International

06-08-2023 LONDON: The surface temperature of the world’s oceans has hit its highest ever level as climate breakdown from burning fossil fuels causes the oceans to heat. Global average daily sea surface temperatures (SST) hit 20.96C this week, breaking the record of 20.95C reached in 2016, according to the Copernicus …

06-08-2023 LONDON/ DERBYSHIRE: A UK-based curry restaurant owner has been sentenced to 18 months imprisonment for fraud involving a £50,000 COVID-19 bounce-back loan. To secure the maximum loan amount in May 2020, Syed Hussain dishonestly claimed that his restaurant’s turnover was £200,000. The actual turnover, as per filed accounts, was …

06-08-2023 HOUSTON: Women in Texas with serious pregnancy complications will be temporarily exempted from the southern US state’s abortion ban, a judge has ruled. Judge Jessica Mangrum said there was a lack of clarity in the legislation, siding with women and doctors who had sued Texas over the ban in …

06-08-2023 BEIJING: As the flooding emergency in western Beijing turned deadlier at the beginning of this week, taking out bridges, washing away dozens of cars at a time, and wreaking havoc on the city, the decision was made to divert the raging waters. The effect was almost immediate. The pressure …

05-08-2023 By SJA Jafri ISLAMABAD/ KARACHI: Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has been given a three-year jail sentence over corruption allegations. Khan was found guilty of not declaring money earned from selling gifts he received in office. He denies the charges and says he will appeal. After the verdict, …

Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI: “Tomato King” Ramesh Pangal, a farmer in the north Indian state of Haryana, had a good yield despite a heatwave that began earlier than usual this summer. By May, the tomatoes he had grown on 21 hectares (52 acres) after taking a loan of …

05-08-2023 LONDON/ BRUSSELS: The oceans have hit their hottest ever recorded temperature as they soak up warmth from climate change, with dire implications for our planet’s health. The average daily global sea surface temperature beat a 2016 record this week, according to the EU’s climate change service Copernicus. It reached …

05-08-2023 Bureau Report + Agencies CANBERRA/ SYDNEY: Australia’s national gallery will return three 9th and 10th Century bronze sculptures to Cambodia, after they were found to be stolen. It follows a decade-long investigation carried out by the two countries to determine the origin of the works. Cambodia’s government welcomed the …

05-08-2023 BEIJING: Heavy rain and high water levels on rivers in northeastern China have been threatening cities downstream, prompting the evacuation of tens of thousands of people as storms continue to batter parts of East Asia. After wreaking havoc in the Philippines and Taiwan, the remnants of Typhoon Doksuri passed …

05-08-2023 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court of India has suspended opposition Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi’s conviction in a defamation case, an order that will allow him to return to parliament and contest national elections due next year. Gandhi was convicted in March in a case …