International

SEOUL: South Korea and the United States are discussing possible joint exercises using US nuclear assets, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said, as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un labelled the South its “undoubted enemy” in flaring cross-border tensions. Yoon’s comments, in a newspaper interview published on Monday, come after he called for “war preparation” with an “overwhelming” capability, following …

DUBAI: Dubai has dropped a 30 percent tax on alcohol sales in an apparent bid to lure tourists as competition rises between major cities in the Gulf. The cut, announced by distributors but not confirmed by authorities, looks set to slash prices that are among the world’s highest, with beer routinely costing more than $15 a pint, or half-litre. The …

NABLUS: The Israeli army killed two Palestinians in a West Bank raid on Monday and demolished the homes of two Palestinians accused of killing an Israeli soldier. The Palestinian health ministry announced the deaths of “Mohammad Samer Hoshieh, 22, after being shot in the chest, and Fuad Mohammad Abed, 25, after being shot in the abdomen and thigh” during a …

TEHRAN: Iranian police have resumed warnings that women must wear mandatory headscarves even in cars, media reported on Monday, as unrest continues following the death of Mahsa Amini. Protests have gripped Iran since the Sept 16 death of Iranian-Kurdish Amini, 22, after her arrest in Tehran for an alleged breach of the Islamic republic’s strict dress code for women. Tehran …

China’s state media played down the severity on Tuesday of the Covid-19 wave surging over the country, with its scientists expected to give a briefing to the World Health Organisation on the evolution of the virus later in the day. China’s abrupt U-turn on Covid controls on Dec 7, as well as the accuracy of its case and mortality data, …

Britain will officially declare Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, which has arrested seven people with links to the United Kingdom over anti-government protests, as a terrorist group, the Telegraph reported on Monday, citing sources. The move, which will be announced within weeks, is supported by Britain’s security minister, Tom Tugendhat, and Home Secretary Suella Braverman, the report said. Proscribing Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist group …

LONDON: More than 45,000 migrants crossed the Channel to the UK from mainland Europe in 2022, surpassing the previous year’s record by more than 17,000, according to government figures released on Sunday. The issue has become a huge political problem for the Conservative government, which has promised to bring down illegal immigration and break the smuggling gangs that carry out …

RABAT: A group of Moroccans entered Spain’s Melilla enclave overnight Saturday-Sunday, a rights group said, out of dozens who attempted the crossing at one of two EU land borders with Africa. “Dozens of young Moroccans attempted to cross” into Melilla from the border town of Nador on New Year’s Eve, the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) said on Twitter. …

WASHINGTON: The US budget for 2023 has two small but significant provisions for Pakistan, including $15 million for improving security along the Afghan border and an unspecified amount of funds to promote gender equality in the country. The first pledge underlines Washington’s desire to help Islamabad curb terrorist attacks from Afghanistan that have become a major threat for Pakistan. The …

Menlo Park (Califo­rnia, US): Facebook owner Meta Inc is preparing to announce whether it will allow former US President Donald Trump back on to Facebook and Instagram, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. The social media giant had previously said it will decide by Jan 7 whether to allow the former president to return. However, that decision is now expected …