ISLAMABAD: After four consecutive fortnightly price cuts, the major petroleum products — petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD) — are estimated to become costlier by Rs7 and Rs8 per litre, respectively, with effect from July 1 for the next fortnight, mainly because of the higher international market. Informed sources said the prices of petrol and HSD had increased in the international …

The Foreign Office (FO) on Wednesday said that a resolution passed by the US House of Representatives in support of democracy in Pakistan stemmed from an “incomplete understanding” of the country’s political situation and electoral process. In a significant display of bipartisan support, the US House of Representatives has passed a resolution expressing robust support for democracy in Pakistan by …

NEW YORK: Oil prices rose about one per cent on Wednesday despite a surprise jump in US gasoline supplies, as investors worried that a potential expansion of the fighting in Gaza could disrupt crude supplies from the Middle East. Brent crude futures rose 22 cents, or 0.3pc, to $85.23 per barrel by 1835 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures settled 7 …

SAO PAULO: Brazil is set to become the world’s largest cotton exporter in 2023-24, knocking the United States from the top spot it has held for decades, following a more than 80 per cent surge in shipments this season, local exporters’ association Anea said. With a month to go until the end of the 2023-24 cycle, the South American country’s …

TOKYO: Japan’s government is calling for stricter oversight of US troops stationed in the country after a soldier was charged with the alleged sexual assault of a Japanese teenager in Okinawa. Prosecutors in the southern island region charged the US soldier in March, top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters on Tuesday. Local media said the 25-year-old man had been …

WASHINGTON: The United States offered rare criticism of close partner India in a report published on Wednesday on religious freedom, while also voicing alarm over rising bigotry worldwide against both Jews and Muslims. Secretary of State Antony Blinken unveiled the annual report and said that the United States was also facing its own sharp increase of both anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in connection to the …

WASHINGTON: The United States has consistently inquired about an investigation into India’s alleged involvement in the attempted assassination of a US citizen on American soil, a top State Department official said on Wednesday. US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell stated in an online news briefing that Indian officials are considering whether the government needs to implement institutional reforms in light of …

TEHRAN: Iran’s former president Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday threw his weight behind reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian, two days ahead of a snap presidential vote to replace the late Ebrahim Raisi. Rouhani, a moderate politician who preceded Raisi in office, said Pezeshkian — the only reformist on the ballot — could “remove the shadow of sanctions” that have battered the Iranian economy …

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was appointed leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, a crucial post that had remained vacant during both terms of the Modi government. Signalling a robust challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s fragile coalition, Mr Gandhi shook hands with him and with Speaker Om Birla before addressing the Lok Sabha.     Earlier, Mr Birla was …

Bolivia’s army chief was arrested on Wednesday after sending soldiers and tanks to take up position in front of government buildings in what President Luis Arce called an attempted coup. The troops and tanks entered Plaza Murillo, a historic square where the presidency and Congress are situated, in the afternoon, prompting global condemnation of an attack on democracy. One of …