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The 2026 Commonwealth Games have officially begun in Glasgow, with Pakistan represented by a 36-member contingent comprising 20 athletes and coaches and officials. The Games will continue until August 2, with around 3,000 athletes from 74 countries competing across various sporting disciplines. Pakistani athletes are participating in six sports — athletics, boxing, judo, gymnastics, lawn bowls and swimming. Olympic javelin throw champion Arshad Nadeem is the country’s biggest medal hope and will compete to defend his Commonwealth Games title. Having secured major international victories for Pakistan in recent years, Nadeem is widely expected to challenge for gold once again. In…

They were just six words posted on X in a moment of frustration: “What if all cockroaches come together?” Now, its 30-year-old author, Abhijeet Dipke, is the face of what is arguably India’s biggest street protest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government since he took office in 2014. The political communications strategist’s post, sent on May 16, ‌was initially a witty response to comments by Supreme Court judge Surya Kant, likening India’s unemployed youth in a speech to “cockroaches”. Kant later said his comments were misconstrued. By then Dipke’s post had gone viral. A satirical platform called the “Cockroach Janta…

A coalition of mostly Democratic-led states asked a federal judge on Thursday to block the Department of Homeland Security from withholding certain disaster-related funds until states adopt ‌election administration practices favored by Republican President Donald Trump’s administration. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Rhode Island by 25 states and the District of Columbia, marks the latest legal battle over voting procedures ahead of November’s midterm elections, with Trump’s party locked in a tight battle to retain control of Congress. DHS announced on July ​10 that it would withhold 20% of Federal Emergency Management Agency grant awards meant to help…

The European Union has expanded its sanctions on Russia’s financial and banking sector under its 21st package of sanctions, adding dozens of banks, financial institutions and cryptocurrency service providers to its blacklist. According to a statement issued by the Council of the European Union, the assets of 94 Russian banks and major financial institutions will be frozen, and they will be barred from receiving any funds or economic resources. A prominent figure from Russia’s banking sector has also been added to the sanctions list. The statement said the EU has also prohibited financial transactions with 33 additional Russian credit and…

 Iran flew Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders, military advisers and missile- and drone-related equipment into Yemen this month, according to four sources, in ​a move that suggests Tehran is seeking to strengthen the ability of its Houthi allies to threaten Red Sea shipping. Four sources familiar with the matter, including ‌two Iranian sources, Yemen’s information minister and a regional security analyst, said Iran transferred the IRGC personnel and military-related equipment on a flight from Tehran to Yemen on July 13, a development that has not been previously reported. The two Iranian sources told Reuters that between 10 and 21…

Monsoon rains have increased water levels in Punjab’s rivers, with low-level flooding reported at Tarbela, Kalabagh and Chashma along the Indus River, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said on Friday. According to a PDMA Punjab spokesperson, water flows remained largely stable over the past 24 hours. The flow at Tarbela was recorded at 342,000 cusecs, while Kalabagh recorded 309,000 cusecs and Chashma 293,000 cusecs. The situation in the Chenab River, meanwhile, has improved from high-level to medium-level flooding, with medium-level flooding reported at Marala, Khanki and Qadirabad. Water flows at Marala, Khanki and Qadirabad stood at 208,000, 165,000 and…

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov on Thursday evening ahead of the Meeting of the Council of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Member States in Kyrgyzstan. Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said this year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Uzbekistan, a year that builds on past achievements and opens up a new future. Wang said that strategic mutual trust has continued to deepen and practical cooperation…

The 2026 APEC Digital and AI Ministerial Meeting has adopted a ministerial statement with all parties agreeing to jointly promote digital and AI technologies to empower the Asia-Pacific community, which provides an action framework for deepening cooperation in these fields in the coming years in the region. The ministerial meeting, as an important platform for promoting exchange and cooperation in digital, information and communication technology sectors across the Asia-Pacific region, was held Thursday in Chengdu, capital of southwest China’s Sichuan Province, under the theme of “Digital Technologies and AI for the Empowerment of an Asia-Pacific Community.” On the outcomes of…

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu visited the United States from July 22 to 23, at the invitation of the US side, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Friday. During the visit, Ma held consultations with US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, met with Ivan Kanapathy, senior director for Asia at the White House’s National Security Council, and US Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby, and exchanged views with members of both the US Senate and House of Representatives. According to the statement, the two sides had in-depth exchanges of views on implementing the important common understandings…

China and ASEAN member states have issued a joint statement on addressing the regional impacts of developments in the Middle East and strengthening regional energy cooperation. The statement was released following the China-ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held on July 22 in Manila, the Philippines. In the statement, China and ASEAN noted that they have maintained communication and cooperation on international and regional issues of common interest and responses. The two sides recognized that the rapidly evolving situation in the Middle East and its spillover effects pose a grave threat to the lives and safety of civilians, as well as to…