International

WASHINGTON: Iran’s recent seizure of unmanned US Navy boats shined a light on a pioneering Pentagon programme to develop networks of air, surface and underwater drones for patrolling large regions, meshing their surveillance with artificial intelligence. The year-old programme operates numerous unmanned surface vessels, or USVs, in the waters around the Arabian peninsula, gathering data and images to be beamed …

PARIS: Scientists said on Saturday they had identified the mechanism through which air pollution triggers lung cancer in non-smokers, a discovery one expert hailed as “an important step for science — and for society”. The research illustrated the health risk posed by the tiny particles produced by burning fossil fuels, sparking fresh calls for more urgent action to combat climate …

HONG KONG: Hong Kong jailed five speech therapists for sedition on Saturday over a series of illustrated children’s books that portrayed the city’s democracy supporters as sheep defending their village from wolves. They join a growing list of residents jailed under a colonial-era sedition offence which authorities have deployed alongside a national security law introduced by Beijing in 2020 to …

LONDON: The ceremony held to crown King Charles III has its roots in Anglo-Saxon times. The historic ritual at St James’s Palace in London is the first real taste of the days of pageantry to come as the country mourns Queen Elizabeth II and comes to terms with a new monarch. The Accession Council where Charles, 73, took his oath was also …

WASHINGTON: The US Supreme Court will allow the public to hear arguments in person for the first time in about 2-1/2 years following a closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Chief Justice John Roberts said late on Friday, according to media reports. The court’s nine justices — all of whom have been vaccinated against Covid-19 — will begin hearing a …

KHARKIV: Ukrainian forces claimed on Saturday they had entered Kupiansk in eastern Ukraine, dislodging Russian troops from a key logistics hub in a lightning counter-offensive that has seen swathes of territory recaptured. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, meanwhile, arrived in the Ukrainian capital for a surprise visit that she said was to demonstrate Berlin’s support for Ukraine in its battle …

A 7.6-magnitude earthquake shook Papua New Guinea on Sunday, damaging buildings, triggering landslides and killing at least five people, with several more severely injured. Residents in northern towns near the epicentre reported intense shaking mid-morning that cracked roads and sheared cladding off buildings. Local member of parliament Kessy Sawang said at least two people had died in remote mountain villages, …

Pakistan will observe a day of mourning on Monday (tomorrow) over the death of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, state news agency APP reported. Upon the recommendation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif accorded his approval for observing a day of mourning in Pakistan, on September 12, on the demise of Queen Elizabeth II. Separately, the Pakistan High Commission in …

RAWALPINDI: Old garbage-collecting vehicles of the defunct City District Government Rawalpindi (CDGR) are gathering dust in the parking lot of the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa). The district administration has failed to dispose of the old and faulty vehicles or repair them, and instead have dumped them in the parking area adjacent to Liaquat Bagh. These seven to 10 vehicles …

KABUL: A Black Hawk helicopter crashed during a Taliban training exercise in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul, killing three, the group’s defence ministry said on Saturday. “An American Black Hawk helicopter, which was flown … for training, crashed due to a technical problem inside the campus of the National Defence University,” said Ministry of Defence spokesperson Enaytullah Khowrazmi, adding five people were …