International

King Charles III on Friday readied to address his mourning subjects on the first full day of his new reign as Britain and the world commemorated the extraordinary life of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II. At 73, Charles is the oldest monarch yet to ascend the throne of the United Kingdom, following the death of his “cherished” mother at her …

ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Miftah Ismail said on Wednesday the application of fuel cost adjustment (FCA) on electricity bills had been deferred, not waived, on the orders of the prime minister, but promised that electricity rates and inflation would start declining after a month. He was speaking at a joint news conference with Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, who said the …

BRUSSELS: The European Union proposed a price cap on Russian gas on Wedn­esday after President Vladimir Putin threatened to halt all energy supplies if they took such a step, raising the risk of rationing in some of the world’s richest countries this winter. The escalating standoff threatens to drive up sky-high European gas prices further, adding to already eye-watering bills …

TIRANA: Albania broke diplomatic ties with Iran on Wednesday over an alleged cyberattack against the government this summer, as Washington vowed to hold Tehran accountable for targeting its Nato ally. Albania and Iran have been bitter foes for years, stemming from Tirana’s hosting of the Iranian opposition group the People’s Mujahedeen of Iran (MEK) on its soil. Prime Minister Edi …

WASHINGTON: One of the classified documents seized by the FBI at former US president Donald Trump’s Florida residence descr­ibed the nuclear capabilities and military defences of a foreign power, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday. The newspaper, citing unnamed sources familiar with the case, said some of the documents found in Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence were so highly classified that only the president and …

LONDON: The new British prime minister, Liz Truss, has selected a cabinet where for the first time a white man will not hold one of the country’s four most important ministerial positions. The cabinet, which met for the first time on Wednesday amid energy crisis, includes the most diverse top team in British history: Kwasi Kwarteng as finance minister, James …

NEW DELHI: An Indian mother fought off a tiger with her bare hands to save her toddler from its jaws, an official said on Wednesday. Archana Choudhary step­ped out of her house in Madhya Pradesh state at night as the 15-month-old boy wanted to relieve himself. A tiger believed to have strayed from the nearby Bandhavgarh reserve poun­ced on them, …

UNITED NATIONS: The surface ozone levels can increase by 20 per cent across Pakistan, northern India and Bangladesh by the middle of the century, warns a UN report released on Wednesday. In its annual report, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) — a UN agency that specialises in climate issues — also warned against an expected increase in the frequency, intensity, …

VIENNA: The UN’s nuclear watchdog said on Wednesday it could not guarantee the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear programme, saying there had been “no progress” in resolving questions over the past presence of nuclear material at undeclared sites. In its report, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it was “not in a position to provide assurance that Iran’s nuclear …

DAMASCUS: Syria’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday it considered the air strikes on civilian infrastructure to be a ‘war crime’, a day after Israeli strikes hit Aleppo airport for the second time in a week. A foreign ministry statement specifically referred to Israeli air raids on Tuesday on the airport that damaged the runway and put the site out of …