Blaze News - Pakistan

Australia thrashed England by seven wickets to win a record-extending seventh women's T20 World Cup title in a sold-out final at Lord's on Sunday. Beth Mooney (64) and Phoebe Litchfield (48) did the damage in a second-wicket partnership of exactly 100 runs as Australia reached a modest target of 151 with 17 balls to spare. Victory meant Australia had now won all seven of their world finals, across both one-day international and T20 cricket, against arch-rivals England for whom Sunday's defeat meant the end of their record of winning every major global women's cricket event they had hosted. Australia arrived in England not holding either the 50-over or T20 world titles, with player-of-the-match Mooney saying at the presentation ceremony: "We're just happy to be here -- it has been pretty well-documented that we haven't made it this far in the last two ICC events. "I thought Georgia Voll hit the ball really well before her unfortunate dismissal....

Teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made his international debut for India on Saturday but England young gun Jacob Bethell ensured it was the hosts who won the second T20 at Old Trafford. At just 15 years and 99 days old, Sooryavanshi replaced batting great Sachin Tendulkar as India's youngest men's player and marked his entrance onto the world stage with two stunning sixes as he scored 14 from 10 balls. Yet it was fellow left-handed batsman Bethell, a relative veteran at the age 22, who made the match-clinching contribution as England went 1-0 up in a five-match series following Wednesday's washout in Durham. England were faltering at 51-3, chasing 191 for victory, when Bethell walked out to bat but he responded with an expertly-paced 76 not out to take his side to a four-wicket win over the T20 world champions. The match turned decisively in England's favour in the 17th over of their chase that went for 29 runs, with Bethell striking two free-hit sixes fol...

Iga Swiatek's Wimbledon title defence was ended by the Philippines' Alexandra Eala in a third-round shock on Saturday, while "heartbroken" Serena Williams was forced to withdraw from the doubles tournament. Kazakh second seed Elena Rybakina also crashed out, leaving the bottom half of the women's singles draw wide open. Swiatek slipped to a 7-6 (11/9), 6-2 defeat on Centre Court as 29th seed Eala reached the last 16 of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time. It is six-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek's earliest exit from a major tournament since another third-round defeat, by Yulia Putintseva, at Wimbledon two years ago. Eala had already made history for the Philippines by becoming the first player from the Southeast Asian nation to reach the third round of a Grand Slam in the Open era. "I'm really emotional and maybe for someone like Iga who has won so many Slams, or someone like Serena or Venus (Williams), this achievement might seem s...

Substitute Gabriel Martinelli scored deep in injury time as Brazil beat a stubborn Japan 2-1 on Monday to roll into the World Cup last 16. Arsenal winger Martinelli struck in the 95th minute in Houston to break Japanese hearts in the most dramatic fashion. The five-time champions will face either the Ivory Coast or Norway in New Jersey on Sunday after edging a captivating knockout encounter. Japan midfielder Kaishu Sano scored a classy solo goal after 29 minutes following a Brazil mistake to stun the huge numbers of fans decked out in yellow. Carlo Ancelotti's men hit back 11 minutes after half-time with a header from veteran Casemiro as Brazil dominated the second period. Then up popped Martinelli right at the death to settle it and send the Brazil fans wild. History was against Japan: they had never won a knockout game at the World Cup while Brazil were record five-time champions. But this is not a vintage Brazil side, even with Ancelotti at the helm, while Japan have...

India made the perfect start to their women's T20 World Cup campaign with a 64-run win against arch rivals Pakistan on Sunday. Harmanpreet Kaur's side dominated from start to finish in their opening group game of the tournament at Edgbaston. After India elected to bat first, opener Smriti Mandhana was the catalyst for the victory as she survived two drops to hit 68 from 44 balls. Mandhana blasted nine fours and two sixes, while Kaur notched four fours in her innings of 36. Wicket-keeper Richa Ghosh kept the pressure on Pakistan's overwhelmed bowlers with a quick-fire 34 featuring five fours and a six. Pakistan's run chase looked a daunting task and so it proved as they crumbled against India's spinners. All-rounder Deepti Sharma finished with impressive figures of 5-10. She pushed Pakistan towards defeat by running out opener Muneeba Ali, who top scored for Pakistan with 41. Sharma also dismissed Gull Feroza and Ayesha Zafar to leave Pakistan in disarra...

