PARIS: French police cordoned off the Iranian consulate in Paris on Friday and were preparing to enter it at the consulate’s request, after a report that someone had come in with an explosive, a police source said.
“A witness saw a man enter carrying a grenade or an explosive belt,” the source said, adding that an elite police unit had been mobilized after the consulate requested an intervention.
French police cordon off Iran consulate in Paris: security source
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French police cordon off Iran consulate in Paris: security source
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- Police preparing to enter property at the consulate’s request
Pakistan cuts petrol price by a meagre Rs1.8 per liter
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- The South Asian country revises petroleum prices every fortnight
- Latest decrease unlikely to offer any relief to inflation-hit Pakistanis
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government has cut the price of petrol by Rs1.8 per liter, the information ministry announced late Saturday.
Pakistan revises petroleum prices every fortnight. After the latest revision, petrol will now cost Rs259.10 per liter.
The price of high-speed diesel went down by Rs3.32 to Rs262.75 per liter.
“The new prices will take effect from September 1, 2024,” the information ministry said in a statement.
The government also reduced the price of kerosene oil by Rs2.15 to Rs169.62 per liter, while light diesel oil went down by Rs2.97 to Rs154.05 per liter.
In Pakistan, petrol is mostly used in private transport, small vehicles, rickshaws and two-wheelers while any increase in the price of diesel is considered highly inflationary as it is mostly used to power heavy transport vehicles and particularly adds to the prices of vegetables and other eatables.
However, the negligible decrease in petrol and diesel prices is unlikely to provide much relief to the inflation-stricken Pakistanis.
Paralympic organizers postpone triathlon in Seine over water quality
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- The triathlon was originally scheduled to happen over two days — September 1 and 2
PARIS: Paralympic organizers on Sunday postponed the triathlon by a day over worries about the River Seine’s water quality.
“The latest analysis shows a deterioration in the water quality of the Seine following heavy rainfall over the past two days,” the organizers said.
“It was decided to schedule the 11 medal sessions of the Para triathlon on September 2,” they added, following a meeting between World Triathlon, the Paris 2024 organizers, and the relevant French authorities.
The triathlon was originally scheduled to happen over two days — September 1 and 2.
The issue also caused disruption to the Olympics triathlon and open-water swimming events, with several practice sessions being canceled due to high levels of pollution caused by heavy rainfall.
Of 11 days of events and training scheduled in the river during the Olympics, only five got the green light.
Despite a 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) upgrade to improve the Paris sewerage and water treatment system, the Seine has been dogged by pollution concerns, notably for its levels of enterococci and E.coli bacteria.
Pakistan expects more jobs, higher exports as Chinese company plans renewable energy investment
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- China’s Hexing Electrical is known for its presence in the global smart metering and energy management industry
- Its management plans to set up the first manufacturing unit of its kind in Pakistan to produce inverters, batteries
ISLAMABAD: A leading Chinese company has expressed interest in investing in Pakistan’s renewable energy sector by setting up an industry, said an official statement on Saturday, prompting a senior minister to observe the step will lead to greater employment opportunities and increase the country’s exports.
China’s Hexing Electrical is a reputable mid-sized company that was founded in 1992 and is primarily known for its presence in the global smart metering and energy management industry. The Chinese company has also expanded its business into the renewable energy sector and is involved in the manufacturing of technical equipment.
Its chairman, Liangzhang Zhou, met Pakistan’s minister for investment and privatization, Abdul Aleem Khan, along with his company delegation in the federal capital, Islamabad, to discuss the possibility of setting up the first manufacturing unit of its kind in the country to produce inverters and batteries.
The development comes nearly two months after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif went to China on a five-day visit where, apart from the political leadership, he met with representatives of Chinese companies operating in various economic sectors and encouraged them to invest in his country.
“The establishment of new factories will increase the rate of employment and export in the country and once again boost the national economy as well,” he was quoted as saying in a statement circulated by the ministry after the meeting.
Khan highlighted the investment potential in Pakistan, assuring the Chinese business delegation of full cooperation.
He also maintained that the establishment of factories in the electrical sector with foreign investment would serve as a precursor to the country’s economic development.
