International

LONDON: Prime Minister Boris Johnson rejected pressure to appear before British lawmakers debating the standards system on Monday, despite days of sleaze and cronyism claims against his government intensifying with new revelations. MPs are set to hold an emergency debate amid calls for an independent inquiry into the mounting allegations of apparent corruption and inappropriate conduct within the Conservative party …

WASHINGTON: Seven suspected hackers linked to ransomware attacks that have targeted thousands of victims have been arrested since last February as part of a global cybercrime crackdown, European law enforcement authorities announced on Monday. The FBI and the Justice Department were expected to announce criminal charges tied to ransomware later on Monday as well as the seizure of $6 million, …

GLASGOW: The UN climate talks entered their final week on Monday with countries still worlds apart on key issues including how rapidly the world curbs carbon emissions and how to help nations already impacted by global heating. After a week of headline announcements from host Britain on ending deforestation and phasing out coal, experts say the underlying COP26 negotiations have …

BEIJING: Astronaut Wang Yaping became the first Chinese woman to walk in space, authorities said on Monday, as her team completed a six-hour stint outside the Tiangong space station as part of its ongoing construction. Tiangong — meaning “heavenly palace” — is the latest achievement in China’s drive to become a major space power, after landing a rover on Mars …

Iran said on Monday that the United States should provide guarantees that it will not abandon Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers again if talks to revive the agreement succeed. Indirect talks between Iran and the United States, which stalled in June after the election of hardline Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, are set to resume on November 29 in Vienna to …

ROME: The UN’s food agency said on Monday the number of people on the edge of famine in 43 countries had risen to 45 million, as acute hunger spikes around the world. The jump from 42 million people earlier in the year was largely down to a food security assessment that found another three million people facing famine in Afghanistan, …

The US Supreme Court heard arguments on Monday in a case involving national security and the claims of three Muslim men in California who say they were illegally surveilled at their mosque by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The three men — Yassir Fazaga, imam of the Orange County Islamic Foundation, Ali Uddin Malik and Yasser Abdelrahim — filed …

KABUL: Ariana Afghan Airlines on Monday resumed regular flights from Kabul to Dubai, reopening a heavily used international route that had been suspended since the Taliban victory over the Western-backed government in August. Ariana will operate daily flights, charging $550 for a one-way ticket, the state-run airline said on its Facebook page. A spokesman said there had been heavy demand …

Afghanistan’s foreign ministry confirmed on Tuesday that a “senior Afghan delegation” led by Foreign Minister Amir Khan Mutaqqi will visit Pakistan tomorrow. The spokesman of the foreign ministry Abdul Qahar Balkhi made the announcement on Twitter. According to the spokesman, the visiting delegation will discuss bilateral ties between the two countries as well as the economy, transit, refugees and expanding …

MUMBAI: India’s manufacturing capital Chennai came to a standstill on Sunday with many areas flooded after the southern Indian coast was battered by heavy rainfall overnight, prompting authorities to issue warnings and evacuate people from low-lying areas. Local media showed footage of cars submerged under water, uprooted trees and people being rescued on rubber boats in various parts of Chennai, …