Month: October 2026

An Australian woman convicted of murdering three of her estranged husband’s relatives with a meal laced with deadly mushrooms lost an attempt on ​Friday to appeal her conviction, with a court also quashing her chances of ‌parole. Erin Patterson, 51, was found guilty last year of murdering her three elderly in-laws by serving them Beef Wellington contaminated with poisonous death cap mushrooms, in a case that captivated Australia. She was sentenced to life in ​prison with a 33-year non-parole period, among the longest terms ever handed to a ​woman in…

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The United States plans to soon ban Chinese telecom firms ‌from direct access to US phone numbers on national security grounds — a measure designed to prevent scam-related robocalls. The US Federal Communications Commission said on Thursday that it will vote on November 19 on a proposal ​to ban China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom and other IP-enabled service providers ​, from direct access. For telecom firms providing Voice over Internet Protocol — technology that ⁠converts voice into digital data and transmits it over broadband connections — direct access…

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A Russian drone strike killed at least 14 people on a crowded rail platform in the Ukrainian ‌city of Dnipro on Thursday, while five died in daytime strikes on two other provincial cities and a late-evening missile strike killed one person in the capital, Kyiv, officials said. The string of attacks jolted Ukrainian cities as a local truce in the southern region of Kherson raised cautious hopes for a resumption of diplomacy. “Russia is deliberately hunting civilians: on trains, at stations, in residential buildings,” ​Ukrainian Prime Minister Sergiy Koretskyi said…

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Patrick Stewart, who rose from poverty in England to become an accomplished Shakespearean stage actor and then achieved global stardom as the erudite Captain Jean-Luc Picard in TV’s “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and the telepathic Professor Charles Xavier ​in the “X-Men” movies, has died at the age of 86. Stewart, knighted in 2010 by Queen Elizabeth II for his contributions to drama, died at his home in Los Angeles, according to a statement on ‌his X account. “We announce with great sorrow the passing of Sir Patrick Stewart yesterday…

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An Italian military helicopter operating with the EU peacekeeping mission in Bosnia ​and Herzegovina crashed on Thursday, killing four people and injuring ‌11 others, Italy’s defence ministry said. Two of those killed were members of the Italian army, and two belonged to the Italian Red Cross’s Volunteer Military ​Corps, the ministry said. It added that all 11 injured ​were receiving treatment and none was in a life-threatening condition. ⁠A total of 15 people were on board. “At this moment ​of immense grief, my thoughts go first and foremost to the…

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South Korea will respond firmly to ​protect the military border with North Korea ‌despite claims by Pyongyang that it is conducting operations on its side of the line, Seoul’s national ​security adviser Wi Sung-lac said on Friday. Tensions have spiked ​since a landmine blast inside the Demilitarised ⁠Zone (DMZ) border seriously wounded several South Korean ​soldiers on a reconnaissance mission last month, which Seoul ​has said was caused by a North Korean mine. The UN Command, which oversees the DMZ, has said a ​North Korean mine across the line violated…

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The government has increased the price of high-speed diesel (HSD) by 85 paise per litre while keeping petrol prices unchanged, according to a notification issued by the Petroleum Division on Thursday. Following the revision, the price of diesel has risen to Rs400.67 per litre from Rs399.82, while petrol remains unchanged at Rs377.91 per litre. The revised prices will take effect on Friday, October 30, 2026. The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) said the adjustment was necessitated by global developments, including changes in Platts rates, premiums and incidentals. On Wednesday,…

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Pakistan’s finance ministry has projected inflation in the range of 9.5% to 10.5% for the outgoing month of October 2026 amid elevated energy and food prices in the country, in line with global trends, while the domestic economic outlook is expected to remain promising for the ongoing fiscal year 2026-27 (FY27). The inflation rate was recorded at 10.3% in September 2026 compared to 5.8% in September 2025. “Headline inflation (the benchmark CPI/Consumer Price Index) is projected in the range of 9.5 to 10.5% for October 2026, with the subsequent path…

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Five members of one family died after allegedly eating poisoned kheer in Kangan Pur, plunging the area into mourning. The dead are Qasim Ali, his wife Hasna Bibi and their three sons — Nazim Ali, 25, Asif Ali, 28, and Amanat Ali, 15. According to rescue officials, the family’s condition worsened suddenly after they ate the kheer. All the affected family members were shifted to Lahore in critical condition. Nazim Ali died first during treatment. Asif Ali and Amanat Ali followed. The father, Qasim Ali, and the mother, Hasna Bibi,…

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Pavan Rathnayake’s brilliant century went in vain as England stopped Sri Lanka from chasing a big 387 target, winning the dead rubber by 55 runs in Lahore on Thursday. On the same day last week, Rathnayake scored an epic 130 in Sri Lanka’s 430-run chase in Rawalpindi, but this time his 77-ball 118 was not enough as Sri Lanka were dismissed for 331 in 45.1 overs. England opener Ben Duckett had earlier smashed his highest ODI score of 167 to propel England to 386-5. With 87 needed in the last…

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