Protesters in Portsmouth gathered outside the Marriott on Tuesday night, believing busloads of asylum seekers were being brought to the four-star hotel, only to be told that it was Pakistan’s U-19 cricket team on tour.

British media first reported the incident, and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed that it was reviewing the team’s security for the remainder of the tour and had reached out to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Al Jazeera reached out to the PCB but did not receive a comment.

Sumair Syed, PCB’s chief operating officer, told the BBC that the team reported people “knocking on their doors” during the incident, but the players “behaved responsibly and didn’t escalate the situation”.

The team continued with their scheduled match the following day, which they won by 177 runs.

Syed described the incident as “unfortunate” but said he was in contact with the ECB, which had “assured us that every possible measure should be taken for the security of the escort”.

“This is the responsibility of the whole sport to ensure the safety, security and wellbeing of the visiting team,” he said. “They are on it, and we are hopeful that nothing of such sort will happen in the future.”

Tuesday’s incident at the hotel comes in the wake of anti-migrant protests in Portsmouth earlier in the week.

British media reported that hundreds of protesters clashed with the police in Portsmouth on Sunday evening after a dinghy carrying asylum seekers was brought into the UK.

Reform county councillor George Madgwick, who was called to mediate the incident on Tuesday night, has repeatedly defended those protesting against the arrival of migrants in the UK.

“The left are losing their minds that a handful of people went to a hotel, by accident, when they thought migrants had been bussed in. Once they discovered it was incorrect they left swiftly. Literally nothing happened,” he wrote in a post on X on Wednesday night.

“If Labour fixed the small boat crisis this issue would stop,” Madgwick went on to say. (Al Jazeera)

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The U.S. Embassy in Sri Lanka says a joint counternarcotics operation has disrupted a Pakistan‑based trafficking network attempting to move crystal methamphetamine through Sri Lanka to international markets.

The Embassy said in a statement that acting on intelligence developed between August 14–29 by the DEA’s Foreign Counterparts Unit and Pakistan’s Anti‑Narcotics Force Special Investigations Cell, Sri Lanka’s Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) intercepted suspicious maritime containers arriving from Pakistan. 

The seizure yielded approximately 463 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, concealed in bath towels, with an estimated street value of $21 million. Several suspects, including Pakistani nationals, were taken into custody.

The US Embassy stressed that the operation underscores the strength of the US–Sri Lanka partnership in dismantling transnational criminal organizations that fund terrorism and threaten communities in both countries.

It further noted that this cooperation builds on longstanding training and technical assistance provided through the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) to Sri Lanka Police and Customs.

The United States reaffirmed its commitment to working with Sri Lanka and regional partners to aggressively pursue transnational criminal organizations, deny them revenue from illicit drug trafficking, and protect citizens from the dangers of narcotics. (Newswire)

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The Pakistan Cricket Board has lodged a formal complaint with broadcaster Sky after they aired an interview with legendary Pakistan captain Imran Khan’s sons, Sulaiman and Qasim. 

The interview was conducted by ex-England captain and broadcaster Michael Atherton on behalf of Sky, and the full interview was aired on Day 1 of the 2nd Test between England and Pakistan at Lord’s.

According to The Guardian, PCB did not like that the official broadcaster of the Test series aired an interview which was heavily critical of the existing Pakistan government, and they have lodged a formal complaint with the company.

Sky, although they have acknowledged the complaint, did not issue a formal response. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has also been made aware of the PCB’s grievances with the interview, although the ECB too are yet to come up with a response. 

Pakistan threatened to not take the field at Lord’s after lunch on Day 1?

ESPNCricinfo further reported that PCB even threatened that their players won’t take the field post-lunch if the interview is aired. Sky later released an 18-minute clip, but by the time it was released, Pakistan players were on their way to the ground for the second session. 

However, further reports have emerged from various quarters stating PCB did threaten that the players will protest by not taking the field if the interview was aired. 

What did Imran Khan’s sons say to Sky?

In their interview with Atherton on Sky on Thursday, the two sons of the legendary World Cup-winning Pakistan captain shared their deep concerns about their father’s health, which has considerably deteriorated in the past couple of months while being in jail. 

In a section of the interview, Qasim Khan told Atherton, “Right now, it’s crucial for us that he gets proper treatment. When we saw him, he had an eye patch on from the eye situation; he seemed visibly stressed and that is something that is very hard to imagine.

“Because he embodies a very calm and assured kind of presence. So to hear him stressed, anxious or disturbed is very difficult.”

