International

JERUSALEM: In line with proposals from Netanyahu’s extreme-right political partners which enabled him to return to power at the end of last month, Israel’s cabinet announced a slew of steps including measures to make it easier for Israeli civilians to obtain permits to carry firearms and rescind the rights to social security of “families of terrorists that support terrorism”. Also, …

SEOUL: A South Korean soldier mistakenly fired a machine gun near the border with North Korea, prompting the military to inform Pyongyang that the shooting was unintentional, a report said Sunday. Four live rounds were fired during a training along the border in Gangwon province on Saturday evening, Yonhap news agency reported, citing South Korean military officials. All of the …

PRAGUE: Newly-elected Czech president Petr Pavel, a former Nato general, will promote close ties with the European Union and offer firm support for Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion, analysts said. The 61-year-old war hero beat billionaire populist Andrej Babis to win Saturday’s presidential election. A former chief of Nato’s military committee, he will replace outspoken, divisive incumbent …

JEDDAH: Driver Tharaa Ali takes her seat at the helm of a high-speed train ferrying pilgrims to Makkah, a beneficiary of conservative Saudi Arabia’s bid to employ its booming female workforce. Saudi women only gained the right to drive in 2018, and until recently 25-year-old Ms Ali’s transportation experience was limited to cruising around her native Jeddah in the family …

DUBAI: A private museum in the United Arab Emirates unveiled on Saturday a Torah scroll that survived the Holocaust, the latest sign of what Israel and its new Arab allies describe as a new approach to understanding Jewish history in the Middle East. Ahmed Obaid Al Mansoori, fou­nder of the Crossroads of Civili­sations Museum in Dubai’s historic district, said the …

MEMPHIS: The US city of Memphis on Saturday disbanded the special police unit whose officers fatally beat a young Black man, after graphic video of the assault sparked widespread shock and outrage. The video, which shows five officers repeatedly kicking and punching 29-year-old Tyre Nichols as he moans and calls out for his mother, triggered calls for police reform. The southern …

COLUMBIA: Former US president Donald Trump warned on Saturday that the next election would be America’s last chance for salvation as he attempted to revive a faltering third run for the White House in two US states that launched his winning 2016 presidential campaign. Buffeted by political and legal headwinds, the 76-year-old Republican addressed a few hundred supporters at an …

UAE President HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s one-day visit to Islamabad — scheduled for today — has been postponed due to bad weather conditions, the Prime Minister’s Office said on Monday. “Due to weather conditions, President HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s visit to the friendly Islamic Republic of Pakistan scheduled for today has been postponed to …

WASHINGTON: The US Treasury Department’s top sanctions official, on a trip to Turkiye and the Middle East next week, will warn countries and businesses that they could lose access to G7 markets if they do business with entities subject to curbs as Washington cracks down on Russian attempts to evade sanctions imposed over its war in Ukraine. Brian Nelson, undersecretary …

HAVANA: Five people died and another 12 were unaccounted for after an improvised boat they were using to reach the United States from Cuba sank, official Cuban media reported on Friday. “Five deaths have been reported,” the Cubadebate newspaper reported on its website, adding that survivors said “the incident occurred due to strong waves”. It said two coastguard boats headed …