The chairman of the Chinese company said his organization was serving 90 countries with a workforce of 7,000, though it had only established such factories in 20 states around the world.
The governments in Islamabad and Beijing have already been working on infrastructure development and regional connectivity projects under the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The two countries hope the private sector will take the lead in the next CPEC phase and benefit from the planned industrial zones in Pakistan through business-to-business collaboration and investments.
USA take first their Paralympic track golds but China out in front
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- Jaydin Blackwell charged to the men’s T38 100m final in a world record time of 10.64sec.
- The Chinese team had moved up to 20 golds by the end of Saturday’s action
PARIS: The US won their first two track and field titles of the Paris Paralympics on Saturday but China piled on the medals to stretch their lead in the table.
On the same track at the Stade de France where his compatriot Noah Lyles won the Olympic gold nearly four weeks ago, Jaydin Blackwell charged to the men’s T38 100m final in a world record time of 10.64sec.
Blackwell, who has cerebral palsy, donned a pair of sunglasses to celebrate his victory.
“I had to bring something over here to put a little pizzazz into things,” the 20-year-old said.
“It was the perfect race, but I was just focused on what I had to do and get to the line as fast as possible.”
There was more USA success as wheelchair racer Daniel Romanchuk upstaged reigning champion Marcel Hug of Switzerland in an exciting men’s 5000m T54 final.
Romanchuk, a 26-year-old who was born with spina bifida, burst past five-time gold medallist Hug in the home straight, leaving the Swiss in silver medal position while Faisal Alrajehi took a rare Paralympic medal for Kuwait in third.
British veteran David Weir, a multiple Paralympic medallist, faded and finished eighth.
Romanchuk has impressive range having taken gold at 400m at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics and has also won the Chicago, New York and Boston marathon wheelchair races.
China’s added an early gold medal on Saturday thanks to javelin thrower Yuping Zhao, who set a world record of 47.06 meters in the F12 category for athletes with a moderate visual impairment.
The Chinese team had moved up to 20 golds by the end of Saturday’s action, showing that the nation that has topped the medals table at every Paralympics since Athens in 2004 is well on the way to repeating that feat.
In the pool, Brazilian swimmer Gabriel dos Santos Araujo, known as Gabrielzinho, won his second title of the Paris Games by taking the 50m backstroke gold in the S2 category.
Gabrielzinho has stumps where his arms should be and his legs are atrophied, although he can walk.
Britain remained in second place in the medal standings with 11 golds as Alice Tai won her first individual Paralympic title, taking the S8 100m backstroke gold and Stephen Clegg and William Ellard both set world records to triumph in their events.
The USA finished the day with five golds and fifth in the table.
In other sports, the USA men’s wheelchair basketball team thrashed the Netherlands 60-34 with Brian Bell top-scoring on 18 points. The Americans have two wins out of two as they bid to retain their title.
The country expected to give them a run for their money, Great Britain, were convincing 88-58 winners over Canada.
In men’s sitting volleyball, gold medal hopefuls Bosnia booked their place in the semifinals, while Egypt kept their hopes of reaching the last four alive by beating hosts France.
Reigning champions Iran return to action on Sunday.
In track cycling, home favorite Dorian Foulon sent the Paris velodrome into raptures by defending his C5 4000m individual pursuit title in emphatic fashion by beating Ukraine’s Yehor Dementyev.
He said the contrast with the gold he won three years ago in Tokyo, where Covid restrictions meant there were no spectators, was huge.
“The big difference is the crowd, it’s crazy. People had t-shirts with my name on. What is this madness?” a tearful Foulon joked after the medal ceremony.
There was a setback for the organizers as the final training session for Sunday’s triathlon events was canceled due to concerns about the water quality of the River Seine.
The training session had been due to take place on Saturday morning but was scrapped “as a precaution” after heavy rain in the French capital which can stir up pollution.
The issue of the water quality of the Seine also dogged the Olympics, although the triathlons and marathon swimming events did eventually go ahead.