Earlier this year, 14 former international captains wrote a letter to the Pakistan government expressing their concern over Imran Khan’s condition inside jail and prayed for better treatment of their ex-comrade.

Atherton was among the signatories alongside ex-India captains Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar and ex-Australia skippers Greg and Ian Chappell and Alan Border.

Why is Imran Khan in jail?

The 1992 World Cup-winning Pakistan captain has been embroiled in legal battles since his ouster as the country’s Prime Minister in 2022.

Multiple alleged criminal charges were pressed against Khan and he was taken into custody in May 2023. Ever since then, Khan has spent more than three years in jail.

His condition deteriorated in January 2026 and reports emerged that Khan had only 15 per cent of vision in his right eye. Most recently, he underwent a medical check-up at a hospital in Islamabad. (The Cricket News)

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A fire erupted in a hospital maternity ward in Islamabad on Wednesday (Aug 26), killing 14 infants, Pakistan authorities said, blaming a faulty air conditioner for the blaze.

The dawn fire broke out on the third floor of the Mother and Child Health Ward at the public Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), the Islamabad district office said in a statement.

The statement gave a death toll of 14, who according to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif were all infants. He called for an investigation.

At the hospital, AFP saw a nurse call out the names of babies who had perished in the fire as families gathered outside.

Khurram Mehmood, 40, told AFP he lost his three-day-old daughter in the blaze and that rescuers took hours to arrive.

“I lost my daughter. She was only three days old,” he said.

“My wife was in the ward. They took everyone out. We were sitting on the road waiting for help.”

A mother with black residue from the smoke on her hands stood crying outside the hospital as she held her 10-day-old baby in her arms.

“People were screaming. There was black smoke. We ran for our lives. Thank god my baby is safe,” Shagufta Parveen told AFP.

An AFP reporter saw other families in tears and a man clear glass from two broken windows, as security guards stood at the entrance to the leading medical facility.

“DEEP GRIEF”

Prime Minister Sharif and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi expressed “deep grief and sorrow over the deaths of 14 infants” in separate statements.

“Such a situation involving children is irreparable,” the prime minister said.

“The circumstances that led to the incident should be thoroughly reviewed, those responsible should be identified and the strictest possible action should be taken.”

PIMS spokeswoman Aneeza Jalil told AFP said the fire was caused by an electrical fault and “fire sparked from the AC (air conditioner)”.

Sohail Ashraf, the Islamabad chief commissioner, said the emergency call was made just before 7am (10am, Singapore time), with rescue and police teams reaching the scene “immediately” and bringing the fire under control.

Fires in large buildings are frequent in Pakistan, often due to poor safety laws and building codes as well as lax enforcement.

In January more than 65 people were killed in a shopping centre fire in the port city of Karachi.

At least 11 people were killed in another shopping mall fire in Karachi in 2023.

In 2021 at least 16 workers died after a factory fire in the same city.

In 2012 at least 250 labourers died at a garment factory in Baldia Town, in western Karachi, when a fire engulfed the facility. The building had no fire escape. (CNA/ AFP)

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Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan has been moved back to Adiala Jail from Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad, a spokesman for his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said. 

Khan underwent a medical check-up at the hospital and was sent back to prison after doctors deemed it safe for him to remain in custody, according to Pakistani media reports.

“A team of qualified doctors, including an ophthalmologist, a cardiologist, and a physician, conducted a detailed examination of him and declared him medically fit,” Information Minister Attaullah Tarar wrote on X about Khan’s health checks.

“After the completion of this entire process, he was transferred back to Adiala Jail,” he added.

The 73-year-old ex-premier was moved to a hospital around midnight for a medical evaluation following a Supreme Court order directing authorities in Islamabad to provide specialised medical care to him amid health concerns.

Citing sources, Geo News reported that the PTI founder’s commute to and from prison was facilitated under extremely tight security. He has now been shifted to his cell.

During his brief stay at the hospital, dozens of PTI supporters had gathered near the hospital, according to French AFP news agency.

Why Ex-PM Was Taken To Hospital

Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023. He says the cases against him are politically motivated, an accusation the government denies.

According to his lawyers, his health has deteriorated in prison, and he has lost significant vision in his right eye. In its order on Tuesday, the Supreme Court told authorities to transfer Khan to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad within 48 hours and allow him access to a medical panel that includes his personal physician.

