International

ROME: Italy’s constitutional court has ruled as unlawful the practice of automatically giving children their father’s surname, in a judgement hailed as a step forward for women’s rights. The highest court in the country said on Wednesday existing norms are unconstitutional, “discriminatory and detrimental to the identity of the child”, and called on parliament to change the law. The court …

LONDON: Britain’s ruling Conservative party said on Wednesday that it is investigating claims one of its MPs watched pornography on his mobile phone in the House of Commons chamber. The allegation came as at least 56 MPs, including three ministers, are probed over allegations of sexual misconduct by parliament’s own complaints office. The Conservative party has been accused of misogyny …

NEW DELHI: India is getting too hot too early, raising the risk of fires, Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned on Wednesday, as a heatwave gripped much of the country and a landfill site burned on the capital’s outskirts. “Temperatures are rising rapidly in the country, and rising much earlier than usual,” Modi told heads of India’s state governments in an …

CERGY PONTOISE: French President Emmanuel Macron was the target on Wednesday of a bunch of tomatoes hurled by a disgruntled onlooker as he made his first public appearance after his weekend re-election victory. Macron has spent the last days secluded in an out-of-town residence and then the Elysee Palace, considering the formation of a new government following his defeat of …

BRUSSELS: The European Union warned Russia on Wednesday it would not bend to “blackmail” over its support for Kyiv, after the Kremlin cut off gas supplies to Bulgaria and Poland. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, warned that if Western forces intervene in Ukraine, they will face a “lightning-fast” military response. “We have all the tools for this, that no one …

UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan said on Wednesday it hoped a UN General Assembly veto initiative would bring greater responsibility in the conduct of five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. The General Assembly decided on Tuesday to automatically meet within 10 days, if any of the five members used a veto to block a move in the Security Council. …

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif departed for Saudi Arabia on Thursday — his first foreign trip since assuming office — on a three-day visit at the invitation of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Finance Minister Miftah Ismail, Narcotics Control Minister Shahzain Bugti, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif are part of the delegation …

Russia stepped up its assaults on eastern and southern Ukraine, Kyiv said on Thursday, and President Vladimir Putin threatened “lightning-fast” retaliation against any Western countries that intervene on Ukraine’s behalf. More than two months into an invasion that has flattened cities but failed to capture the capital Kyiv, Russia has mounted a push to seize two eastern provinces in a battle the …

UNITED NATIONS: The UN General Assembly voted unanimously on Tuesday to automatically meet within 10 days to debate the situation if any of the Security Council’s five permanent members vetoes a resolution. The UN charter gives China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States the power to veto Security Council resolutions, recognising their key roles in establishing the …

WASHINGTON: US car maker General Motors announced on Monday that it is developing an electric version of its Chevrolet Corvette. “We will offer an electrified Corvette as early as next year,” said the Detroit-based auto manufacturer in a statement. “Details and names to come at a later date.” “Yes, in addition to the amazing new Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and other …