Ibrahim Babakhel

The Islamabad Club hosts its annual T20 cricket tournament during the peak summer months, bringing together members, families, and sports enthusiasts for a recreational activity.&nbsp; The 5-team tournament&rsquo;s final, held on Sunday, ended with Islamabad Bulls defeating Islamabad Thunders. Pakistan TV Digital&#39;s Ibrahim Babakhel reports on the gentleman&#39;s game.

Shorts

The Islamabad Club hosts its annual T20 cricket tournament during the peak summer months, bringing together members, families, and sports enthusiasts for a recreational activity. 

Islamabad Club T20 final: Families and friends come together for a thrilling Sunday

NEW YORK: Six people were wounded Sunday in a stabbing at New York&#39;s Penn Station, the city&#39;s mayor said, as the metropolitan area geared up to host two major sporting events, the NBA Finals and football&#39;s World Cup. A suspect was detained, and the victims, including one with serious injuries, were transported to a hospital, according to the New York Fire Department. Fire Department officials initially reported five wounded, but Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on X that, &quot;based on the information available right now, six people were stabbed and the alleged perpetrator is in custody.&quot; Circumstances of the attack were not immediately clear, but city comptroller Mark Levine said on X that the suspect is &quot;said to be an emotionally disturbed homeless person.&quot;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 369px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2063806294923047038&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fdashboard%2F&sessionId=f2ef68151656ae72c8694912ec953c62b579e0d5&theme=light&widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&width=550px"></iframe></div></div> All victims are expected to survive, he added. A photographer at the scene afterward saw gauze, medical gloves and blood on the floor near tracks 5 and 6, where police cordoned off the area. State Governor Kathy Hochul described the attack as &quot;an act of horrific violence.&quot; &quot;New Yorkers deserve to feel safe wherever they go, and we will never stop working to make that a reality,&quot; she said in a statement. Major sporting events The incident occurred at one of the nation&#39;s busiest rail and subway transportation centers as the city prepares for two huge sporting spectacles in the coming week: basketball&#39;s NBA Finals and football&#39;s World Cup tournament. Madison Square Garden, located directly above Penn Station in downtown Manhattan, will host games three and four of the NBA Finals on Monday and Wednesday between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs. MetLife Stadium, outside the city in neighboring New Jersey state, will host its first match of the World Cup on Saturday. US President Donald Trump is scheduled to attend Monday&#39;s NBA game at Madison Square Garden, saying recently that he accepted an invitation from Knicks owner James Dolan. Security has been enhanced in the city ahead of the two events. New York&#39;s official emergency notification system did not describe the incident but said people should avoid the area and &quot;expect traffic delays, road closures, mass transit disruptions &amp; emergency personnel near Penn Station.&quot; Before the stabbing, New York officials had already cancelled an outdoor watch party set for Monday outside the Garden. Thousands of spectators descended onto the streets outside the venue on Friday for a game two watch party. New York authorities said a police officer was assaulted and 26 people were arrested as some fans turned rowdy.

Americas

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirms that six people are wounded in a stabbing incident at the city's Penn Station; the fire department says one suspect is detained, while one of the victims has serious injuries.

Stabbing wounds six at New York's Penn Station

MANILA: A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the southern coast of the Philippines on Monday, the United States Geological Survey said, prompting a regional warning centre to issue a tsunami alert. The offshore quake hit at a depth of 35 kilometres (22 miles) about 24 kilometres west of Mindanao&#39;s Sarangani province, USGS said. Videos posted to Facebook showed a shopping centre with a Jollibee fast food restaurant collapsing into rubble in the province&#39;s General Santos City, while a building on a local school campus crumpled in another. &quot;Lord, it has really collapsed! It has really collapsed! The building has really collapsed!&quot; someone can be heard shouting. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a notice that tsunami waves were possible &quot;within the next three hours&quot; along the coasts of the Philippines, Indonesia, Palau, Taiwan and Papua New Guinea. Japanese authorities separately issued a tsunami advisory for swathes of its Pacific coast, projecting waves of up to one metre (three feet) to hit different regions from 11:30am local time (0230 GMT). In Mindanao&#39;s capital Davao City, a local disaster official said only that authorities were monitoring the situation and would post updates on social media. Earthquakes are a near-daily occurrence in the Philippines, which is situated on the Pacific &quot;Ring of Fire&quot;, an arc of intense seismic activity stretching from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

Natural Disaster

A powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake strikes off the southern Philippines, triggering tsunami warnings across the Pacific region as authorities assess damage, with videos showing collapsed buildings in Mindanao.

