BRUSSELS: The EU formally adopted a ban on most Russian oil imports on Friday, hitting Moscow with its toughest sanctions over the war on Ukraine after weeks of wrangling with Hungary. The sanctions — the sixth wave imposed by the 27-nation bloc since the Kremlin launched the invasion in February — include cutting Russia’s biggest bank Sberbank from the global …

PESHAWAR: A 57-member jirga negotiating with the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) returned to Pakistan on Friday without any major breakthrough over the militants’ demand for the reversal of Fata’s merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a member of the jirga told Dawn. The jirga consists of tribal elders, politicians and parliamentarians who met with senior TTP leaders at Kabul’s Inter-Continental Hotel for two …

The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday it was aware of more than 700 global cases of monkeypox, including 21 in the US, with investigations now suggesting it is spreading inside the country. Sixteen of the first 17 cases were among people who identify as men who have sex with men, according to a new …

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday blamed recent protests in Iran on foreign enemies seeking to overthrow the government in the Islamic Republic. Also, he said, enemies were waging a psychological war against Iran by accusing it of piracy for seizing two Greek ships after the US confiscated Iranian oil from a tanker. “Today, the enemies’ most important …

Saudi Arabia on Saturday welcomed its first batch of Haj pilgrims since before the coronavirus pandemic, which prompted authorities to sharply restrict the annual ritual. The group from Indonesia landed in the city of Madina and was set to travel south to the holy city of Makkah in the coming weeks to prepare for the Haj next month, state media …

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Friday directed the director general of the Federal Investigation Agency to make sure that Dua Zehra, who had gone missing from her Karachi home and surfaced in Punjab, should not be taken out of country. A two-judge bench comprising Justice Mohammad Iqbal Kalhoro and Justice Agha Faisal also put the State Bank of Pakistan …

KARACHI: A suspect nominated in the murder case of teenaged student Jazlan Faisal inside Bahria Town Karachi has surrendered before the police, it emerged on Friday. Malir SSP (Investigation) Arab Mahar told Dawn that the father of suspect Inshaal handed him to the Gadap City police on Friday. He said the exact role of the suspect in the murder case would be …

KARACHI: Despite passage of over 50 hours and use of 800,000 gallons of water, the fire in the basement of ‘illegally’ built warehouse of a famed departmental store located in a multi-storey building (Summaya Bridge View) in PECHS Block-3 near Jail Chowrangi on Shaheed-i-Millat Road had not been completely controlled until Friday evening, admitted officials. An official of the Karachi …

PESHAWAR: A local court here on Friday granted bail to four Afghan musicians arrested a few days ago on the charges of staying in Pakistan without any valid documents. Judicial magistrate Sher Hassan Khan accepted the bail petition of the four musicians on condition of furnishing two sureties of Rs90,000 each. The musicians Naveedullah, Nadeem Shad, Saeedullah and Ajmal were …

ISLAMABAD: Following the unprecedented increase in the fuel and electricity tariffs, government employees have decided to hold a token sit-in outside the Ministry of Finance from Monday before holding a dharna on Thursday, demanding a raise in their salaries. The All Government Employees Grand Alliance on Friday announced that the Secretariat employees will hold a token sit-in of an hour …