ROME: Naomi Osaka marked her return to the Rome Open for the first time since 2021 with a straight sets victory over Clara Burel in the first round on Wednesday. Former world number one Osaka came through against her 45th-ranked French opponent 7-6 (7-2), 6-1. It was the 26-year-old’s first win against a top-50 opponent on clay since beating Victoria …

MARSEILLLE: The Olym­pic torch relay began in Marseille on Thursday with the port city’s football legend Basile Boli taking the flame in front of the iconic basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde before passing it on to a number of other celebrity sports stars including Ukrainian gymnast Mariia Vysochanska. France’s former NBA great Tony Parker was also among the 200 …

LONDON: Global football’s governing body FIFA must publish its review of compensation for workers affected during preparations for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Amnesty International said on Thursday, urging a rapid and positive response to the findings. Qatar came under intense pressure over its treatment of foreign workers working in extreme conditions, leading many to raise concerns, although the Middle Eastern …

DUBLIN: Pakistan will kick off their final warm-up ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup when they take on Ireland in the first of the three-match Twenty20 International series at Castle Avenue on Friday. For the Babar Azam-led side, the series will be about finalising the team’s best combination for the T20 showpiece, which is set to be held in the …

How do they define Pakistan cricket? Mercurial? That’s what they say, right? You may have heard the word as pundits often scramble to define Pakistan’s resurgence or capitulation or may have read it in the newspaper columns. In the lead up to this month, many teams around the world named their preliminary squads for next month’s T20 World Cup.   …

Pakistan on Friday secured a tie in their match against New Zealand in the 30th Azlan Shah Hockey Cup. Pakistan’s fifth match today, which was played in Malaysia’s Ipoh city at 1pm (PKT), saw them remain unbeaten throughout the tournament. The match ended in a draw, with both teams securing one point each, the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) said.   …

ISLAMABAD: While hearing K-Electric’s request for up to Rs18.6 per unit additional fuel cost recovery from its consumers for the past nine months, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) on Thursday directed the Karachi-based power utility to ensure that the Matric and intermediate students do not suffer because of power outages. During a public hearing presided over by Nepra’s Sindh member, …

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday received a message from his Qatari counterpart underscoring potential avenues for reinforcing bilateral ties. “Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Moham­med bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani has sent a written message to Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif, pertaining to bilateral relations and way to support and develop them,” Qatari newswire QNA reported. …

KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) foreign exchange reserves reached a two-year high, crossing the $9 billion mark after inflows from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The central bank released the latest data about the foreign exchange reserves on Thursday, showing that the reserves went up to $9.120bn at the end of the week on May 3. “During the …