The first-ever international agreement on safeguarding digital platform workers in the gig economy was adopted on Friday at the UN's International Labour Organisation (ILO). The Decent Work in the Platform Economy Convention is aimed at extending labour protections to hundreds of millions of people worldwide who work through digital platforms, in areas like food delivery and car services. The convention applies to "all digital labour platforms" and "all digital platform workers ... whether they are in the formal or informal economy", according to the text adopted by ILO members. Historic moment at the International Labour Conference. ILO Member States have adopted a new Convention on Decent Work in the Platform Economy. The first international labour standard for a rapidly evolving area of the world of work. #ILC2026 pic.twitter.com/K3mxHTow1g — International Labour Organization (@ilo) June 12, 2026 Until now, labour practices have struggled t...

India summoned the senior US diplomat in New Delhi on Wednesday to lodge a "strong protest" after an attack on a vessel off the coast of Oman left three Indian crewmembers missing. The foreign ministry "summoned (US) charge d'affaires, lodged a strong protest" over the attack on the commercial vessel, a senior Indian government official told AFP. Earlier, in a statement, India's foreign ministry confirmed that three Indian crew members were reported missing in an attack on a commercial tanker off Oman. Read: Pezeshkian vows to stand firm against any pressure as Trump threatens to attack Iran 'very hard' New Delhi condemned the attack on the vessel, the Settebello, saying, "the 24 Indian crew onboard, 21 Indians have been rescued thus far, and three Indians are reportedly missing". "Attacks on shipping in the region are deeply worrisome and a direct result of the ongoing conflict in the region. We reiterate our call for im...

United States President Donald Trump on Monday told Iran and Israel to stop fighting after the two foes attacked each other's territory for the first time since a shaky ceasefire put five weeks of war on hold. Iran fired dozens of missiles at Israel overnight and Israel responded by targeting military sites in the Islamic republic, sparking fears the escalation could usher in a new full-scale conflict after the April 8 truce. With Israel's response, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apparently defied calls by his ally Trump for restraint, against the background of reports of an increasingly testy relationship between the two men. "Israel and Iran must immediately stop 'shooting'," the US leader wrote on his Truth Social network. https://ift.tt/4eqNcOl Minutes later, he added in a new post that "final negotiations" towards peace were proceeding "subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way". Tehran's strikes follow...

Bangladesh's top diplomat was elected president of the 81st United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday in a vote that, unusually, featured more than one candidate. Khalilur Rahman won 99 votes in the secret ballot compared to 91 for Cypriot diplomat Andreas Kakouris. He will succeed the outgoing president, Germany's former foreign minister Annalena Baerbock, in September. “This landmark victory is a strong testament to the confidence and trust that the international community places in Bangladesh, as well as to the country’s growing diplomatic stature and constructive engagement within the multilateral system,” said Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry in a statement. Calling it a “historic achievement”, the ministry said it also constituted a “significant international recognition of Bangladesh’s longstanding commitment to multilateral diplomacy, international peace and security, sustainable development, and globa...

