Monday, September 28th, 2026
Pakistan wins Category D Gold at World Chess Olympiad
By our correspondent ISLAMABAD: Pakistan produced a memorable performance at the 46th FIDE World Chess Olympiad 2026 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, winning the gold medal in Category D of the Open Section and marking a significant achievement for the country on the international chess stage. Pakistan entered the prestigious event as the 124th seed but finished 95th overall, climbing 29 places in the final standings with 12 match points and 162 game points. The Pakistani team showed resilience throughout the competition. After deciding not to play its opening-round match against IsraelRead More
Iran has no plans to negotiate with US: State media
TEHRAN, SEPT 28: State media in Iran on Monday reported that Iran’s delegation to the UN General Assembly had no talks planned with the United States, after US President Donald Trump said he expected more negotiations. “Iran’s delegation in New York has no plans for negotiations with the United States,” said the official IRNA news agency, citing an unnamed source close to the group. Trump told media outlet Axios on Sunday that he expected talks to resume soon, a day after he rejected a proposal by Tehran to reopen theRead More
Minister urges PTI to choose between Pakistan and Afghanistan amid terror attacks
ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has urged Imran Khan-founded Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to clarify whether it stands with Pakistan or Afghanistan amid deadly terror attacks across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Addressing a press conference alongside Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry in Islamabad, Tarar said that the PTI-led KP government refuses to take ownership of the counterterrorism operations or take effective steps against terrorism. “I said in KP that their intentions are bad. I have been saying for years that they [PTI] is a B-team of the TTP [Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan]. IRead More
Pakistan, India on Asian Games collision course after cricket washout
TOKYO: Pakistan and India stayed on course to meet in the Asian Games cricket final after both men’s quarter-finals were abandoned on Monday because of rain and a sodden outfield in Nagoya. Pakistan went through first against Hong Kong without a ball being bowled under competition rules that say the highest-seeded side progresses. A few hours later, with rain in the air, India progressed against Afghanistan with no prospect of play for the same reason. It deprived spectators at the Korogi Athletic Park of the chance to see India’s 15-year-oldRead More
Wife of Malaysia’s longest-serving PM Mahathir dies at 100
KUALA LUMPUR: Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, the wife of Malaysia’s longest-serving Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, died on Monday, the veteran leader’s office said. Siti Hasmah, 100, died at the National Heart Institute, the state news agency Bernama said, citing the couple’s son Mokhzani Mahathir. No further details were immediately available. Often credited with modernising Malaysia, Mahathir, 101, served two stints as premier, totalling more than two decades. During his first tenure between 1981 and 2003, he oversaw a period of rapid industrial growth, turning Malaysia into one of Southeast Asia’sRead More
PPP and JUI-F in a Changing Political Equation
Dr. Muhammad Akram Zaheer Pakistan’s political crisis is no longer simply a contest between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI). The confrontation between the two major political forces has gradually produced a wider struggle over parliamentary authority, political space, institutional legitimacy and the future direction of the democratic process. In this increasingly complicated environment, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) occupy important, though very different, positions. The PML-N leads the federal government and depends on the PPP for parliamentary support. At the sameRead More