The police said that a dozen other men conspired with the husband, who is in his 60s, to abuse the woman in northern England.

KYIV: Ukraine is prepared to take “de-escalatory steps” as long as Russia does the same, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday, as the United States pushed for an end to strikes on energy targets.

Zelensky, in his daily address, highlighted “a strong proposal from the United States regarding a mutual halt to strikes on critical infrastructure”.

He said: “If this can become the first de-escalatory step – stopping Russian strikes on our critical infrastructure, and ours in response – then Ukraine is ready to support de-escalation.”

US President Donald Trump said earlier Monday that Kyiv and Moscow had agreed to not hit energy targets.

Also read: Russian drone attack injures five in Ukraine’s Odesa, officials say

Trump has said the Russian-Ukrainian war, “not Iran”, was causing an eye-watering rise in fuel costs for Americans, and he said he had told Zelensky not to allow attacks on Russia’s diesel refineries.

Zelensky, though, said that “we see that the Russians are feeling pressure because of our precise responses against Russia’s war economy”.

And, he noted, “so far no one has seen any genuine desire from Russia to move toward ending the war”.

“But if our American partners succeed in securing a real readiness from Russia to stop this war of destroying lives, and to do so sincerely and for the long term, Ukraine will make its own de-escalatory steps.”

A previous push by Trump for a ceasefire in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has been sidelined by the US-Israeli war against Iran, now in its seventh month.

President Trump recently blamed Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries for causing a spike in diesel prices, but analysts say the Iran war is probably a bigger factor.

The government further increased the price of petrol by Rs4.42 per litre and high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs6.10 per litre, effective from Tuesday, September 15, 2026, marking the sixth consecutive hike in petroleum prices.

According to a notification issued by the Ministry of Energy (Petroleum Division), the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) on Monday revised the ex-depot prices of petroleum products under the government’s petroleum pricing mechanism.

The price of Motor Spirit (petrol) was raised by Rs4.42 per litre, taking it from Rs375.82 to Rs380.24 per litre.

HSD saw a hike of Rs6.10 per litre, rising from Rs403.32 to Rs409.42 per litre.

The new prices will remain in effect till Tuesday in line with the government’s ongoing practice of adjusting fuel prices based on international oil markets and other cost factors.

In the previous review, effective from Saturday, September 12, the government had raised the price of petrol to Rs375.82 per litre and HSD to Rs403.32 per litre.

Globally, oil prices climbed over 2% on Monday, with both major benchmarks trading above $100 a barrel, as a fresh wave of attacks on shipping and Saudi energy infrastructure in the Middle East stoked supply concerns.

Brent crude futures were up $2.72, or 2.6%, at $107.33 a barrel by 11:39am ET (1539 GMT). US West Texas Intermediate crude rose $2.51, or 2.5%, to $102.56, putting the contract on track for its highest close since May 19.

Yemen’s Houthis said they fired dozens of missiles and drones at a Saudi military airbase in Khamis Mushait on Monday, while a Friday attack on Saudi Arabia’s east-west pipeline, blamed on Iran-backed fighters in Iraq, forced Riyadh to reroute crude shipments through the Red Sea instead of the Strait of Hormuz, threatening up to 4% of global oil supply.

Vice President JD Vance is beginning a key final stretch of midterm campaigning by dropping in on the Senate race in Kansas, where Republicans were long seen as heavily favored.

After the Trump administration blocked a new ambassador to Washington, the country expressed regret for a post from a French official social media account.

The attack on Ukraine’s rail network, which connects the country to the West, was a jab at Europe, officials said.

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The Pakistani rupee extended its marginal gains against the US dollar in the interbank market on Monday.

The local unit closed the day at 277.31, a gain of Re0.01 against the greenback.

On Friday, the Pakistani rupee settled at 277.32 against the dollar.

Internationally, the US dollar was steady on Monday ​with the Japanese yen holding on to its recent sharp gains and hovering near a seven-month high as investors pondered possible rate hikes from ‌the Federal Reserve and Bank of Japan in a pivotal week for monetary policy.

Global policymakers are grappling with erratic pricing pressures from the six-month-long US-Israeli war on Iran that has pushed oil prices well above $100 per barrel and upended the path for rates amid bouts of selloffs in long-end bonds.

The European Central Bank raised rates last week and warned of further hikes, setting the stage for the Fed policy ​decision on Wednesday and a widely expected rate hike from the BOJ on Friday.

The Bank of England is expected to stand pat on ​Thursday, but the voting is likely to be close.

Traders ramped up bets for a Fed rate hike after data on ⁠Friday showed US consumer prices accelerated in August; they priced in an 86% chance of an increase this week and another move higher later in the year, ​the CME FedWatch tool showed.

The euro was recently at $1.159, while sterling last bought $1.3524.

The US dollar index, which measures the greenback against six other units, was steady at 99.15 after two straight weeks of meagre declines.

Oil prices, a key indicator of currency parity, rose more than 3% on Monday, after new Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia and Iranian attacks on ships in the Gulf compounded supply concerns following the closure of a key Saudi oil pipeline.

Brent crude futures rose $3.21, or 3.1%, to $107.82 per barrel as of 0340 GMT.

WTI futures gained $3.17, or 3.2%, to $103.22 per barrel.

Inter-bank market rates for dollar on Monday

BID Rs 277.31

OFFER Rs 277.51

Open-market movement

In the open market, the PKR gained 3.00 paisa for buying and lost 8.00 paisa for selling against USD, closing at 278.19 and 279.13, respectively.

Against Euro, the PKR gained 1.51 rupee for buying and 1.10 rupee for selling, closing at 320.60 and 323.94, respectively.

Against UAE Dirham, the PKR gained 3.00 paisa for buying and 1.00 paisa for selling, closing at 75.63 and 76.27, respectively.

Against Saudi Riyal, the PKR gained 2.00 paisa for buying and remained unchanged for selling, closing at 73.94 and 74.48, respectively.

Open-market rates for dollar on Monday

BID Rs 278.19

OFFER Rs 279.13

Persistent distractions are feeding a climate of mistrust as the U.S. military faces a series of wartime issues, including shortfalls of missile interceptors.

Opposition politicians said a vegetarian dinner served at a diplomatic summit misrepresented India’s culinary heritage. A minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government rejected the criticism.