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Pakistan’s Irfan Asghar wins 6th Asian Master Squash Championship 2024

Pakistan’s Irfan Asghar wins 6th Asian Master Squash Championship 2024
Pakistani squash veteran, Group Captain (retired) Irfan Asghar, poses with the trophy after winning the 6th Asian Master Squash Championship 2024 at Macau, China. (Photo courtesy: Radio Pakistan)
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Updated 30 September 2024
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Pakistan’s Irfan Asghar wins 6th Asian Master Squash Championship 2024

Pakistan’s Irfan Asghar wins 6th Asian Master Squash Championship 2024
  • Irfan outplayed Ryun Hoe Koo, secured 3-0 win
  • The final scores were 11-6, 11-4 and 14-12
Updated 30 September 2024
Arab News Pakistan
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ISLAMABAD: Pakistani squash veteran, Group Captain (retired) Irfan Asghar, has won the 6th Asian Master Squash Championship 2024 held in Macau, China, Pakistani state media reported, citing the Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF).
Irfan outplayed his opponent, Ryun Hoe Koo, and secured an impressive 3-0 win, clinching the title for Pakistan.
The final scores were 11-6, 11-4 and 14-12, the state-run APP news agency reported.
“His victory reinforces his status as a leading figure in Pakistan’s squash scene,” the report read.
The win marked Irfan’s second triumph in the Asian Master Squash Championship, having previously won the title in 2010.
Currently serving as the PSF director for academies, Irfan has continued to inspire the next generation of players.

Topics: squash Irfan Asghar 6th Asian Master Squash Championship 2024

Toxic smog wreathes India’s capital, Pakistan’s Lahore as winter nears

Toxic smog wreathes India’s capital, Pakistan’s Lahore as winter nears
Updated 28 sec ago
Reuters
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Toxic smog wreathes India’s capital, Pakistan’s Lahore as winter nears

Toxic smog wreathes India’s capital, Pakistan’s Lahore as winter nears
  • Punjab government has blamed pollution wafting in from India for Lahore’s worsening air quality 
  • Authorities in Punjab have taken emergency measures in wake of unprecedented pollution levels
Updated 28 sec ago
Reuters

NEW DELHI: A toxic smog shrouded the Indian capital on Tuesday, driving air quality in some areas into the “severe” range ahead of winter, when cold air traps pollutants and brings a spike in respiratory illnesses.

The mix of smoke, emissions, and dust is an annual problem for authorities in New Delhi, with vehicles, construction dust, and smoke from farm fires in the adjoining northern states of Punjab and Haryana among the major contributors.

“The outlook for the subsequent six days: the air quality is likely to be in the ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ category,” said the earth sciences ministry.

The city’s overall score on an air quality index kept by India’s top pollution authorities was ‘very poor’ at 384, the ministry added, and was likely to stay there until Thursday.

An index range of 401 to 500 falls into the ‘severe’ category, implying it affects healthy people, but is more serious for those already fighting disease.

Ministry data showed farm fires have increasingly swelled the pollution over the last three days, for a share of more than 23 percent on Monday, from about 15 percent on Saturday.

About a third of the city’s 39 monitoring stations showed a ‘severe’ score of more than 400 on Tuesday, said the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), well short of an air quality score of zero to 50 that it rates as ‘good’.

Swiss group IQAir also rated Delhi the world’s second most polluted city on Tuesday, after Lahore in neighboring Pakistan, where authorities also took emergency measures in the wake of Sunday’s unprecedented pollution levels.

The government in the eastern province of Punjab, home to Lahore, has blamed deteriorating air quality on pollution wafting in from India, an issue it has vowed to take up with its neighbor through the foreign ministry.

Topics: smog Pakistan India Pollution Winters Arab News Pakistan

Pakistan, Uzbekistan businesses explore joint ventures in Tashkent meeting

Pakistan, Uzbekistan businesses explore joint ventures in Tashkent meeting
Updated 24 min 11 sec ago
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Pakistan, Uzbekistan businesses explore joint ventures in Tashkent meeting

Pakistan, Uzbekistan businesses explore joint ventures in Tashkent meeting
  • The business-to-business meetings spanned a variety of industries, including textiles, food processing, engineering and logistics
  • Pakistan is seeking to promote closer economic ties with regional and international allies to bolster its fragile $350 billion economy
Updated 24 min 11 sec ago
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Representatives of more than two dozen Pakistani companies and over one hundred leading Uzbek enterprises met in Tashkent and discussed joint projects in diverse sectors, the Pakistani commerce ministry said on Monday.

