International

MOSCOW: Viktor Bout, the Russian arms dealer freed on Thursday after 14 years in US custody in exchange for US basketball star Brittney Griner, has joined the Kremlin-loyal ultranationalist Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR), its leader said on Monday. In a video posted on Telegram, LDPR leader Leonid Slutsky, standing on a stage beside Bout, said: “I want to thank Viktor …

STRASBOURG: The European Parliament scrambled on Monday to get ahead of the widening scandal of alleged huge cash bribes from figures working on behalf of World Cup host Qatar. One of the assembly’s vice presidents, Greek socialist Eva Kaili, has been charged with corruption by Belgian prosecutors and her assets have been frozen by her homeland. Three of Kaili’s associates …

KYIV: Russian forces pounded targets in eastern and southern Ukraine with missiles, drones and artillery, Ukraine’s General Staff said on Monday, while millions remained without power in subzero temperatures after further strikes on key infrastructure. European Union foreign ministers agreed to put an­other two billion euros ($2.1 billion) into a fund that has been used to pay for military support …

MONTREAL: Industry executives have joined activists and negotiators from nearly 200 countries at this month’s UN nature summit in Montreal, where negotiations on a global pact to protect nature could lead to tougher disclosure requirements for businesses. Sectors such as mining, agriculture, oil and fashion are under scrutiny at the COP15 talks, due to their heavy impact on nature with …

WASHINGTON: More than 300 people identifying themselves as current or former employees of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or affiliated agencies appeared on an internal roster of a right-wing extremist group, a media network reported on Monday. Oath Keepers, the group they are associated with, is an anti-government militia whose leaders have been convicted of violently opposing the US government. …

LIMA: Hundreds of protesters on Monday used burning tires, wood and rocks to block the airport runway in Peru’s second-largest city, Arequipa, demonstrating against the ousting of former president Pedro Castillo. Protesters have demanded fresh elections and the resignation of new President Dina Boluarte, following the arrest of her leftist predecessor Castillo last week after he attempted to dissolve Congress …

Disgraced cryptocurrency tycoon Sam Bankman-Fried was arrested Monday in the Bahamas at the request of the United States, according to US officials seeking to charge him after the spectacular collapse of his FTX platform. The arrest comes on the eve of Bankman-Fried’s scheduled appearance at a US Congress hearing in which he was to testify under oath about the crypto exchange’s overnight …

New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern apologised for calling a political rival an “arrogant pr**k” in parliament on Tuesday, as the prime minister faces a drop in public support. In the throes of spirited parliamentary debate, Ardern took issue when the leader of an opposition party asked her to give an example of an occasion when she had made a mistake, apologised …

China on Tuesday said it was “shocked” by a deadly attack on a Kabul hotel popular with Chinese business people, adding that five of its nationals were wounded. “This terror attack is abominable and China is deeply shocked. We firmly oppose all forms of terrorism … We express our grief for the Afghan military police who died, and express sympathies for the …

Indian troops prevented their Chinese counterparts from entering Indian territory on Dec 9 during a border scuffle that led to injuries on both sides, Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh told parliament on Tuesday, as Beijing assured the situation was “stable” in the border region and called on New Delhi to “together uphold peace”. The statements come after a clash between the two …