Author: admin
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The Danish foreign minister said Monday his country insists that everyone, including the United States, must respect “the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark” after President Donald Trump announced the appointment of Louisiana’s governor as the U.S. special envoy to Greenland.Trump called repeatedly during his presidential transition and the early months of his second term for U.S. jurisdiction over Greenland, a vast, semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, and has not ruled out military force to take control of the mineral-rich, strategically located Arctic island. In March, Vice President JD Vance visited a remote U.S. military base…
SINGAPORE: Oil prices rose on Monday after officials said the US had intercepted an oil tanker in international waters off the coast of Venezuela, raising fresh supply uncertainty. Brent crude futures gained 57 cents, or 0.9%, to $61.04 per barrel by 0751 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude climbed 55 cents, or 1.0%, to $57.07. “The market is waking up to the fact that the Trump administration is taking a hardline approach to the Venezuelan oil trade,” said June Goh, senior oil market analyst at Sparta Commodities. “Oil prices have thus been supported by this geopolitical news alongside the…
Gold jumped past the $4,400-per-ounce level for the first time on Monday, riding on growing expectations of further U.S. rate cuts and strong safe-haven demand, with silver also joining the rally to hit an all-time high. Spot gold was up 1.7% at $4,411.01 per ounce, as of 0822 GMT, having climbed down from the record high of $4,420.01 hit earlier in the day. Spot silver climbed 2.5% to hit $69.44. US gold futures for February delivery rose 1.3% to $4,444.00 per ounce. Bullion has gained 67% so far this year, shattering multiple records and breaching the $3,000 and $4,000 per-ounce…
Hong Kong stocks rose on Monday alongside Asia-Pacific markets, with traders upbeat about finishing the year on a strong note.The Hang Seng Index advanced 0.3 per cent to 25,760.36 as of 9.55am local time, paring some of the 1.1 per cent loss last week. The Hang Seng Tech Index gained 0.9 per cent. On the mainland, the CSI 300 Index climbed 0.8 per cent and the Shanghai Composite Index added 0.6 per cent.Trading in Hong Kong will be shortened over the holiday period, with an early close on Christmas Eve, while the market will remain shut on December 25 and…
A Malaysian court on Monday dismissed former prime minister Najib Razak’s bid to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest, dealing a setback to his attempt to secure early release from jail.Najib, 72, is serving a reduced six-year sentence after receiving partial royal clemency earlier this year in the SRC International case, a former subsidiary linked to the scandal-ridden Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, in which he was convicted of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering involving 42 million ringgit (US$10.1 million).The ruling shuts down Najib’s months effort to force the government to…
MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian general was killed Monday morning after an explosive device detonated underneath his car in Moscow, and investigators said Ukraine could be behind the attack, the third such killing of a senior military officer in a year.Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Operational Training Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces’ General Staff, died from his injuries, said Svetlana Petrenko, the spokesperson for Russia’s Investigative Committee, the nation’s top criminal investigation agency.“Investigators are pursuing numerous lines of enquiry regarding the murder. One of these is that the crime was orchestrated by Ukrainian intelligence services,” Petrenko said.Just…
Two NATO-nation intelligence services suspect Russia is developing a new anti-satellite weapon to target Elon Musk’s Starlink constellation with destructive orbiting clouds of shrapnel, with the aim of reining in Western space superiority that has helped Ukraine on the battlefield.Intelligence findings seen by The Associated Press say the so-called “zone-effect” weapon would seek to flood Starlink orbits with hundreds of thousands of high-density pellets, potentially disabling multiple satellites at once but also risking catastrophic collateral damage to other orbiting systems.Analysts who haven’t seen the findings say they doubt such a weapon could work without causing uncontrollable chaos in space for…
LAHORE: Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif warmly welcomed and met Munsoo Kurrimbaccus, High Commissioner of Republic of Mauritius to Pakistan. She stressed on the importance of promoting business-to-business contacts, and mutual visits of trade delegations, besides organising business exhibitions to showcase quality products of both countries. She also expressed her determination to strengthen trade and economic cooperation with Mauritius, and agreed to further enhance mutual relations in the fields like education, tourism, agriculture, and people-to-people exchanges. Both leaders also agreed to increase cooperation in the fields of halal food, technology and human resources. She extended her best wishes for…
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Iran on Sunday reiterated their commitment to deepening bilateral cooperation in trade, connectivity and other areas, while also pledging to work together for regional peace, the Foreign Office said. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, during which the two leaders exchanged views on regional developments and the state of bilateral relations. According to the Foreign Office, both sides reaffirmed their resolve to strengthen cooperation in trade, connectivity and people-to-people exchanges, and underscored the importance of close coordination for regional peace and development. Pakistan and…
PESHAWAR: Prices of important kitchen items remained high in the retail market, said a weekly-market survey carried out by Business Recorder here on Sunday. The survey revealed prices of vegetables, live chicken/meat, sugar, cooking oil/ghee, and flour, pulses, tea and others remained steady as so significant change or increase was witnessed in previous week as compared to preceding week. A one-kilogram live chicken was available at Rs350/kg in the retail market, whereas a dozen of farm eggs were available at Rs420 against the price of Rs360 in the previous week as compared to preceding week. There is no change in…