The Shebaz Sharif government in Islamabad first announced it would implement the order but later filed a petition in the top court, seeking a review and recall of its order. The government has said medical reports disclosed no condition requiring immediate treatment.

Opposing Khan’s transfer, Pakistan’s Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar has argued that a convicted prisoner must be treated inside the jail or at a public hospital according to law. He added that he was requesting Khan’s medical tests be carried out at a government hospital instead of a private facility. 

He was taken to the hospital after PTI threatened to file a contempt of court petition against the government on Friday if he is not admitted to the hospital by Thursday at 11.59 pm.

Later, Pakistan’s Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said the government would fully comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling, claiming the government had not intended to defy or delay implementation of the decision. (NDTV)

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Pakistan captain Babar Azam has returned to the top 10 of the ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings after two years following his team’s eight-wicket win over the West Indies in Port of Spain that helped draw the two-match ICC World Test Championship series.

The 31-year-old scored 88 and 24 not out, advancing five slots to 10th position in the rankings. He had slipped out of the top 10 in September 2024 after remaining there continuously for the previous five years. Babar’s career best second position was achieved during a home series against England in December 2022.

Abdullah Shafique, who was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten knocks of 160 and 24, has progressed 25 slots to 32nd position, overtaking players like Marnus Labuschagne, K.L. Rahul and compatriots Salman Agha and Shan Masood in the process.

Brandon King of the West Indies is another player to rise in the batters’ list, up from 73rd to joint-69th despite being unable to bat in the second innings due to a back injury. He scored 46 off 50 balls in the first innings.

The bowling rankings see the West Indies fast bowler Shamar Joseph inch up one place to 19th after finishing with three wickets in the match while Pakistan off-spinner Sajid Khan (up five places to 30th), new-ball bowler Mohammad Ali (up eight places to 85th) and left-arm spinner Ali Usman (up 58 places to 97th) have also moved up.

In the ICC Men’s ODI Batting Rankings, Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz has risen three positions to 11th after scoring 32 and 71 in the second and third matches of their series against Ireland. Oman’s Hammad Mirza (up two places to 85th) and the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Rahul Chopra (up 37 places to joint-97th) have advanced following their performances in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 series in Dundee.

Ireland’s seam bowler Mark Adair returns in 17th position after picking two wickets each in two matches against Afghanistan and Scotland’s Brandon McMullen is up 10 spots to joint-48th in the bowlers’ list after taking three wickets each against Canada and the UAE in Dundee.

The drawn Test series in the West Indies has not helped the cause of either team as they occupy the bottom two positions in the ICC World Test Championship points table.

Australia are at the top with 87.50 percentage points with seven wins and a loss in eight outings while South Africa (75.00) and New Zealand (72.22) are in second and third positions, respectively.

The ICC World Test Championship standings : https://www.icc-cricket.com/tournaments/world-test-championship/standings (ICC)  

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Pakistani authorities have imposed severe new restrictions on international media, including barring them from reporting in most of the country, in a move that has provoked a significant backlash from journalist organisations.

According to the new rules anyone, including Pakistani nationals, should seek permission first if they want to report from anywhere Pakistan except three cities – Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore.

Pakistan is ranked 153 out of 180 on the World Press Freedom Index. Successive regimes there have imposed restrictions and censorship on local media. But this is the first time they have put restrictions on international media.

The sudden announcement of new rules came after the killing of dozens of protesters in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, which was only reported by international media.

Al Jazeera’s website was restricted in Pakistan after it reported on the bloody protests and the news that people were boycotting regional elections from Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan’s Kashmir.

Pakistan’s information ministry derided Al Jazeera’s reporting as “yellow journalism”, a derogatory term used for sensationalised reporting.

Authorities have not publicly announced a ban of the news website, but it remains inaccessible without a VPN.

The BBC reported from Pakistan-administered Kashmir and quoted protesters and people who accused Pakistani security forces of firing at unarmed protesters. Pakistani authorities issued a strongly worded denial and asked all journalists to immediately leave Kashmir.

The new rules, which the ministry of information called the Foreign Media Facilitation Guidelines 2026, do not specify a timeframe for how long it would take for journalists to be granted permission to report.

Nasir Zaidi, a former general secretary at the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists and a senior journalist, said that international media has been objectively reporting on protest movements, crackdowns on opposition parties and the repressive political situation in Pakistan.

“For decades, various governments have always tried to kill the news and they failed because of the reporting of international media and now it came up with these repressive rules to curb the movement of journalists. They don’t want the truth to be reported,” said Zaidi.

