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US says interim trade deal with India 'almost complete'

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Wednesday agreed on the importance of finalising the "almost complete" interim trade deal between the two countries during a meeting in Manila, the US State Department said. According to State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott, Rubio and Jaishankar also discussed recent developments in the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific. The meeting took place in Manila, where the two sides reviewed progress on bilateral cooperation and discussed defence and trade-related issues. Read: Trump likely to visit India early next year, Rubio says "The secretary and minister Jaishankar discussed finalising key defence agreements in fulfilment of commitments made between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi last year," Pigott said in a statement. He said the two leaders also "agreed on the importance of finalising the interim trade deal, which is almost complete". ...

Hitler's birthplace begins new life as a police station

The building where Adolf Hitler was born, near the Austrian border ​with Germany, officially began a new life as a police station on Wednesday, a conversion Austria's government hopes will prevent it ‌from serving as a place of pilgrimage for neo-Nazis. After years of debate about the large, traditional terraced house in the town of Braunau am Inn, which was in private ownership and had housed a charity for people with disabilities, Austria made a compulsory purchase in 2017 and announced in 2019 it would be remodelled and turned into a police station. Even before ​the conversion, the only sign of its historical significance was a rock on the pavement from the Mauthausen concentration camp with the inscription "Never ​again fascism" that does not mention Hitler. The rock remains in place. The only sign added to the white ⁠facade reads "Police". "The aim was to prevent any association with Adolf Hitler, to strip it of that mystique," the hea...

Delayed justice

Justice delayed may not always amount to justice denied, but it inevitably comes at a cost that no court order can fully repair. More than three decades after a Karachi Transport Corporation (KTC) bus struck and permanently disabled a young pedestrian, a civil court has finally ordered the Sindh government to pay Rs10 million in compensation to the victim. The verdict is significant because it sends a clear message that negligent driving and institutional irresponsibility carry consequences. The judgment is important because it reinforces the principle of accountability. Reckless driving is frequently dismissed as an unfortunate accident rather than the predictable outcome of negligence. Every year, countless families lose loved ones or see them permanently disabled. Yet meaningful accountability remains rare. Criminal prosecutions are often delayed and civil claims languish for years while victims are left to shoulder the financial and emotional burden alone. A substantial compe...

Govt raises petrol price by Rs4.93, HSD by Rs7.15 per litre for July 22

The federal government on Tuesday increased the prices of petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs4.93 and Rs7.15 per litre, respectively, for July 22. According to a notification issued by the Ministry of Petroleum, the price of petrol has been fixed at Rs320.73 per litre, while HSD will now cost Rs367.21 per litre. Amid volatility in global oil rates on the back of renewed hostilities in the Middle East, the government decided to switch to a daily fuel price review mechanism on Friday. The daily pricing is based on a seven-day weekly average of international market prices to align with international standards. Read: Govt shifts to daily POL pricing amid global headwinds On Monday, the government raised the price of high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs5.71 per litre while cutting the price of petrol by 35 paisas per litre for one day. The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority will update petroleum product prices daily on its website to ensure transparency...

Netanyahu will not be arrested in US, Trump says, as NY mayor Mamdani mulls options

United States President Donald Trump said on Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested when he visits the US, after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he was still considering ​the move. "Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while ​in the United States of America," Trump wrote in a social media post ⁠that did not refer to the mayor's comments. Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America. He is fighting against the Islamic Republic of Iran, which recently killed 52,000 innocent protestors, and has spent the last 47 years killing American Soldiers, and… pic.twitter.com/G2yWSuCZsc — Commentary Donald J. Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) July 20, 2026 The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for ​Netanyahu in 2024 for alleged war crimes during the Gaza war. Israel reject...

Britain's new prime minister, Andy Burnham, vows to end years of instability

Andy Burnham became Britain's seventh prime minister in a decade on Monday, pledging to ​reshape its politics to deliver a new economic model and revive a nation "fed up" with a revolving door of leaders. In front of dozens of supporters outside ‌his new office and residence at 10 Downing Street, Burnham said politicians had failed to bring the stability needed to raise living standards, something he said he would change, with both immediate measures and a longer-term plan to be drawn up later this year. Speaking without notes, Burnham delivered a domestic-focused speech aimed at offering hope to a nation that has, like many European countries, struggled for years with soaring prices and anaemic economic growth. He ​did not touch on foreign affairs. 'I have accepted his Majesty the King's invitation to form a government' Andy Burham pledges to help cost of living crisis in his first speech as Prime Minister pic.twitter.com/bC4RgaxaZG — Sky...

Rubio meets Lebanon's president, discusses Israel-Lebanon framework agreement

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Sunday to discuss the implementation of a US-brokered framework agreement signed by Israel and Lebanon on June 26 aimed at ending their conflict, the State Department said. "The Secretary commended the courage of the Government of Lebanon, under President Aoun’s leadership, for their determined effort to reclaim Lebanon’s sovereignty, disarm (Hezbollah) and move towards peace," State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement. Met with Lebanese President Aoun today. I commended his courage and his government’s work to reclaim their country and advance towards peace. We discussed implementing the Trilateral Framework. The United States remains committed to supporting this effort and Lebanon’s efforts to… pic.twitter.com/mnt7MgGts5 — Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) July 19, 2026 US-led diplomacy has emerged since Hezbollah and Israel return...