Pakistan outspun Australia by five wickets in the first one-day international in Rawalpindi with spinner Arafat Minhas becoming the first home bowler to take five wickets on ODI debut on Saturday. Minhas finished with 5-32 as an under-strength Australia were bowled out for 200 in 44.1 overs before Pakistan chased down the target in 42.3 overs for a memorable win in their 1,000 ODI. https://ift.tt/R8yiedu Babar Azam notched a 94-ball 69 while Ghazi Ghori hit an impressive 92-ball 65 as Australia's inexperienced spinners failed to match Pakistan's slow bowlers on a dry spin-assisting Pindi Stadium pitch. Read: Arafat Minhas makes history with five-wicket haul on debut against Australia Azam and Ghori added 127 runs for the third wicket after Sahibzada Farhan (28) and Maaz Sadaqat (eight) fell with the score at 49. Azam hit four boundaries and a six while Ghori's knock had eight hits to the rope before both fell to pacer Nathan Ellis, but with just 16 to win tha...

President Donald Trump could soon appear on a new $250 bill in the Republicans' latest move to shatter US traditions by putting his personal stamp on national institutions. A proposal for the new bill, featuring a glaring Trump, was reported Thursday by the Washington Post. If carried out, it would be the first time the image of a living person -- let alone a president -- had appeared on US currency in a century and a half. Read: Pentagon says US military personnel are reportedly being targeted using location data The design mock-up obtained by the Washington Post also shows the words "America 250 anniversary," a nod to the United States declaring its independence on July 4, 1776. According to the Post, two Trump appointees at the Treasury Department last year began urging staff at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to prepare prototypes. Employees there, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Post that the plan raised concerns because it would viol...

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump met in Beijing on Thursday for high-stakes talks, discussing the Iran war, Ukraine and economic cooperation. Away from the long list of complex agenda topics, here are five other highlights from day one of the summit: One-sided friendship? Trump heaped praise on Xi as talks began at the cavernous Great Hall of the People, saying: "It's an honour to be your friend". "You and I have known each other for a long time ... We've had a fantastic relationship, we've gotten along when there were difficulties, we worked it out," Trump told Xi. "I would call you and you would call me." Xi has in the past partially reciprocated Trump's characterisation of their relationship, referring to a "personal friendship". But on Thursday, the Chinese leader stopped short of using that label, saying instead that their two countries "should be partners, not rivals". X...

World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday "our work is not over" to contain the hantavirus after evacuations from a cruise ship hit by a deadly outbreak of the illness. The fate of the MV Hondius has sparked international alarm after three passengers died in an outbreak of the rare virus, for which no vaccines or specific treatments exist, with a Frenchwoman also in a critical condition. Yet health officials have stressed that the global public health risk is low and rejected comparisons to the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. "There is no sign that we are seeing the start of a larger outbreak," Tedros told a joint news conference with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in Madrid after overseeing the evacuation in Spain's Canary Islands. .@WHO’s assessment on #hantavirus continues to be that the risk to health globally is low. My latest update ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/gnm9pbqaF3 — Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu...

Iranian authorities arrested two people including a government official in connection with a deadly explosion last month at the country’s main commercial port, state television reported on Sunday. The April 26 blast at a dock in the southern port of Shahid Rajaee killed at least 57 people and injured more than 1,000, officials said, revising down an earlier death toll. The judiciary on Sunday said the toll had been revised because “it was determined that some of the bodies considered separate were in fact one body”, adding that it could still change. At the time of the blast, Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni blamed “shortcomings, including noncompliance with safety precautions and negligence”. Shahid Rajaee is near Iran’s coastal city of Bandar Abbas on the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which one-fifth of global oil output passes. “A government manager and another from the private sector have been arrested,” state television said on Sunday, citing a report from the investigatin...

Gaza’s civil defence agency said Saturday that an overnight Israeli strike on the Khan Yunis refugee camp killed at least 11 people, including three babies up to a year old. Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal reported 11 killed “after the bombardment of the Al-Bayram family home in the Khan Yunis camp” in southern Gaza at around 3:00 am (0000 GMT). Bassal told AFP that eight of the dead had been identified and were all from the same extended family, including a boy and girl, both one-year-olds, and a month-old baby. An Israeli army spokesperson confirmed the strike to AFP, saying the attack targeted a “terrorist Hamas member”, without giving further details. At the scene, rescue workers and residents searched through the rubble with their bare hands, illuminating the destruction with hand-held torches. One rescuer carried the lifeless body of an infant from the wreckage, footage captured by an AFP journalist showed. Fayka Abu Hatab, a resident in a nearby building, said she “saw a b...