Scottie Scheffler closes in on $25 million FedEx Cup prize with late burst of birdies
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- Scottie Scheffler is one round away from capping off this astonishing season with a FedEx Cup title and its $25 million prize
- Sahith Theegala might have been two shots closer except for calling a two-shot penalty on himself on the third hole for lightly touching the sand with his club out of a bunker
ATLANTA: The most PGA Tour victories in 15 years. A Masters green jacket and an Olympic gold medal. And now Scottie Scheffler is one round away from capping off this astonishing season with a FedEx Cup title and its $25 million prize.
Scheffler had four birdies over his last five holes Saturday for a 5-under 66 to extend his lead to five shots over Collin Morikawa in the Tour Championship at East Lake.
He also knows the work is not done.
Two years ago, Scheffler finished the third round of a rain-delayed Tour Championship on Sunday morning by building a six-shot lead. He fell apart that afternoon with a 73, and watched Rory McIlroy race past him to capture the PGA Tour’s big prize.
The task for Scheffler is simple.
“Keep doing what I’ve been doing, staying in the moment, staying patient out there,” Scheffler said. I’ve bogeyed the first hole two of the last three days, and both times when I bogeyed the first hole I didn’t make any bogeys after that. So that’s kind of good momentum for me.”
It was even better moment at the end, with Morikawa (67) staying on his heels. Morikawa birdied three of his last four holes, but still ended up falling one more shot behind than the four-shot deficit he faced at the start of the third round.
“Not exactly the moving day that I needed, but I knew this entire week I was going to need something special to come out on top and I’m going to need something very special,” Morikawa said. “But I believe in myself, and hopefully that comes out tomorrow.”
Scheffler, who started at 10-under par and with a two-shot lead — six shots ahead of Morikawa, the No. 7 seed — was at 26-under par.
No one else was closer than nine shots.
Sahith Theegala might have been two shots closer except for calling a two-shot penalty on himself on the third hole for lightly touching the sand with his club out of a bunker. Video was not entirely clear, but Theegala informed officials and his par turned into a double bogey.
“Pretty sure I breached the rules, so I’m paying the price for it, and I feel good about it,” Theegala said. “I’m not 100 percent sure. But I’d say I’m 98, 99 percent sure that some sand was moved.”
He responded with seven birdies on the back nine and shot 66, leaving him nine shots behind.
Morikawa got within two shots of the lead when he holed a birdie putt from just inside 10 feet on the par-5 sixth hole. But that was as close as he got.
On the next hole, Scheffler holed a 15-foot birdie putt while Morikawa came up short of the green, lagged a putt to just outside 3 feet and missed it, a two-shot swing that restored Scheffler’s lead to four.
They also played in the final group at the Masters, where Scheffler pulled away to win by four. Morikawa knows by now what to expect.
“Five shots is a lot, but two-shot swings happen. I think I’ve seen a couple over the past few days,” Morikawa said. “Look, I’ve just got to play my game. I’ve got to go low. I know that. I’ve got 18 holes left to the season. I keep talking about that, but I’m going to put everything I have into these next 24 hours.”
His raw score was 17-under 196, one shot better than Scheffler.
Scheffler didn’t hit as many fairways and greens as he did the opening two rounds, but he was ranked No. 2 in the key putting statistic on Saturday. And he has kept his distance over every challenger so far this week.
“I feel like I’ve done a lot of stuff well and played solid, so I’m looking forward to the challenge of trying to finish off the tournament tomorrow,” he said.
British Open and PGA champion Xander Schauffele never got on track. Starting the day five shots behind, he had two bogeys in the opening four holes and failed to birdie the three par 5s in his round of 71. He was 10 shots behind.
He has never hit more than seven fairways each of the three rounds, and it has cost him at a time when he needed to go low to stay in the game.
“I was just not playing well enough to shoot consecutive 7-under pars,” Schauffele said. “You’ve got to be hitting at least 12 fairways to give yourself some serious looks and then obviously do a lot of good after that, but it starts with your ball on the short stuff.”
For everyone else, it’s a race for cash.
The FedEx Cup winner gets $25 million, with second place worth $12.5 million and third place paying $7.5 million.