Asia

Islamabad: Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad reported 11 new dengue cases during the last 24 hours, officials said on Monday. A total of seven cases were detected in rural areas, while four were reported from urban localities. Surveillance and inspections were continuing across the federal capital to prevent further spread. The areas with confirmed larva presence have been treated immediately to curb mosquito breeding, and follow-up inspections were also planned to ensure the complete elimination of breeding grounds. To control the rising trend of cases, enforcement actions against violations of dengue preventive standard operating procedures were being carried out across the capital.

Gulf

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia's real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 3.9% in the second quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, according to data from the Saudi General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT). All major economic activities achieved annual growth, with non-oil activities rising by 4.6%, followed by oil activities at 3.8%, while government activities grew by 0.6%. Non-oil activities were the main contributor to growth, adding 2.6 percentage points, with oil activities and net taxes on products contributing positively by 0.9 and 0.3 percentage points, respectively, the Saudi Press Agency said, citing a statement from GASTAT. Compared to the first quarter of 2025, seasonally adjusted real GDP grew by 1.7%, with oil activities being the largest contributor at 1.3 percentage points, followed by non-oil activities with a contribution of 0.4 percentage points, the statement continued. At the sectoral level, electricity, gas, and water activities recorded the highest annual growth at 10.3%, followed by financial and insurance services and business services at 7.0%, and wholesale and retail trade, restaurants, and hotels at 6.6%.

Asia

The Hague: The International Criminal Court on Monday postponed "until further notice" a crimes against humanity hearing concerning former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte, while judges weigh his fitness to take part. Duterte was scheduled to appear at the ICC on September 23 to hear the charges over his years-long campaign against drug users and dealers that rights groups say killed thousands. But the court decided to adjourn the hearing until it could rule on a defence motion that the 80-year-old was "not fit to stand trial". "Litigation regarding Mr Duterte's fitness to participate in the pre-trial proceedings is ongoing in connection with the Defence's Adjournment Request," said the court in a statement. Hence the court decided that a "limited postponement of the hearing on the confirmation of charges is warranted to allow sufficient time to adjudicate" on the defence request. The three-judge panel was split on the decision, with one dissenting. The postponement will be "limited to the time strictly necessary to determine whether Mr Duterte is fit to follow and participate in the pre-trial proceedings", the ICC said. Duterte was arrested in Manila on March 11, flown to the Netherlands that same night and has been held at the ICC's detention unit at Scheveningen Prison since. At his initial hearing, he followed by videolink, appearing dazed and frail, barely speaking. He is the first Asian former head of state charged by the ICC. A lawyer representing relatives of those killed in Duterte's drug war said they were disappointed with the ICC decision. "We expected that Duterte would do this, but the fact that he was able to convince the pre-trial chamber to postpone that indefinitely is scary," Kristina Conti told AFP. "Some of us were very angry because there was a schedule and everyone was ready." Conti urged ICC judges to "see through the lies" and proceed to trial, adding: "we have no other hope than to hope" that he will face justice. Duterte stands accused of the crime against humanity of murder over his years-long campaign that prosecutors allege were "part of a widespread and systematic attack directed against the civilian population in the Philippines".