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PARIS (AP) — A man suspected of killing a Muslim worshipper in a French mosque has turned himself in to police in Italy, authorities said Monday.French police began searching for the suspect after the attack Friday in the former mining town of La Grande Combe in southern France. The assailant recorded the attack on his phone, and security camera footage showed him shouting insults at God, local media said.The French interior minister’s office said Monday that the suspect had surrendered to police in Italy, without elaborating.Local prosecutor Abdelkrim Grini said Sunday that investigators are taking into account “the possibility that…

Defence spending is on the rise in East Asia as China’s military build-up raises concerns among its neighbours, according to a report by a Swedish think tank.In its annual report on world military expenditure published on Monday, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said total world military expenditure reached US$2.72 trillion in 2024, an increase of 9.4 per cent from 2023, the 10th consecutive year of increases and the steepest year-on-year rise since at least the end of the Cold War.The report said the world’s top five military spenders – the United States, China, Russia, Germany, and India –…

LONDON: Confidence among people in Britain about the economy over the next 12 months has fallen to the lowest on record, polling firm Ipsos MORI said on Sunday, with only a small number expecting improvement over the period. Seventy-five percent of Britons expect the economy to get worse over the next 12 months, up 8 percentage points since March, Ipsos said. Just 7% of Britons think the economy will improve over the next year, while 13% thought it would stay the same. The minus 68 net balance represented the lowest degree of optimism since Ipsos began collecting the data in…

Pakistan’s pharma sector is increasingly deploying artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced technologies to improve drug development processes and detect drug reactions, it was learnt. From startup-led telemedicine platforms to large-scale industry events focused on AI integration, the sector is gearing up for a tech-driven future. Industry leaders Haroon Qasim, who is also a former Chairman of the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers’ Association (PPMA), highlighted a transformative shift. “AI and digital technologies are steadily transforming Pakistan’s pharmaceutical sector across multiple fronts—from drug development to patient engagement, the applications are growing,” he told Business Recorder. Pakistan Pharma Summit 2024: experts gather with aim…

The approval of the first four official London Metal Exchange (LME) warehouses in Hong Kong gives a long-awaited boost to the city’s ambition of playing a more integral role in global metals trading.Many industry leaders, including Tiger Shi, CEO of Bands Financial, and Clara Chan, CEO of Hong Kong-listed Lee Kee Group, believe the development marks a pivotal step in strengthening the city’s position as a strategic commodities hub in Asia.The establishment of the LME warehouses in the city will also help align commodity prices in mainland China with the international market, they said.The warehouses mark “a major step forward…

The approval of the first four official London Metal Exchange (LME) warehouses in Hong Kong gives a long-awaited boost to the city’s ambition of playing a more integral role in global metals trading.Many industry leaders, including Tiger Shi, CEO of Bands Financial, and Clara Chan, CEO of Hong Kong-listed Lee Kee Group, believe the development marks a pivotal step in strengthening the city’s position as a strategic commodities hub in Asia.The establishment of the LME warehouses in the city will also help align commodity prices in mainland China with the international market, they said.The warehouses mark “a major step forward…

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The United Nations’ highest court opens hearings Monday into Israel’s obligation to “ensure and facilitate” urgently needed humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians in the occupied territories, bringing the ongoing conflict in Gaza back into focus in The Hague.A week of hearings has been scheduled in response to a request last year from the U.N. General Assembly, which asked the International Court of Justice to weigh in on Israel’s legal responsibilities after the country blocked the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees from operating on its territory.In a resolution sponsored by Norway, the General Assembly requested an…

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Exit tourists. Enter cardinals.The Vatican has closed the Sistine Chapel, where cardinals will gather for the conclave to elect the next pope after the death of Pope Francis on April 21 at age 88. Francis was buried Saturday after a funeral in St. Peter’s Square that gathered world leaders and hundreds of thousands of others, and a nine-day period of mourning is continuing before the conclave can start. But the church is at the same time turning its attention to the next steps.Key is preparing the Sistine Chapel for the red-robed cardinals who will gather at…

The most frightening experience of Yoko Tsukamoto’s nursing career began when a psychiatric patient grabbed her by the neck and attempted to strangle her. It ended only when her colleagues managed to pull the man away.Never in her 20 years as a nurse had Tsukamoto faced such acute physical danger. Yet the incident, she says, is just one in a litany of issues plaguing Japan’s hospitals. From verbal abuse and physical assaults to sexual harassment and mistreatment by patients’ families, violence and harassment against medical staff are far more common than many people realise.But now, the arrest of actress Ryoko…

British asset manager Schroders will continue to expand in Hong Kong to tap Asia-Pacific’s fast-growing wealth-management and pension businesses, as its top boss believes market uncertainty brought on by the US-China trade war will increase demand for its services.“The tariff issues and trade challenges are going forward, but it would not affect our commitment and investment in Hong Kong, mainland China and Taiwan,” Richard Oldfield, the firm’s group chief executive, said in Hong Kong earlier this month.“When we think about where wealth is growing the fastest, it is in Asia. When we think about ageing populations and the need across…