The discussions took place at the Uzbek-Pakistani Business Forum, complementing the 9th intergovernmental commission meeting on economic cooperation between Uzbekistan and Pakistan, according to the Pakistani ministry.

These business-to-business (B2B) meetings spanned a variety of industries, including textiles, food processing, engineering and logistics, underscoring the shared commitment of both nations to explore collaborative business opportunities.

Addressing the forum, Pakistan’s Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan highlighted Pakistan’s investment-friendly environment and encouraged Uzbek businesses to consider collaborative projects in Pakistan.

"He emphasized that such interactions pave the way for deepened commercial ties and contribute to regional economic stability," the commerce ministry said.

Uzbekistan’s Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade Laziz Kudratov echoed these sentiments, welcoming Pakistani enterprises and emphasizing the Uzbek government’s commitment to fostering a supportive atmosphere for international partnerships.

"Initiatives like the Business Forum play a crucial role in propelling trade and investment forward, creating new opportunities for entrepreneurs," he was quoted as saying.

The development comes as Pakistan seeks to enhance regional connectivity with landlocked Central Asian states by providing them access to its warm water ports. It recently offered Central Asian states to become part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project, under which Beijing has pledged around $65 billion in energy, infrastructure and other projects in Pakistan.

The South Asian country narrowly avoided a sovereign default last year and has since sought to promote closer economic ties with regional and international allies to bolster its fragile $350 billion economy, which has been suffering from a prolonged macroeconomic crisis.

Topics: Pakistan Uzbekistan Ties Pakistan Tashkent

Iranian FM arrives in Pakistan to discuss Middle East situation, bilateral ties

Iranian FM arrives in Pakistan to discuss Middle East situation, bilateral ties
Updated 31 min 13 sec ago
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Iranian FM arrives in Pakistan to discuss Middle East situation, bilateral ties

Iranian FM arrives in Pakistan to discuss Middle East situation, bilateral ties
  • Seyed Abbas Araghchi’s visit takes place amid surging regional tensions between Israel and Iran
  • Islamabad, Tehran have had a rocky relationship despite agreements on trade, energy and security 
Updated 31 min 13 sec ago
Shahjahan Khurram

ISLAMABAD: Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has arrived in Islamabad on a two-day official visit to hold consultations with the Pakistani leadership on the evolving Middle East situation and discuss bilateral ties with Pakistan, state-run media reported on Tuesday. 

Araghchi was welcomed by Pakistan’s Additional Foreign Secretary (Afghanistan and West Asia) Ambassador Ahmed Naseem Warraich upon his arrival in Islamabad, a foreign office press release said. 

Araghchi’s Islamabad visit takes place after last month’s escalation in hostilities between Iran and Israel, with both countries firing missiles at each other. Israel carried out strikes against Iran on Oct. 26, saying it was responding to missile attacks conducted by Tehran earlier in the month.

Since the deadliest attack in its history on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has been fighting Hamas in Gaza and since late September, it has been at war with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Both Hezbollah and Hamas are allies of Iran. Pakistan, a major ally of Saudi Arabia, shares a long border with Iran.

“Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi arrived here late Monday night on a two-day official visit to hold consultations with Pakistan’s leadership on the situation in the Middle East and bilateral relations,” state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported. 

The APP said Araghchi will meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar during his two-day visit. 

“This visit provides an important opportunity to advance cooperation and dialogue between Pakistan and Iran on a wide range of areas including trade, energy and security,” APP said. 
Pakistan and Iran have had a rocky relationship despite several commercial pacts between the two countries on trade, energy and security. Both countries signed the $7 billion Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project agreement in 2004 but 20 years on, the project remains incomplete. Tehran has completed the pipeline’s construction on its side of the border while Pakistan is seeking a US waiver to go ahead with it due to international sanctions targeting Tehran. 
Pakistan and Iran are also often at odds over instability on their shared porous border, with both countries routinely trading blame for not rooting out militancy.
Tensions surged in January when Pakistan and Iran exchanged airstrikes, both claiming to target alleged militant hideouts in each other’s countries. Late Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi visited Pakistan in April on a three-day visit aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and easing tensions. The two sides also signed memorandums of understanding in the fields of trade, science technology, agriculture, health, culture, and judicial matters. 

