ISLAMABAD: Lt Gen Azhar Abbas was on Tues­day named as army’s next Chief of General Staff (CGS). Gen Abbas would be the 35th CGS of the army. He replaces Lt Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza, who was posted out as commander of Rawalpindi-based 10 Corps — a post previously held by Gen Abbas. The post of CGS is considered the most …

As Taliban fighters entered Kabul on the evening of August 15, executives at Afghanistan’s biggest independent TV network had a tough decision to make: stay on-air or go dark. Tolo kept broadcasting, but like the rest of the country’s TV and radio stations, it now faces a tough and uncertain future under the Taliban, whose return has sent fear coursing through the media. …

Afghanistan cricket chiefs are still awaiting instructions from the country’s new Taliban government on the future of the women’s game and are not anticipating a decision any time soon, a top cricket official told Reuters. The Taliban named a new government on Tuesday, three weeks after sweeping to power when the Western-backed government collapsed in the wake of the withdrawal of US-led foreign …

BERLIN: German Chanc­ellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday lauded her party’s candidate Armin Laschet as the best choice to succeed her, as polls showed the gaffe-prone Rhinelander still trailing badly ahead of this month’s election. Laschet, the chancellor candidate for Merkel’s conservative CDU/CSU bloc, was long the favourite to be the next German leader, but his ratings have plummeted following a …

YANGON: Myanmar’s shadow government, formed by opponents of military rule, on Tuesday called for a nationwide uprising against the junta amid reports of new protests and a flare-up in fighting between the army and ethnic military groups. Duwa Lashi La, acting president of the National Unity Government (NUG), said the shadow government was launching a “people’s defensive war”, signalling in …

LONDON: Breaking an election pledge not to raise taxes, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday announced hefty new funding to fix a social care crisis and a pandemic surge in hospital waiting lists. The government said the tax hike brings Britain into line with France, Germany and Japan, which have all raised social insurance levies to help care for …

Kate Middleton and Prince William will be the face of a modern-era monarchy, royal staffers believe. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are the perfect pair to give the monarchy a modern twist. Royal staffers believe this is because they both belong to diverse backgrounds. “They are bringing to the party different means of achieving the whole,” Kate and William’s …

Three days every week, as many as 70 youngsters fill up the pitch at the Dar Hockey Academy in Lahore. Run by Olympian Tauqir Dar, the academy offers training for free from Thursday to Saturday with the hope of finding Pakistan’s next generation of world beaters. For now, for all their hopes and aspirations, the future doesn’t hold much hope. …

The timing of it was just like one of Babar Azam’s exquisite drives through the arc between point and extra cover. While departing simultaneously and leaving the rest of the backroom staff in the dark, both Misbah-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis have obviously read the writing on the wall — about what’s in store. Deep down in their hearts both the …