim neighbours from their homes in India, victims live in despair as their tormentors seek to drive Islam from what they consider a Hindu “holy land”. Mohammad Salim shudders when he remembers the campaign that erupted in May 2023 against his Muslim minority community in Purola, a seemingly sleepy town surrounded by forested hills in the northern state of Uttarakhand. “If I had not escaped that day, they would have killed me along with my family,” said Salim, 36, a married father of three young daughters. Salim, whose clothes shop was looted, now lives in basic accommodation with his family around 100 kilometres away in the city of Haridwar, struggling to make ends meet. Rakesh Tomar, 38, is one of those who celebrated his departure. The hardline Hindu nationalist activist, based in the state capital Dehradun, spouts hate-filled rhetoric against a minority he feels threatens him. “Uttarakhand is the holy land of Hindus,” Tomar said, referring to

Up to 50 per cent of all vehicles bought in Pakistan by 2030 will be electrified in some form in line with global targets, BYD Pakistan, a partnership between China’s BYD and Pakistani car group Mega Motors, said. Warren Buffett-backed Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD last month announced its entry into Pakistan, making the South Asian nation of 250 million people one of its newest markets. The partnership has announced plans to open an assembly plant in early 2026 but will introduce vehicles for sale later this year, after launching three models in August. “I see conversion to new energy vehicles NEV at up to 50pc,” Kamran Kamal, BYD’s spokesperson in Pakistan, told Reuters in an interview at his office on Thursday. Kamal is also the CEO of Hub Power, which owns Mega Motors. The target is an ambitious one for Pakistan’s auto sector, which has been largely dominated by Japanese automakers Toyota, Honda and Suzuki, with vehicle sales hitting a 15-year low in the fiscal year

Vast crowds of Indians bearing candles marched through the streets of Kolkata early on Thursday, demanding justice nearly one month on since the rape and murder of a doctor. The discovery of the 31-year-old doctor’s bloodied body at a state-run hospital in Kolkata on August 9 has stoked nationwide anger at the chronic issue of violence against women. “We want justice”, read one message spelt out in flickering candles and clay lamps. “Let there be light, let there be justice”, a sign held by protesters read. The brutal murder has triggered protests across India — and repeated strikes by medics — demanding safer conditions for women. While many protests and strikes have since calmed in the rest of India, regular demonstrations continue in the sprawling megacity of Kolkata. Police said as many as 100,000 took part in the rally in Kolkata. Similar but smaller rallies were also held in the capital New Delhi. “The heart of the entire nation is torn,” said protester Rubina Mukherjee.

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Bangladeshi security forces have launched an operation to recover thousands of guns, including those seized during deadly unrest that led to the ouster of autocratic leader Sheikh Hasina, police said on Wednesday. Weeks of student-led demonstrations escalated into mass protests , with Hasina fleeing by helicopter to neighbouring India on August 5 after 15 years in power. Police had tried to stem the protests with gunfire but protesters responded by storming and looting police stations, when weapons were seized. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus is now leading an interim government after Hasina’s fall. More than 3,700 weapons of different types had been recovered during an amnesty to surrender guns that ended on Tuesday. However, more than 2,000 weapons, including rifles, are missing, along with thousands of rounds of ammunition and hundreds of tear gas canisters and stun grenades. “Those arms which have not been submitted to the police stations within the deadline… the

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman urged parliament on Wednesday to hold a dialogue with the “people of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa” to address their security concerns. Fazl’s suggestion comes amid a precarious security situation in Balochistan after the deadly terrorist attacks on August 26 and discontent over the enforced disappearances issue. According to a report , terrorist attacks across the country surged to 59 from 38 in July, with KP and Balochistan experiencing 29 and 28 such attacks, respectively. Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly today, Fazl said: “I still believe that if the parliament is requested to step forward and go and talk to the people of Balochistan and KP, then the situation can be reverted to normal.” He said that the “government’s writ in Balochistan and KP had ended due to unrest” and that “armed elements are ruling there and collecting taxes”. “They are visiting the villages, patrolling the streets, a

An Islamabad district and sessions court on Wednesday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur in connection with a 2016 case , in which he was accused of carrying alcohol and unlicensed weapons. On July 29, Civil Judge Shaista Khan Kundi summoned Gandapur for recording his testimony in the case. Judge Shaista had directed Gandapur to ensure his presence on September 4 (today) for recording his statement under section 342 of the criminal procedure code (CrPC), observing that he has already skipped five hearings in the case. In the hearing today, the judge rejected Gandapur’s request for exemption from physical appearance in court on medical grounds. The court ordered Station House Officer (SHO) Bhara Kahu to arrest and produce Gandapur in court tomorrow. Gandpaur’s lawyers Raja Zahoorul Hassan and Fatehullah Burki appeared in court, engaging back and forth on Gandapur’s absence from court. “Where is the accused? The case was ca

Coca-Cola and rival PepsiCo spent hundreds of millions of dollars over decades building demand for their soft drinks in Muslim-majority countries, from Egypt to Pakistan. Now, both face a challenge from local sodas in those countries due to consumer boycotts that target the globe-straddling brands as symbols of America and by extension Israel, at a time of conflict in Gaza. In Egypt, sales of Coke have cratered this year, while local brand V7 exported three times as many bottles of its own cola in the Middle East and the wider region than last year. In Bangladesh, an outcry forced Coca-Cola to cancel an ad campaign against the boycott. And across the Middle East, Pepsi’s rapid growth evaporated after the Gaza conflict started in October. Pakistani corporate executive Sunbal Hassan kept Coke and Pepsi off her wedding menu in Karachi in April. She said she didn’t want to feel her money had reached the tax coffers of the United States, Israel’s staunchest ally. “With the boycott, one

Nine months ago, Fadi Aldeeb missed several calls from his brother. The next day, he found out that he had been killed in an Israeli attack on his home. Aldeeb, the only Palestinian athlete at the Paris Paralympics , left the Gaza Strip a decade ago for a wheelchair basketball career that took him to Turkey and Greece before France. “On December 6, I had a French league game and when I was finished I found my brother had called me many times … I tried to call back but there was no connection,” Aldeeb, who took part in the Paralympics shot put, told Reuters . “The seventh of December at night I received [the news] that ‘Okay, your brother was killed in an attack on our building’,” said Aldeeb, adding that he often wonders what his brother’s last message was. In Paris, Aldeeb is feeling the pressure of being what he says is the voice of his people at the Paralympics. “It’s too many feelings, too much responsibility, because I’m not speaking about myself, I’m not playing for myself.

Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and United States Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome on Tuesday discussed the protection of Afghan refugees and asylum seekers in Pakistan amid several other bilateral issues during a meeting in Islamabad, a statement from the US Embassy said. A large number of Afghan immigrants, with an estimated 1.7 million undocumented as of October 2023, reside in Pakistan. Last year, the then caretaker government announced the repatriation of all illegal foreigners citing security concerns. The decision was allegedly made for Afghan refugees, but officials denied it. According to a statement issued by US Mission spokesperson Jonathan Lalley, US Ambassador Blome met Deputy Prime Minister Dar today and discussed issues which included the “protection of Afghan refugees and asylum seekers, economic cooperation, security, and counterterrorism and regional cooperation”. It said that the ambassador welcomed the opportunity to hear from the deputy premier on Pakistan’s “pr