Saudi Arabia and Qatar announced on Sunday that they would settle Syria’s debt to the World Bank totalling roughly $15 million, according to a statement published by the Saudi Press Agency. Both Gulf states have played a key role in the diplomatic outreach to Syria’s new rulers since the ouster of longtime strongman Bashar al-Assad in December. “The ministries of finance in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the state of Qatar jointly announce their commitment to settle Syria’s outstanding arrears to the World Bank Group, totalling around $15 million,” the statement said. The statement came just days after Syria’s central bank governor and finance minister attended the IMF and World Bank spring meetings for the first time in more than 20 years. Much of Syria’s infrastructure has been destroyed by 14 years of war, which began with a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests. Assad was ousted in a lightning offensive by Islamist-led rebels in December, and Syria’s new government has sought...

China said Sunday it will accelerate the use of artificial intelligence and big data in elderly and social care as it bets on new technologies to drive economic growth despite an ageing population. The announcement comes as officials grapple with the country’s low birth rate and a declining workforce. “We will accelerate the development and application of new technologies and products such as big data and artificial intelligence in the fields of social assistance, elderly care services, and services for the disabled,” civil affairs minister Lu Zhiyuan said at a news conference during China’s annual “Two Sessions” political gathering. The move would make services “more convenient, more accessible and more standardised”, Lu said. China’s population fell for the third year in a row in 2024 and it already has more than 310 million people aged 60 and over. As the workforce shrinks, the government has increasingly looked to technology to drive future economic growth. Local governments have r...

Iranian police arrested two young women after publication of a video in which they danced in a Tehran cemetery without adhering to the country's strict dress code, local media reported Friday. "Not long ago, two people, in the cemetery of martyrs in Tehran, disregarding the sacred site, recorded a video clip with inappropriate clothing and movements that were outside of custom and Sharia" Islamic law, a police statement carried by Tasnim news agency said. The move "caused strong public protests, especially from the families of the martyrs and the two were arrested by the police and handed over to judicial authorities," the statement added. Under rules imposed after the 1979 Islamic revolution, women must cover their hair and neck and wear loose-fitting clothes in public. They are also not allowed to dance in public places. But many women have pushed the boundaries by allowing their head coverings to slide back and reveal more hair, especially in Tehran and other...

US President Donald Trump told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Wednesday to make a deal to end the grinding Ukraine war “now” or face tariff hikes and more sanctions. “If we don’t make a ‘deal,’ and soon, I have no other choice but to put high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions on US President Donald Trump told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Wednesday to make a deal to end the grinding Ukraine war “now” or face tariff hikes and more sanctions. anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries,” Trump said on his Truth Social network. Trump said he was “not looking to hurt Russia” and had “always had a very good relationship with President Putin,” a leader for whom he has expressed admiration in the past. “All of that being said, I’m going to do Russia, whose Economy is failing, and President Putin, a very big FAVOR. Settle now, and STOP this ridiculous War! IT’S ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE.” Trump was taking a harder lin...

Poland’s government said Thursday it would grant free access to Israeli officials wanting to attend the 80th anniversary of the Auschwitz-Birkenau liberation despite an arrest warrant for the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued the warrant in November over the Gaza war, prompting outrage from Israel and its allies. Poland, as a party to the ICC, would be required to arrest Netanyahu if he attended this month’s ceremony marking 80 years since the Red Army liberated the Nazi German death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. But in a resolution published on Thursday, Poland’s government said it would “ensure free and safe access to and participation in these commemorations for the highest representatives of the State of Israel”. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who signed the document, said he had information from the Israeli embassy that the country would be represented by its education minister. “Whether it will be the prime minister, the presi...