International News

China, US agree to set up commercial issues working group: US govt

BEIJING: China and the United States on Monday agreed to set up a working group to "seek solutions on trade and investment issues and to advance US commercial interests in China," Washington Department of Commerce said.
US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and her Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao agreed at a meeting in Beijing that "the working group will meet twice annually at the Vice Minister level, with the US hosting the first meeting in early 2024," according to a readout from Washington.

Wagner boss Prigozhin death confirmed by Moscow

MOSCOW: Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was formally confirmed dead on Sunday following genetic analysis, investigators said, as anger and questions over what caused his plane to crash earlier in the week continued to mount.
Speculation that the Kremlin may have been involved in the crash has been rife, with the incident coming exactly two months after Wagner staged a mutiny against Moscow military leadership.
"Molecular-genetic examinations have been completed as part of the investigation into the plane crash in the Tver region," Svetlana Petrenko, a spokeswoman from Russia Investigative Committee said.

Iran court orders US to pay $330 mn for planning coup

TEHRAN: A court in Tehran has ordered the US government to pay $330 million in damages for "planning a coup" against the newly established Islamic republic in 1980, the judiciary said Saturday.
A year after the 1979 Islamic revolution that toppled the US-backed shah, a group of mostly army officers tried to overthrow the new government.
State news agency IRNA said the "insurgents" were led by Saeed Mahdiyoun, a former Iranian air force commander, and had their headquarters in Nojeh, an air base in the western Hamedan province.
Several people were killed in clashes between the coup plotters and government forces, and scores of others were arrested.

Italy Milan records hottest day in 260 years

MILAN: Milan has registered the highest average daily temperature for the past 260 years, regional environmental protection agency (ARPA) said Friday, as much of Italy grapples with a heatwave.
The Milano Brera weather station recorded an average 33 degrees Celsius (91.4 degrees Fahrenheit) on Wednesday, the highest since it started registering temperatures in 1763.
The northern Italian city previous record, of 32.8 degrees, was set in 2003.
Milan also recorded the highest minimum temperature on Thursday at 28.9 degrees Celcius, ARPA said.