Tsunami warnings after magnitude 7.8 quake strikes off Philippines

SEOUL: Chinese President Xi Jinping said Monday that Beijing&#39;s friendship with Pyongyang was &quot;invincible&quot; and pledged closer cooperation, North Korean state media reported, as Xi prepared to visit the North for the first time in seven years. &quot;No matter how the times change or how the international situation evolves, the traditional friendship between China and North Korea will always remain invincible,&quot; Xi wrote in an article featured on the front page of Rodong Sinmun newspaper.

Asia

China

Chinese President Xi Jinping says that Beijing's friendship with Pyongyang is 'invincible,' pledging closer cooperation.

China's Xi says friendship with North Korea 'invincible' ahead of visit

Web Desk

Middle East

IRGC spokesperson says 'Israel crossed all red lines' by attacking Lebanon, warning of further 'setbacks' if the 'Zionist army' retaliates; Trump says he will call Netanyahu, telling him 'not to retaliate' against Tehran; Israel hits back, targets three cities, including Tehran.

Israel strikes Iran, defying Trump's call for restraint

PARIS: Self-driving taxis, already booming in the United States and China, are emerging in Europe, with major companies launching trials this year in several capitals and the European Union set to step on the accelerator Monday. In China and the United States, private fleets of &quot;robotaxis&quot; -- driverless cars loaded with sensors -- more than doubled in 2025 to reach 8,000 vehicles across more than two dozen major cities, according to a May report by the International Energy Agency (IEA). Seven years behind schedule, trials will finally start across Europe over the coming months. In France -- where no trials are scheduled for the moment -- planning high commissioner Clement Beaune recently criticised the EU for in his words &quot;lagging behind&quot;. European regulations say a &quot;safety driver&quot; must be on board the vehicle, their hands on their lap -- as was the case in the early days of testing in China and the United States. The EU will now accelerate the process by adopting a &quot;testbed&quot;, a simplified testing approach that will let companies avoid having to obtain approval on a country-by-country basis. European transport ministers are set to make the decision official on Monday, Anne-Marie Idrac, the bloc&#39;s senior official for autonomous vehicle development, told AFP. London, Munich, Madrid, Zagreb...&nbsp;The first trial in Europe started on April 8 in Croatia, where Chinese company Pony.ai -- in partnership with US group Uber and Croatian startup Verne, backed by the automaker Rimac -- has been operating about 10 robotaxis in Zagreb. In London, three groups will launch trials this year: robotaxi world leader Waymo, a subsidiary of Google parent Alphabet; its competitor Wayve, in partnership with Uber; and the Chinese company Apollo Go, a subsidiary of the tech giant Baidu. In Madrid, the Chinese group WeRide has just announced a test with Uber. Uber will also deploy robotaxis in Munich, using technology from the Chinese company Momenta. In Switzerland, Apollo has partnered with Swiss Post for a pilot programme in the country&#39;s east. Italian-French-US automaker Stellantis and Pony.ai are to conduct a test in Luxembourg. Ride-hailing platforms Uber, Lyft and Bolt often partner in such projects. Waymo claims it has around 3,000 driverless taxis spread across a dozen US cities, a similar number to Apollo, whose taxis are deployed in 27 Chinese cities and in Dubai. Pony.ai has 1,700 vehicles and is targeting 3,500 by the end of 2026, compared to 1,000 for WeRide. In China, ride-hailing platform Didi and carmaker SAIC operate robotaxis in several major cities. In the United States, Tesla and Amazon-owned Zoox have established themselves in several cities. By 2035, the IEA forecasts there will be between 700,000 and three million robotaxis in 40 to 80 major cities. Consulting firm BCG expects three million, including 850,000 in China and 350,000 in the United States, but only 120,000 in Europe. Goldman Sachs is betting on around six million vehicles for a $415-billion market. CrossroadsIn Europe, strict safety regulations and strong public-transport culture have put the brakes on robotaxi development, according to specialist Herve de Treglode. But &quot;London is ready, Madrid too. We may see commercial service by 2027,&quot; he said. &quot;In the US and China, they don&#39;t do six months of testing and then stop. They roll out in a neighbourhood, remove the safety driver, then launch commercial service with massive investments.&quot; One potential snag: companies want to put driverless taxis in highly profitable, densely populated urban areas; many politicians want them in suburban and rural areas, to compensate for public-transport gaps. &quot;It&#39;s high time we came up with a strategy,&quot; Laurence Debrincat of the Paris regional transport authority said last month, pushing for the suburban-and-rural approach. The founder of French ridesharing firm Ecov, Thomas Matagne, summed up the crossroads decision-makers are facing. &quot;Should we leave the sector to the market, at the risk of concentrating it in densely populated areas? Or should the government invest to roll out (robotaxis) in the general interest?&quot;

