US Vice President JD Vance, left, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Obbuergen near Lucerne, Switzerland, where the US and iran held talks, June 21, 2026 [Aljazeera] Share Tweet Pakistan has urged “all parties” in the escalating United States – Iran conflict to exerc…

US Vice President JD Vance, left, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Obbuergen near Lucerne, Switzerland, where the US and iran held talks, June 21, 2026 [Aljazeera]

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Pakistan has urged “all parties” in the escalating United States – Iran conflict to exercise restraint after a fragile ceasefire that had held for nearly three weeks collapsed into a new wave of strikes and counterstrikes. “A renewed conflict is in no one’s interest,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday. It urged both sides to honour commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), brokered by Pakistan in April, describing it as “an enduring foundation for understanding, mutual respect and shared prosperity for the region and beyond”. The Pakistani statement added that it “remains ready to continue playing its role” in efforts to de-escalate tensions. Al Jazeera reached out to senior Pakistani officials for further comments but was referred to the Foreign Ministry’s statement. [Aljazeera]

Latest News West Indies docked two WTC points for slow over rate in second Test against Sri Lanka

Published 32 mins agoon 2026/07/9

Roston Chase pled guilty to the offence [Cricinfo] West Indies have been fined ten percent of their match fee and penalised two World Test Championship (WTC) points for maintaining a slow over-rate in the second Test against Sri Lanka in Antigua. Match referee Javagal Srinath imposed the sanction after the hosts were found to be two overs short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration. As per to the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, players are fined five percent of their match fee for each over their team fails to bowl within the allotted time, with the maximum penalty capped at 50 percent of the match fee. Additionally, a side is penalised one point in the WTC points table for each over short as per the ICC WTC playing conditions.

Captain Roston Chase pled guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing. West Indies bowled 188.3 overs across both innings and secured a draw after conceding a 50-run deficit in the first innings. Having won the first Test at the same venue, by an innings and 217 runs, the result was enough to complete a 1-0 series win. They stand ninth on the WTC table with 18 points, after the deduction, with one win, two draws and seven losses in ten games. [Cricinfo]

Latest News Injured Rawal out of Lord’s Test against England; Punia named replacement

Published 58 mins agoon 2026/07/9

The knee injury is the latest mishap in Pratika Rawal's fledgling career [Cricinfo] India’s top-order batter Pratika Rawal has been ruled out of the Lord’s Test against England starting Friday. Priya Punia has been drafted in as a replacement and is available for selection immediately. Rawal sustained the injury while fielding during last week’s second one-dayer against England A in Taunton. She didn’t subsequently come out to bat in India A’s chase of 300. Head coach Amol Muzumdar said Rawal had a “cut on her knee which required some stitches” while also confirming Punia’s addition to the squad. Uncapped in Test cricket, Punia struck two half-centuries in the three-match A series. Punia will likely be in a three-way race, along with Harleen Deol and Yastika Bhatia for the No. 3 spot that Rawal occupied in India’s most recent Test outing, in March against Australia. Rawal’s half-century in the second innings had been among the more notable contributions for India in a Test they lost by 295 runs. The knee injury is the latest mishap in Rawal’s fledgling career, which hit high notes during India’s run to their maiden World Cup title at home last November. After twisting her ankle while fielding against Bangladesh in India’s final league game, she was forced to miss the semi-final and final. Rawal also missed the subsequent WPL season with UP Warriorz. The one-off Test, India’s second this year, also marks the first time Lord’s hosts a women’s Test. Having been knocked out from the group stages of the T20 World Cup, the Indian team had five days off, before they underwent a five-day prep camp in Wormsley in the lead-up to this Test. India squad :    Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana (vice-capt), Shafali Varma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Sree Charani, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Nandni Sharma, Harleen Deol, Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Sayali Satghare, Sneh Rana, Priya Punia [Cricinfo]

Foreign News Eight killed after landslide hits girls’ school in Bangladesh

Published 15 hours agoon 2026/07/9

A school at a refugee camp in Cox's Bazar was hit by the landslide (BBC) Seven students and a teacher have been killed in Bangladesh after a landslide hit a girls’ school inside a refugee camp

The Islamic study centre in the coastal city of Cox’s Bazar was buried by mud and debris on Wednesday afternoon, sparking frantic search and rescue efforts. It is unclear how many people were inside the school.

The country has been battered by monsoon rains since Sunday, with several deadly landslides reported in Cox’s Bazar.

More than one million Rohingya people live there in what is the world’s largest refugee settlement, having fled a deadly military crackdown in Myanmar.

Rescuers pulled 13 people from the mud that engulfed their school hut, eight of whom died, the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Mohammed Mizanur Rahman said.

“Some of them are seven, eight, 11 or 12 years old,” Panna Akhter, a local district officer, told BBC Bangla.

The other five children were taken to hospital for treatment.

Crowds gathered at the school to pull out students who had become submerged (BBC)

Earlier, officials said other landslides had killed at least eight Rohingya refugees, including five children, since Sunday. Thousands of Rohingya, one of Myanmar’s many ethnic minorities, were killed and more than 700,000 fled to neighbouring Bangladesh during an army crackdown in Myanmar in 2017

The group, which is primarily Muslim, are denied citizenship by the government of Myanmar, a Buddhist-majority country.

Many face poor living conditions in Bangladesh, living in makeshift homes of tarpaulin and bamboo on steep hillsides.

More rain is forecast for the coming days, with authorities issuing warnings for more landslides and floods, and evacuating families in high risk areas. (BBC)