The S&P Dow Jones Indices launched new cryptocurrency indexes, it said on Tuesday, further mainstreaming digital currencies including bitcoin and ethereum by bringing them to the trading floors of Wall Street. The new indexes, S&P Bitcoin Index, S&P Ethereum Index and S&P Crypto Mega Cap Index, will measure the performance of digital assets tied to them. The list will expand …

Famed US singer Pink is all set to be honoured with the Icon Award at the Billboard Music Awards 2021 on May 23. The pop icon is over the moon to be able to bag such a huge honour. “As a little girl, I always dreamed about being a singer and sharing my love of music with the world,” Pink …

UNITED NATIONS: “If ever there was need for partnership, it is now,” said Pakistan’s UN envoy Munir Akram as global Covid-19 deaths crossed 3.2 million by Tuesday afternoon. The World Health Organisation (WHO), which monitors the unfolding global tragedy, confirmed 153.18m Covid-19 cases and 3.2m deaths as of May 4. It also reported that so far, a total of 1.04 …

The ancient Roman Colosseum is once again going to have a floor thanks to a new, hi-tech project announced by the culture ministry on Sunday. “It is an extraordinary project,” said Culture Minister Dario Franceschini, detailing the plans to create a flexible floor to give tourists a clearer idea of how the arena would have looked when gladiators fought to …

ISLAMABAD: Army Chief Gen Qamar Bajwa travelled to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. In a brief statement, the ISPR said: “COAS has reached KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) on an official visit.” During his visit the army chief would meet the Saudi civilian and military leadership. The visit is taking place ahead of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s trip to the kingdom, …

MEXICO CITY: Emergency services on Tuesday worked to retrieve the bodies of victims from the wreckage of an elevated metro line that collapsed in the Mexican capital, leaving at least 23 dead and dozens injured. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador promised a full investigation into Monday night’s accident, which raised questions about construction standards on a network used by millions …

The Group of Seven foreign ministers’ meeting in London was hit by a Covid-19 scare on Wednesday when India’s foreign minister and his entire team said they were self-isolating after two delegation members tested positive. Britain is hosting the three-day meeting — the first such G7 event in two years — which has been heavily billed as a chance to …

SEATTLE: Billionaire benefactors Bill and Melinda Gates, co-founders of one of the world’s largest private charitable foundations, filed for divorce on Monday after 27 years of marriage. but pledged to continue their philanthropic work together (partly reported in Tuesday’s Dawn. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has become one of the most powerful and influential forces in global public health, …

MANILA: The Philipp­ines’ foreign secretary apologised on Tuesday after tweeting an obscene phrase demanding China get out of Philippine-claimed territory in the South China Sea in an outburst that annoyed the Philippine president. Foreign Secretary Teod­oro Locsin Jr. blasted China with the profanity on Monday, when the Depar­tment of Foreign Affairs announced it had protested the Chinese coast guards shadowing, blocking, dangerous …

LONDON: The Group of Seven wealthy democracies on Tuesday discussed how to form a common front towards an increasingly assertive China in the foreign ministers’ first in-person talks in two years. Backing US President Joe Biden’s calls for a deeper alliance of democracies, host Britain invited guests, including India, South Korea and Australia, for talks in central London stretched out …