The government denies that the new rules are a blanket restriction on the movement of journalists or constrict media.

Zaidi, who was subjected to public flogging during the military dictatorship of Gen Zia ul-Haq for raising his voice for media rights, said that he had never witnessed such times before.

“Despite the fact I have worked during martial laws, but, such curbs and restrictions on international media were unseen. It is worse than martial law,” he added.

According to the new guidelines, the accreditation and registration is mandatory for international media outlets and journalists in the country.

The new rules also state that journalists can lose their accreditation for “acts against ideology, sovereignty, security or public order of Pakistan”.

Legal experts and journalists have said that these stipulations are vague and difficult to interpret.

“Pakistan is sending a very wrong message to the world with all these rules curbing free speech and freedom of international media,” said Zaidi. (The Guardian)

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Rescue efforts are underway to find a group of missing climbers including world-renowned mountaineer Nirmal Purja following an avalanche on a mountain in Pakistan, the Alpine Club of Pakistan said.

Emergency crews on the ground and in helicopters are scouring the Karakoram mountain range for the 10 climbers, including one American, who are believed to have been on 8,047-meter-tall Broad Peak when an avalanche struck around midday Thursday.

Four bodies have been recovered by ground teams so far, said Irfan Arshad Khan, the Alpine Club’s president. They have not been identified.

Along with Purja and American Mallory Geis, the group included climbers from Oman, Pakistan and Nepal, according to the Alpine Club.

None of them have been heard from since the avalanche. The location of four climbers is showing up on GPS, according to Alpine Club general secretary Ayaz Ahmed Shigri.

The weather was clear on Friday morning, and was expected to stay that way through the weekend, Shigri said.

Purja, also known as “Nims,” made history in 2019, climbing all of the world’s 14 peaks over 8,000 meters (26,300 feet) in just over six months. His feat was chronicled in the hit Netflix documentary “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible.”

Purja was a soldier for 16 years with the British army, in the Brigade of Gurkhas and later the Special Boat Service, an elite unit of the UK’s Royal Navy.

His mountaineering career began when he trekked to Everest Base Camp in 2012, an experience that “fired his passion and ambition for the mountains,” according to the website of his foundation, Nimsdai, which supports mountain communities in Nepal.

CNN has reached out to Purja’s foundation for comment.

Purja quickly became “addicted” to climbing, he told CNN in 2019.

He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 2018, for his military service and mountaineering achievements.

Purja set off on his record-breaking summit of the world’s 14 highest peaks in April 2019, finishing 189 days later in October, smashing a record set by South Korean Kim Chang-ho in 2013 – by more than seven years. 

Purja and his team also carried out a number of daring rescues, often putting their own lives in danger.

He described his feat to CNN as an “extremely, horrendously good experience” – despite his oxygen being stolen while climbing Lhotse, Earth’s fourth-highest peak.

The speed record for summiting the world’s tallest peaks was broken again in 2023 by a Norwegian woman, Kristin Harila, and a Nepali man, Tenjin Sherpa, who summited all 14 peaks in three months and one day.

Purja brought global attention to the issue of overcrowding on Mount Everest, posting a photograph of a “traffic jam” on the upper slopes of the world’s highest peak during his summit in 2019. The resulting backlash to the images led the Nepalese government to draft new climbing rules.

In 2024, Purja became the fastest person to summit all 14 of the peaks without supplementary oxygen.

Summiting just one “8,000er,” let alone all 14, is challenging enough given climbers have to enter the “death zone” – a mountaineering term that describes altitudes over about 8,000 meters where the human body is exposed to insufficient levels of oxygen.

The 12th-tallest peak in the world, Broad Peak is considered slightly less technically difficult than other peaks such as its notorious neighbor K2, but it is prone to harsh and unpredictable weather.

In 2013, three Iranian climbers died on descent after summiting Broad Peak.

Pakistan’s worst modern mountaineering disaster occurred in 2008, when 11 climbers were killed after an avalanche on K2.

After climbing Broad Peak, Purja had planned to climb Cho Oyu, the world’s sixth-highest mountain, located in the Himalayas, to become the first person in history to climb all 14 “8,000ers” twice, according to a post on his X account Monday.

“Broad Peak, I ask for nothing but safe passage up and back down,” he wrote.

“I take zero mountains for granted. Not one. The moment my foot leaves basecamp, it’s 100%. Always has been. Always will be.” (CNN)

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Sri Lanka Women have clinched the ODI series 2-1 after defeating Pakistan Women by 8 wickets in the third and final ODI played in Hambantota today. 

