News in Brief--(2023-11-14)

Cameron appointed UK foreign secretary
LONDON, Nov 13: Former UK prime minister David Cameron made a surprise return to frontline politics Monday after British leader Rishi Sunak appointed him foreign secretary in a government reshuffle. Cameron, who was Britain's leader from 2010 to 2016 before quitting after losing the Brexit referendum, replaces James Cleverly-who was appointed interior minister-in an unexpected move. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak sacked his interior minister, Suella Braverman, on Monday, a government source said, part of a wider reshuffle after she criticised the police's handling of a pro-Palestinian march. — AFP/Reuters
Spanish parliament to vote on coalition
MADRID, Nov 13: The Spanish parliament will vote Thursday to confirm the new government of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who is assured of a majority after securing the support of Catalan separatist parties. The parliamentary debates will begin Wednesday at 1100 GMT with a vote of confidence expected Thursday, said Francina Armengol, president of the lower house. In exchange for the votes of the Catalan separatists, Sanchez agreed to a controversial amnesty for those involved in a failed 2017 secession attempt. — AFP
Australian ports reopen after cyberattack
SYDNEY, Nov 13: Major ports handling 40 percent of Australia's freight trade have resumed operations, leading operator DP World said Monday, three days after they were crippled by a cyberattack. DP World cut its systems from the internet when the attack was detected Friday, preventing trucks from unloading or picking up cargo at ports in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Fremantle. "DP World Australia is pleased to announce that operations resumed at the company's ports across Australia," the operator said in a statement. — AFP
US strikes kill eight pro-Iran fighters
BEIRUT, Nov 13: At least eight pro-Iran fighters were killed in US strikes on eastern Syria, a war monitor said Monday, after Washington announced the raids a day earlier in response to attacks on American forces. The toll is "eight pro-Iran fighters dead, including at least one Syrian, and Iraqi nationals", the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, following the strikes late Sunday on the Mayadeen and Albu Kamal areas of Syria's eastern Deir Ezzor province. — AFP
Australia releases Malaysian killer
SYDNEY, Nov 13: A former policeman convicted over an infamous murder in Malaysia has been released from Australian immigration detention. In 2006, Sirul Azhar Umar killed 28-year-old Altantuya Shaariibuu - a model and interpreter linked to ex-Prime Minister Najib Razak. A former policeman and bodyguard to Malaysia's elite, he fled to Australia in 2015 before his case concluded. The case gripped Malaysia for years, amid claims of political interference. For almost nine years, Mr Sirul had been held by immigration authorities after his claim for asylum was rejected in 2019. — BBC
Five perish in London house fire
LONDON, Nov 13: Five people, including three children and all thought to be members of the same family, were killed in a house fire in west London, police and the fire service said Monday. There was no immediate indication what caused the fire at the mid-terraced property in Hounslow near Heathrow airport and a neighbour dismissed suggestions that Diwali fireworks were to blame. — AFP