Ether, the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency, hit an all-time high on Wednesday, catching up with bitcoin’s rally and riding on news of wider blockchain adoption. The ether token, which underpins the ethereum blockchain network, rose to as high as $4,643 in Asian hours, breaching the previous day’s $4,600 and taking the week’s gains to more than 10%. In the days since …

KARACHI: Petroleum dealers on Tuesday threatened to close down fuel stations across the country from November 5 if the government did not increase petrol commission to six per cent. Addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club on Tuesday, Abdul Sami Khan and Malik Khuda Bukhsh, senior office-bearers of the Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA), said the government had …

CANBERRA: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison attacked the credibility of French President Emmanuel Macron as a newspaper quoted a text message that suggested France anticipated bad news about a now-scuttled submarine deal. An Australian newspaper cast doubt on President Joe Biden’s explanation to Macron last week that the US leader thought the French had been informed long before the September …

On the winding road up to India’s Himalayan frontier is a postcard view of gushing streams and tranquil lakes — punctuated occasionally by the sight of artillery barrels and military bunkers. A year after deadly high-altitude clashes with Chinese soldiers, India is ramping up its border defences along a treacherous mountain range that has long been a flashpoint between the …

From a child refugee to facing India’s galacticos at the World Cup, Hamid Hassan said on Tuesday that he never considered giving up on cricket, even if cricket threatened to give up on him. Now 34, Hamid was part of the trailblazing Afghanistan squad which took the sport by storm a decade ago when they rose from the humble surrounds …

KABUL: Afghanistan’s Taliban government said it would announce good news soon on older girls being allowed to go back to school, but urged the international community to help it fund the process as most external aid has been halted. Ensuring rights for women and girls has been one of the most sensitive issues facing the Taliban since they seized power …

GLASGOW: World leaders on Tuesday issued a multibillion-dollar pledge to end deforestation by 2030, a promise met with scepticism by environmental groups who say more urgent action is needed to save the planet’s lungs. According to summit hosts the British government, the pledge is backed by almost $20 billion in public and private funding and is endorsed by more than …

BEIJING: US internet services company Yahoo said on Tuesday it has pulled out of mainland China, becoming the latest tech firm to withdraw as a crackdown by Beijing on the industry gathers pace. The move comes just days after American gaming giant Epic said it will shut its popular game “Fortnite” following the imposition of strict curbs on the world’s …

JERUSALEM: Palestinian families on Tuesday rejected an offer that would have delayed their eviction by Jewish settlers in a tense Jerusalem neighbourhood, where protests and clashes helped ignite the 11-day Gaza war in May. The four families in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood near the Old City said their decision springs from our belief in the justice of our cause and …

Virat Kohli’s India will take on an upbeat Afghanistan in their bid to stay alive in the Twenty20 World Cup on Wednesday. India started the tournament as favourites but crashed to two losses in the Super 12 stage and now need to win their final three group games and depend on others to have any chance of making the semi-finals. Underdogs Afghanistan are …