Pakistan were bowled out for 187 in 40 overs before Sri Lanka chased down the target with ease, reaching 191/2 in 37.2 overs. (Newswire)

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Pakistan has asked the United States for a $10 billion exchange stabilization facility, according to two sources briefed on the matter, which, if approved, could provide a lifeline ​for the cash-strapped South Asian economy.

The request, which is being reported for the first time, follows Pakistan’s role in brokering talks over the Iran war, which raised ‌its diplomatic profile and stirred hopes that it could seek economic gains from Washington and other partners.

Pakistani Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb made the request in a letter delivered during a meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, on Tuesday, a U.S. official said.

In it, Islamabad asked for creation of a Bilateral Exchange Stabilization Support Facility between the U.S. and the Pakistani government worth $10 billion with maturity of up to five years.

The facility, if agreed to, would bolster ​Pakistan’s reserves, ease pressure on the rupee and reduce its reliance on multilateral financing, even as Islamabad undertakes tighter fiscal and monetary policies in line with its International Monetary Fund ​program.

The U.S. Treasury declined to comment on the request. Pakistan’s finance ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment outside of Asia ⁠business hours.

During his meeting with Bessent, Aurangzeb raised the vulnerability of the country’s economy to regional geopolitical developments, his ministry said in a statement that did not mention the request.

“Senator Aurangzeb sought greater ​U.S. support for Pakistan’s road to market, underpinned by improved access to international capital markets, higher foreign exchange reserves, and enhanced sovereign credit ratings,” it said, adding that both sides reaffirmed their commitment ​to deepening bilateral economic cooperation, promoting greater U.S. investment, and advancing strategic projects.

Pakistan remains under $7 billion IMF discipline that has required politically unpopular tax increases, spending restraint and reforms.

Exchange stabilization facilities are rare U.S. Treasury backstops, usually routed via the Exchange Stabilization Fund, that provide dollars, swaps or guarantees to support reserves and steady currencies.

These facilities are different from the permanent standing dollar swap lines that the U.S. Federal Reserve has with some major central banks ​and act as an international supply line of U.S. dollars to underpin financial stability.

A 2025 Argentina package was the first new foreign-government exchange stabilization facility operation since Uruguay in 2002, aside from ​Mexico’s long-standing swap line, dating to the 1940s and now sized at $9 billion.

Pakistan narrowly avoided default in 2023 with a $3 billion IMF standby deal and later secured a $7 billion Extended Fund Facility, along with a separate $1.3 billion ‌loan to ⁠build up its resilience to climate change and natural disasters. But its reserves still depend on official financing, rollovers and deposits from China and Saudi Arabia.

That leaves Islamabad exposed to shifts in bilateral support and IMF disbursement delays. That vulnerability was exposed in April when Pakistan repaid about $3.5 billion, one-fifth of its reserves, to the United Arab Emirates with Saudi Arabia providing $3 billion in fresh support.

Pakistan’s central bank said in January that reserves could return to near their 2021 record, reaching $20 billion by the end of 2026.

RECASTING TIES WITH WASHINGTON

A U.S. exchange stabilization facility would carry weight as both a liquidity ​backstop and political signal, easing pressure on reserves ​and the Pakistani rupee, while reducing the ⁠South Asian country’s dependence on IMF tranches and ad hoc rescues.

IMF-backed reforms have stabilized the economy at a political cost, including higher taxes, spending restraint and limited room for development or welfare spending.

Ratings agency Fitch said in April that Pakistan’s adherence to its IMF program has supported the country’s funding ​capacity, while rebuilt foreign exchange buffers provide a cushion against economic shocks from the Middle East conflict.

But deeper constraints remain. Fitch cautioned that ​rising energy costs and potential ⁠supply disruptions could sharply erode the country’s foreign exchange reserves.

Foreign investment in Pakistan has remained thin, deterred by recurring external crises, policy uncertainty, security risks, past profit-repatriation curbs and a narrow export base, while the country’s credit rating remains deep in speculative-grade territory, keeping borrowing costs high and market access limited.

Pakistan has sought to use its ties to the Trump administration to address some of these issues, with economic cooperation ⁠that has so ​far spanned crypto, real estate and mining.

Pakistan has signed a stablecoin agreement for cross-border payments with an affiliate of World ​Liberty Financial, the main crypto business of President Donald Trump’s family.