Topics: Pakistan Iran Ties Iran Seyed Abbas Araghchi

Pakistan reports fresh polio case from Balochistan, taking 2024 tally to 46

Pakistan reports fresh polio case from Balochistan, taking 2024 tally to 46
Updated 4 min 40 sec ago
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Pakistan reports fresh polio case from Balochistan, taking 2024 tally to 46

Pakistan reports fresh polio case from Balochistan, taking 2024 tally to 46
  • Poliovirus detected in male child from Killa Saifullah district, says polio eradication program
  • Pakistan’s immunization campaigns suffer from misinformation campaigns and militant attacks
Updated 4 min 40 sec ago
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province has detected a fresh poliovirus case in a male child, the country’s polio eradication program said on Tuesday, taking the total number of cases reported this year to 46 as Islamabad struggles to clamp down on the infection. 

The National Institute of Health’s (NIH) laboratory confirmed detecting the virus in a male child from Killa Saifullah district in Balochistan, the program said. 

“This is the second polio case from Killa Saifullah, where several environmental samples have tested positive for WPV1,” the Pakistan Polio Eradication Program said. “So far, 23 cases have been reported from Balochistan province, 12 from Sindh province, nine from KP and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.”

Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries where polio remains endemic. Since late 2018, Pakistan has seen a resurgence of cases and increased spread of poliovirus, highlighting the fragility of gains achieved in the preceding years when cases dropped in 2023 to six, from 20 in 2022 and just one in 2022. Misinformation about vaccinations and attacks by militants on polio teams have been major impediments to immunization campaigns.

At least seven people, including five school students, were killed and 23 injured in a blast in southwestern Pakistan that targeted a polio vaccination team vehicle on Friday, police said. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Last Tuesday, a policeman was killed in an attack on a health office that manages door-to-door polio vaccination campaigns.

The attacks have coincided with Pakistan’s third nationwide polio campaign this year, launched last week with the aim to administer vaccine drops to more than 45 million children.

Pakistani Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication, Ayesha Raza Farooq, has said that the government is revamping its polio eradication program to make the country free of the virus by mid next year.

“WPV1 has been detected in 76 districts, indicating widespread circulation of the virus and a continued serious risk to children’s well-being from a disease that can paralyze them for life,” the polio eradication program said. 
“Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five is essential to keep them protected.”

Topics: Polio poliovirus Balochistan

Pakistan PM says policy rate reduction to enhance business activities, boost employment

Pakistan PM says policy rate reduction to enhance business activities, boost employment
Updated 46 min 54 sec ago
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Pakistan PM says policy rate reduction to enhance business activities, boost employment

Pakistan PM says policy rate reduction to enhance business activities, boost employment
  • Pakistan’s central bank slashed key policy rate by 250 basis points to 15 percent on Monday 
  • With fourth straight reduction since June, Islamabad aims to revive sluggish economy 
Updated 46 min 54 sec ago
Shahjahan Khurram

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has welcomed the central bank’s decision to cut the policy rate by 250 basis points, saying the move would help boost the country’s business activities and enhance employment opportunities, state-run media reported on Tuesday.

Pakistan’s central bank slashed its key policy rate by 250 basis points to 15 percent on Monday for a fourth straight reduction since June. The development takes place as Islamabad attempts to revive a sluggish, fragile $350 billion economy as inflation eases. 

Monday’s move follows cuts of 150 bps in June, 100 bps in July, and 200 in September that have taken the rate from an all-time high of 22 percent, set in June 2023 and left unchanged for a year. It takes the total cuts to 700 bps in under five months.

“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif says the reduction in policy rate will enhance business activities, exports and employment opportunities in the country,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported. 

Sharif was chairing a meeting of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) parliamentary party on Monday when he touched upon the central bank’s move. The premier noted that inflation has reduced from an alarming 38 percent in May 2023 to 7 percent at present.

The Pakistani premier informed members of the PML-N parliamentary party about his visit to Saudi Arabia and Qatar last week, saying that “a new chapter” has been added to the Pakistan-Saudi investment partnership. 

“The Saudi leadership assured all kinds of support for the stability and development of Pakistan’s economy,” Sharif said according to the state broadcaster. 

The Pakistani prime minister also informed the lawmakers about his visit to Qatar, saying that the Qatari leadership also assured an increase in investment for Pakistan. He said talks were held between both sides on giving “a practical shape” to projects worth $3 billion in Pakistan. 

“He said Qatar will invest in various sectors including aviation, hoteling, information technology and energy sectors in Pakistan,” the state broadcaster said. “Shehbaz Sharif said the government is taking steps on a priority basis to facilitate investment and increase foreign investment in Pakistan.”

Topics: Pakistan Policy Rate

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