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Defending champion Jack Draper is through to the Indian Wells quarter-finals after a victory over Novak Djokovic. Photo: AFP INDIAN WELLS: Novak Djokovic was dumped out by Jack Draper in a slugfest Wednesday as the defending champion won 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) to reach the quarter-finals at Indian Wells. World number one Carlos Alcaraz sailed into the last eight of the Masters 1000 event for the fifth straight year and there were straight-sets wins for Daniil Medvedev and Cameron Norrie. But Britain’s Draper did it the hard way, wearing down 38-year-old Djokovic in a punishing third set to deny the…

Iga Swiatek fell to a surprise early exit during her Italian Open title defence. PHOTO: AFP INDIAN WELLS: Two-time champion Iga Swiatek barreled into the Indian Wells quarter-finals on Wednesday, beating in-form Czech Karolina Muchova 6-2, 6-0. World number two Swiatek, who lifted the trophy in the prestigious ATP and WTA Masters 1000 in 2022 and 2024, won the last 10 games to halt Muchova’s eight-match winning streak, which included her first title since 2019 in the Qatar Open last month. “I felt great,” Swiatek said after reaching her fifth straight Indian Wells quarter-final. “I felt really solid and like…

Court reviews vision concerns as govt insists jailed ex-PM is receiving proper medical carePakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan. Photo: File ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday ordered the formation of a medical board while deciding a petition filed by former prime minister Imran Khan seeking his transfer to Shifa International Hospital for treatment. The case was heard by Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro. PTI founder Khan was represented by lawyer Sardar Latif Khosa, while Islamabad Advocate General Ayaz Shaukat and Additional Attorney General Rashid Hafeez also appeared before the court. During the hearing, Khosa…

Dončić confirms split from fiancée Anamaria Goltes and addresses custody battle and dating rumours Luka Dončić has confirmed the end of his engagement to long-time partner Anamaria Goltes while addressing an ongoing custody dispute involving their two daughters. In a statement provided to ESPN, the Los Angeles Lakers guard said the decision to end the engagement came amid difficulties over arrangements for their children, Gabriela and Olivia. The couple, who began dating in 2016 and became engaged in 2023, welcomed their first daughter in November 2023 and their second child in December 2025. “I love my daughters more than anything…

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored a late double as PSG beat Chelsea 5-2 in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie. Photo: AFP PARIS: A gift by Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen and two late goals by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia gave title holders Paris Saint-Germain a stunning 5-2 win over the English side in a thrilling Champions League last 16, first leg on Wednesday. It looked as if Chelsea would return to London for next week’s second leg with a draw, and perhaps the upper hand in the tie, after they twice came from behind in the first hour at the Parc…

KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) ended Thursday’s volatile trading session in the red, with the benchmark KSE-100 Index falling 1,437 points, or 0.92%, to settle at 154,421. The market witnessed choppy movements throughout the session, reflecting cautious investor sentiment and intermittent profit-taking. “During the session, the market experienced notable fluctuations, with the index moving within a 3,577-point range,” said Ali Najib, deputy head of trading at Arif Habib Limited. The index recorded an intra-day high of 157,080, up 1,222 points or 0.78%, and an intra-day low of 153,504, down 2,355 points or 1.51%. On the sectoral front, energy production…

Gold and silver prices fell in both international and domestic markets on Thursday after a two-day break. In the international bullion market, the price of gold per ounce dropped by $29 to $5,176. Following the decline in global prices, gold rates in the local market also moved lower. The price of gold per tola decreased by Rs2,900 to Rs540,362. Similarly, the price of 10 grams of gold declined by Rs2,486 to settle at Rs463,273. Read: KSE-100 drops 1,437 points after choppy session at PSX Silver prices also registered a drop in the domestic market. The price of silver per tola…

China passes new ethnic unity law: What it means for minority rights and identity China has recently approved a new ethnic unity law, aiming to advance Xi Jinping’s assimilation agenda and integrate national unity among the country’s 55 ethnic minorities. The law called “Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress” was approved by the National People’s Congress by 2,756 votes, with three opposing votes and ⁠three abstentions. The proposal also calls for advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) at its core and promoting ethnic unity among government bodies and private enterprises, including local governments. China…

Real Madrid’s Uruguayan midfielder Federico Valverde celebrates scoring his team’s second goal against Manchester City. Photo: AFP MADRID: Federico Valverde’s superb first-half hat-trick helped Real Madrid demolish Manchester City 3-0 in a surprise Champions League last 16 first leg rout on Wednesday. Los Blancos were missing several key players including Kylian Mbappe but Uruguayan midfielder Valverde’s stunning treble, netted inside a 22-minute spell, crushed Pep Guardiola’s team at the Santiago Bernabeu. Vinicius Junior missed a penalty in the second half as Madrid could have built further on their significant lead ahead of the second leg in Manchester next Tuesday. Even…

Chinese national caught with 2,238 live ants at Nairobi airport, part of an organised smuggling network NAIROBI: A man was arrested with more than 2,200 live garden ants in his luggage at Nairobi’s main airport this week amid a rise in cases of smuggling of the insects in Kenya. Chinese national Zhang Kequn, 27, was arrested at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Tuesday while he was trying to leave the country, court filings seen by Reuters on Thursday showed. Immigration officials flagged a “stop order” on Zhang’s passport after he evaded arrest in Kenya last year. Ant aficionados pay large…