It has also pursued a memorandum of understanding to redevelop the closed Pakistan International Airlines-owned Roosevelt Hotel in New York with the U.S. government, and courted U.S. mining investment, including ​in Reko Diq, where the U.S. Export-Import Bank has announced $1.25 billion in financing. (Reuters)

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Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has announced a 15-member Sri Lanka Women’s National Squad for the upcoming ODI series against the Pakistan Women’s National Team.

The three-match ODI series will form part of the ICC Women’s Championship 2025–2029 cycle. 

The ODI matches will be played on 23, 25, and 28 July 2026 at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium (MRICS), Hambantota. (Newswire)

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Pakistan has located the wreckage of a Boeing cargo plane, the country’s airports authority said, adding that rescuers were searching for the five crew members on board when the aircraft went missing.

The plane was approaching Karachi from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates when radar showed it “rapidly descending” on Tuesday evening after reporting a “navigational system issue”, according to the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA).

After a 12-hour search, Pakistan’s navy and maritime rescue agency “successfully located and identified wreckage of K2 Airways cargo B737 which was declared missing last night”, the PAA said in a statement posted on X.

The wreckage was found in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Ormara, a town on Pakistan’s southern coast, it said.

The authority published images of personnel lifting pieces of the fuselage from a small boat on to a larger vessel and the red and white debris with the words “K2 Air” laid out on the ship’s deck.

In a statement issued before the plane wreckage was found, the Pakistani prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, expressed “deep sorrow, grief and regret over the tragic incident in which a private cargo aircraft … crashed into the Arabian Sea and went missing”.

A source told AFP that navy and merchant vessels were taking part in the search efforts, supported by military aircraft.

The aircraft was observed on radar “rapidly descending and with rapid heading change” at 21:21pm on Tuesday and communication contact was lost about 155 nautical miles west of Karachi, the PAA said.

Preliminary data sent from the plane “indicated a loss of altitude, followed by a climb, and then a second, sudden and dramatic loss of altitude”, according to Flightradar24.com, a global flight-tracking service.

K2 Airways is a private cargo airline in Pakistan that operates scheduled and charter flights domestically and internationally. Manufactured in 1999, the aircraft flew as a passenger plane for Aeroflot and Garuda Indonesia before being converted to a cargo configuration in 2012, according to Airfleets.net.

Pakistan’s aviation sector has a chequered history with several deadly plane crashes in the past decade, including in the southern city of Karachi. The EU barred Pakistan’s national carrier from its airspace for four years over safety and licensing concerns, but lifted the ban in 2024. (The Guardian)

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At least 14 schoolchildren have been killed after the roof of a tutoring centre in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore collapsed, according to officials.

A teacher and eight other children were injured and being treated at a hospital, while police said the owner of the centre and another person had been arrested.

Medical sources said the children killed in the collapse were aged between around four and 12, according to the AFP news agency.

Senior police official Faisal Kamran said rescuers were searching through the rubble after receiving reports that more children could be trapped beneath the debris, the Reuters news agency reported.

He added the centre was housed in an ageing building and that the roof of an unfinished second floor apparently collapsed because of poor construction quality.

‘Precious lives’

Workers had been repairing tiles on the building when the roof gave way and crushed the youngsters, a witness told AFP.

Broadcaster Geo News aired images of uniformed rescuers and civilians using shovels and their hands to dig through dirt and rubble in the partially collapsed building.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his “grief over the loss of precious lives in the collapse of a tuition centre roof in Lahore’s Kahna area”.

Sharif “prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured and directed the authorities to provide them with every possible medical assistance”, according to a statement released by his office.

Khan said in a statement that “those responsible for the incident will be found through a transparent, unbiased and immediate investigation”.

Roof and building collapses are common across Pakistan, mainly due to poor safety standards and substandard construction materials. (Al Jazeera/ AFP)

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Police in Pakistan have arrested a man who allegedly held his wife and children captive at home and abused them for more than a decade.

His wife, a French national named Sylvie Yasmina, claims the man assaulted his family physically and mentally “on a daily basis” and described him as “very violent”, local police told BBC Urdu.

One of their sons managed to sneak out to make a police report, which led to a raid of their house in Bara, a remote town in the mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Police found Yasmina and her five children in a cramped and “extremely dilapidated room”, with bruises all over their bodies.

Yasmina and her children have been taken to a women’s shelter in Peshawar. They plan to move back to France, the police say.