Europe

Europe accelerates robotaxi adoption as major firms launch trials across several cities, with the EU introducing streamlined testing rules aimed at narrowing the gap with the United States and China.

Europe opening up to self-driving taxis

LONDON: The leaders of Britain, France and Germany back Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky&#39;s call for direct ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine, they said Sunday after meeting with him in London. The leaders &quot;supported the proposal for a direct dialogue between Ukraine and Russia -- with active US and European participation -- to bring about a ceasefire and support further negotiations,&quot; they said in a joint statement with Zelensky &quot;The current line of contact should be the starting point for negotiations,&quot; they added. &quot;International borders must not be changed by force.&quot; In an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, Zelensky proposed they hold a face-to-face meeting. &quot;Ukraine proposes ending this war through direct engagement between us,&quot; he wrote. Zelensky met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in London on Sunday. Kyiv is asking its Western allies for more ammunition deliveries for its anti-air defences as Ukraine endures daily Russian strikes. The latest strikes killed five people in Ukraine and hit a nuclear storage facility near the Chernobyl disaster site, officials said. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and millions forced to flee their homes since Russia launched its full-scale war against Ukraine in February 2022.

Britain, France and Germany back President Volodymyr Zelensky’s proposal for direct Russia-Ukraine ceasefire talks, urging negotiations from current front lines while rejecting territorial changes by force and supporting US-European involvement.

UK, France, Germany back direct Ukraine-Russia talks: joint statement

ISLAMABAD: The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has expressed &ldquo;serious human rights concerns&rdquo; following the arrest and detention of multiple women in Afghanistan&rsquo;s western Herat province for alleged non-compliance with Taliban-imposed dress requirements. According to Afghanistan International, Taliban authorities launched a large-scale operation in Herat on Saturday targeting women accused of violating the prescribed dress code, resulting in the detention of multiple individuals. In a statement posted on X on Sunday, UNAMA said it was concerned &ldquo;over multiple arrests and detentions of women in Herat&rdquo; linked to alleged breaches of dress requirements. The UN mission said the detentions raise &ldquo;serious human rights concerns&rdquo; and urged Afghanistan&rsquo;s de facto authorities to respect fundamental freedoms. &ldquo;We remind the de facto authorities that all people have the right to freedom of movement and that all persons, both women and men, are entitled to equality before the law,&rdquo; UNAMA said. The arrests are the latest in a series of measures imposed by Taliban authorities since their return to power in August 2021.&nbsp; The group has enforced a strict interpretation of Islamic law, requiring women to adhere to extensive dress regulations and limiting their participation in public life. Over the past four years, Taliban authorities have progressively tightened restrictions on women and girls, barring them from universities, public parks, gyms and beauty salons, while curtailing employment and social opportunities. The United Nations and human rights advocates have repeatedly warned that the cumulative impact of these policies has led to the systematic exclusion of women from public life.&nbsp; UN officials have previously described the situation as one of the most severe women&rsquo;s rights crises in the world.

Afghanistan

UNAMA voiced concern after Taliban authorities detained multiple women in Herat over alleged dress code violations, underscoring growing international alarm over restrictions on women’s rights and freedoms in Afghanistan.


