LONDON: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson defended a botched bid to overhaul parliament’s standards system that has prompted a weeks-long sleaze crisis for his ruling Conservatives, as he faced multiple grillings from lawmakers on Wednesday. With opposition parties on the attack and rank-and-file Tory MPs unhappy, the embattled British leader admitted he had made a “mistake” as he faced senior …

VIENNA: The UN nuclear watchdog on Wednesday reported that Iran has again boosted its stock of highly enriched uranium, just days before talks are set to resume seeking to revive the 2015 nuclear deal. In a report, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) estimated Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium at 2,489.7 kilograms — many times in excess of the …

KARACHI: A partial lunar eclipse will take place on Friday (tomorrow) which will be the longest partial lunar eclipse in 600 years, Met officials and astronomy enthusiasts said on Wednesday. The Met office shared details of the approaching lunar eclipse which will not be visible in Pakistan. The Climate Data Processing Centre of the Pakistan Mete­orological Department (PMD) came up …

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken on Wednesday redesignated Pakistan as a country of particular concern (CPC) for violating religious freedom and also rebranded the Taliban as an entity of particular concern. The Trump administration first placed Pakistan on this list in December 2018 and retained it in 2020 as well. The Biden administration, which came to power in January …

WASHINGTON: Afghan­istan’s Taliban rulers sent an open letter to the US Congress on Wednesday, urging American lawmakers to help unfreeze their country’s assets seized after their August takeover of Kabul. In the letter, Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi warned of a mass refugee exodus from Afghanistan unless the United States unblocks the frozen assets and ends other financial sanctions …

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday warned that bitcoin presents a risk to younger generations, sounding a hawkish tone as his government prepares to introduce legislation to regulate cryptocurrencies. Speaking at an online cybersecurity forum, Modi framed virtual money — which is highly popular in India and exists beyond state and central bank control — as a domain that …

RAWALPINDI: Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Ali on Wednesday asked District Health Authority to lodge cases against those school owners who refused to allow the teams to vaccinate the children against measles and rubella. He made the directive during the meeting to review the Measles and Rubella vaccination campaign in the district. The meeting was also attended by district officials and representatives …

ISLAMABAD: An international study conducted by TikTok revealed that 31pc of teens exposed to hoaxes online had experienced a negative impact, with 63pc saying it was affecting their mental health. After the study, TikTok has strengthened its protection efforts by removing warning videos involving self-harm hoaxes. A survey was conducted with participation from 10,000 people including teens, parents and teachers …

VANCOUVER: The Canadian government said on Wednesday it is sending the air force to the Pacific coast Canadian province of British Columbia to assist with evacuations and to support supply lines following floods and mudslides caused by extremely heavy rainfall. Minister of Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair said they will also protect residents against further flooding or landslides. Military helicopters already …

WASHINGTON: Last year a US general made an ominous revelation: two Russian satellites in orbit were stalking a US spy satellite high above the earth. It wasn’t clear if the Cosmos satellites could attack USA-245, an American surveillance spacecraft. “It has the potential to create a dangerous situation in space,” said General Jay Raymond, head of the Pentagon’s Space Command. …