According to Yasmina, 54, her husband had “effectively imprisoned” the family since they moved to Pakistan from Australia in 2014.

“According to the woman… She was not allowed to meet anyone, their two older children had missed their studies, while the three younger children were born in Pakistan and never enrolled in school,” a senior police officer told BBC Urdu.

Authorities have not identified Yasmina’s husband, a Pakistani national who they say was “residing illegally” in Australia when the couple met.

They married in 2003 and lived in Australia until 2014, when they moved to Pakistan with their two older children. Yasmina claims she has not had any communication with the outside world since then.

“We were deprived [of our] freedom, my husband didn’t take care of us the way he should as a husband and the father of my children. He beats us and put pressure on our lives on a daily basis,” Yasmina wrote in her statement to the police, parts of which have been published by local media.

“I felt that my future was already ruined, the future of the children would also be ruined.” (BBC)

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The Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan has announced the launch of the Allama Muhammad Iqbal Scholarship Scheme for Sri Lankan students, offering both fully and partially funded opportunities to pursue undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral studies at top‑ranked Pakistani universities.

The initiative aims to strengthen academic ties and cultural exchange between Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Selected candidates will gain exposure to Pakistani society and values, while sharing their own culture with peers and community groups.

Scholarships are available across disciplines including engineering, natural sciences, social sciences, arts, humanities, architecture, fine arts, business, IT, agriculture, and media studies. 

Fully funded awards cover tuition, living allowances, hostel charges, and book costs, while partially funded scholarships cover tuition fees only.

Eligibility requires strong academic performance: at least 65% marks for medicine and engineering programs, and 60% marks for master’s and doctoral studies. Age limits apply: 23 years for undergraduates, 35 for postgraduates, and 40 for faculty members.

Applicants must submit online applications via HEC’s portal by June 25, 2026. All candidates will sit for an aptitude test conducted by HEC in collaboration with the Pakistan High Commission in Colombo and the Government of Sri Lanka.

The program mandates that graduates return to Sri Lanka to contribute to national development after completing their studies in Pakistan.

For inquiries, contact Project Director Jehanzeb Khan at info.paksl@hec.gov.pk. (Newswire)

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The Pakistan Army and Sri Lanka Army have concluded ‘Exercise Shake Hands‑II’, a two‑week joint counter‑terrorism training programme held at Tarbela, Pakistan. 

The High Commission of Pakistan in Sri Lanka said the exercise commenced on April 27, 2026, and concluded yesterday.

Combat teams from the Pakistan Army’s Special Services Group and the Sri Lankan Special Forces participated, demonstrating high standards of professional excellence throughout the training. 

The programme focused on refining drills, procedures, and techniques in counter‑terrorism operations through joint training, while further strengthening historic military‑to‑military ties between the two countries.

The closing ceremony was attended by the General Officer Commanding Special Services Group as the Chief Guest. Major General Ajith Abeyawardana (WWV RWP RSP) of Sri Lanka also witnessed the event. (Newswire

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Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi returned to Pakistan on Sunday, a day after leaving the country, as US President Donald Trump cancelled a planned trip to Islamabad by US negotiators.

He departed Pakistan on Sunday night and headed to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday.

Iran’s ISNA news agency reported that Tehran had transmitted “written messages” to the US via Pakistani mediators, which addressed “some of the red lines of the Islamic Republic of Iran, including nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz”. The messages were not part of any negotiations, the agency said.

Iranian media said that Araghchi’s second visit to Pakistan looked to share “Iran’s positions and views on the framework of any understanding to completely end the war”.

During his first visit to Islamabad on Friday and Saturday, he met with Pakistan’s military chief Asim Munir, a key mediator, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. Other Iranian envoys then travelled back to Tehran “to consult and obtain the necessary instructions on issues related to ending the war”, according to ISNA.

Araghchi described his Pakistan trip on Saturday as “very fruitful” but signalled scepticism over Washington’s intentions, insisting he had “yet to see if the US is truly serious about diplomacy.”

Trump cancels negotiating team’s trip to Pakistan

US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner were meant to head to Pakistan on Saturday for an “in-person conversation” with Iran, according to the White House.

But Trump later said that he had cancelled the trip, insisting that there was no point “sitting around talking about nothing”. Iranian state media, however, had earlier said that direct talks were never on the table to begin with.

“They gave us a paper that should have been better and – interestingly – immediately when I cancelled it, within 10 minutes, we got a new paper that was much better,” Trump told reporters.