UN agency raises concerns over Taliban arrests of women in Herat

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s military said on Sunday that security forces killed 27 terrorists during a series of intelligence-based operations over the past 72 hours in the country&rsquo;s northwestern North Waziristan district, part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa bordering Afghanistan. According to a statement issued by the military&rsquo;s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations, security forces targeted multiple terrorist locations in the Miran Shah area following intelligence reports. &ldquo;Following intense fierce exchanges of fire, in last seventy-two hours, twenty-seven khwarij belonging to Indian-sponsored Fitna al-Khawarij have been sent to hell,&rdquo; the statement said. The latest operations come amid Pakistan&rsquo;s broader counterterrorism campaign under Azm-e-Istehkam, as security forces continue operations against terrorist networks in border regions that Islamabad says have been used to facilitate attacks inside the country. The military said weapons and ammunition were recovered from the dead terrorists, who were allegedly involved in multiple terrorist activities and targeted attacks against civilians. According to ISPR, the operation also brought to justice those responsible for the killing of a prominent tribal leader. &ldquo;By neutralizing this group, the heinous act of target killing of prominent figure Shaheed Malik Saifullah Dawar in Miranshah has been avenged and perpetrators have been brought to justice,&rdquo; the statement said. Security forces have launched sanitization operations in the area to eliminate any remaining terrorist presence, the military added. The operation follows a series of recent security actions across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, particularly in districts bordering Afghanistan, where Pakistani authorities say terrorist groups continue to attempt infiltration and attacks. Earlier this week, security forces killed four terrorists in separate intelligence-based operations in Tank and Dera Ismail Khan districts. Recent security assessments have pointed to a decline in overall terrorist violence inside Pakistan, which officials attribute to sustained military pressure on terrorist networks and infrastructure. Pakistan officially refers to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as &ldquo;Fitna al-Khawarij,&rdquo; drawing on a historical term associated with violent extremism, to underscore the group&rsquo;s ideology and attacks against civilians and the state. &ldquo;The relentless counterterrorism campaign under vision Azm-e-Istehkam will continue at full pace,&rdquo; the military said, reaffirming its commitment to eliminating foreign-sponsored terrorism from the country.

Security

Security forces say weapons and ammunition were recovered during the operation, which they say dismantled a network linked to attacks on civilians and avenged the killing of local figure Malik Saifullah Dawar.


Pakistan military says 27 Indian-backed terrorists killed in operations near Afghanistan border

GAZA CITY: Gaza&#39;s civil defense service and hospitals said Israeli attacks killed at least 10 people on Sunday, in the latest episodes of Zionist violence despite a months-old truce. A strike on a vehicle near the Al-Buraq school in western Gaza City killed four people, said the civil defense agency, which operates as a rescue service. Gaza City&#39;s Al-Shifa hospital confirmed receiving the four bodies. Another Israeli airstrike targeting a police station in the Al-Noss area of Al-Mawasi district in western Khan Yunis killed five people and wounded another 17, the agency reported. Khan Yunis&#39;s Nasser Hospital confirmed receiving five bodies and treating the wounded, some of them in &quot;critical condition.&quot; The Gaza police directorate confirmed that Israeli warplanes struck the police station in Khan Yunis. In a separate incident, Israeli naval forces shot dead a fisherman in the early hours of Sunday, the Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir el-Balah said after receiving his body. The Israeli military said it was looking into reports of the attacks. Sunday&#39;s bloodshed followed a deadly Saturday that saw at least 12 people killed across Gaza, including a man the Israeli military identified as a Hamas &quot;terrorist cell commander.&quot; At least 961 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire took effect on October 10 last year, according to Gaza&#39;s health ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations. The Israeli army has reported five deaths in its ranks during the same period. Restrictions imposed on media outlets and limited access in Gaza prevent AFP from independently verifying tolls or freely covering the violence there.

At least 961 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire took effect on October 10 last year, according to Gaza's health ministry.

Islamabad Club T20 final: Families and friends come together for a thrilling Sunday

Latest News

Stabbing wounds six at New York's Penn Station

Islamabad Club T20 final: Families and friends come together for a thrilling Sunday

Tsunami warnings after magnitude 7.8 quake strikes off Philippines

China's Xi says friendship with North Korea 'invincible' ahead of visit

Israel strikes Iran, defying Trump's call for restraint