Later that evening, a gunman was arrested at the White House correspondents’ dinner, and Trump said he did not think it was related to Iran.

Trump then said on Sunday that “we’re not doing this anymore. We have all the cards. If they want to talk, they can come to us, or they can call us, you know, there is a telephone, we have nice secure lines.”

Hormuz blockade still in place

Meanwhile, the vital Hormuz oil and gas route continues to be blocked, with no sign of it opening any time soon.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards posted a message on their Telegram channel saying that “controlling the Strait of Hormuz and maintaining the shadow of its deterrent effects over America and the White House’s supporters in the region is the definitive strategy of Islamic Iran.”

The US has blockaded Iran’s ports in retaliation, with Iranian state media then warning that “blockading, banditry and piracy” would result in a response. (Euronews)

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Iran’s top diplomat is expected to travel to Pakistan by this weekend for talks, two Pakistani officials said on Friday.

The officials declined to provide any other details about Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s visit, other than to say he would be accompanied by a small government delegation and could arrive as soon as Friday.

Pakistan has been trying to restart ceasefire talks between Iran and the United States.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.

Iran’s top diplomat and Pakistani officials on Friday talked over details of the ceasefire in the war with the United States and Israel.

In their call Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar and Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir talked over “regional developments and issues related to the ceasefire,” according to a statement from Araghchi, which did not go into further detail.

Later, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said that “both sides exchanged views on regional developments, the ceasefire, and ongoing diplomatic efforts being pursued by Islamabad in the context of US-Iran engagement.”

It added that Dar “underscored the importance of sustained dialogue and engagement to address outstanding issues, in order to advance regional peace and stability at the earliest.”

Since the war began, at least 3,375 people have been killed in Iran, and over 2,290 people in Lebanon, where new fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah broke out two days after the war started, according to authorities.

Additionally, 23 people have died in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Fifteen Israeli soldiers in Lebanon and 13 US service members throughout the region have been killed.

US President Donald Trump announced an indefinite extension of the ceasefire with Iran at Pakistan’s request earlier this week as it sought more time for diplomatic outreach.

That hasn’t lowered tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas is shipped during peacetime. 

Iran has kept its stranglehold on traffic through the strait, attacking three ships earlier this week, while the US has maintained its blockade of Iranian ports and ordered the military to “shoot and kill” small boats that could be placing mines. (Gulf News)

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Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Nawaz is under investigation after a positive test for recreational drug use, ESPNcricinfo can reveal. Nawaz’s deal to join Surrey for the T20 Blast in England has fallen through as a result.

Nawaz, who has played 98 T20Is for Pakistan, is subject to an ICC anti-doping process. 

A PCB spokesperson told ESPNcricinfo on Wednesday: “The International Cricket Council (ICC) has informed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) about this matter, and PCB has begun the due process. The results of this process will be communicated to the ICC today.”

ESPNcricinfo has learned that the positive result comes from testing during the T20 World Cup earlier this year. 

Nawaz, 32, played in all seven of Pakistan’s matches in Sri Lanka as they were eliminated at the Super Eight stage, scoring 15 runs and taking seven wickets.

Nawaz had agreed to sign for Surrey and was due to be available throughout the Blast, which runs from May 26 until July 18. 

The PCB announced two weeks ago that Nawaz had been granted a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) for the Blast, and Surrey had planned to announce his signing this week.

But ESPNcricinfo has learned that the deal has now fallen through, and Nawaz will no longer join the club this summer. Surrey declined to comment.

Nawaz has been an ever-present for Multan Sultans in the ongoing PSL season, and bowled three wicketless overs in their six-wicket victory over Rawalpindi in Karachi on Tuesday night.

The ICC declined to comment. (ESPNcricinfo)

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Saudi Arabia announced on Thursday granting a financial support amounting to $8 billion to boost Pakistan’s economic stability. 

This is in line with the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman.

Saudi Arabia has continued its support to enhance Pakistan’s economic stability by extending the term of an existing $5 billion deposit at the State Bank of Pakistan and announcing an additional deposit of $3 billion, the Saudi Press Agency reported. This reflects the strong ties and ongoing cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

This assistance aims at supporting Pakistan’s economy and strengthening its resilience amidst evolving global economic challenges, and comes in accordance with the leadership’s directives to strengthen the bonds of brotherhood between the two countries. 

This affirms the Kingdom’s commitment to fostering the economic growth of Pakistan, which is expected to reflect positively on the living conditions of Pakistani citizens. (Saudi Gazette)

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