Pyongyang sport

BEIJING: Former National Basketball Association star Dennis Rodman arrived in Beijing yesterday after a “really good” five-day trip to North Korea.

Rodman, 56, said before departing for Pyonyang he was trying to bring sports to the isolated nucleararmed country where he has previously met leader Kim Jong Un. – Reuters

Migrants stopped

TRIPOLI: Libya’s coast guard intercepted 906 migrants off the western city of Sabratha on Friday.

The migrants were on board several wooden and rubber boats, a spokesperson said. One rubber boat was perforated and nearly submerged, and a wooden boat had its engine missing.

They included 98 women and 25 children. – Reuters

Ships crash, 1 hurt

WASHINGTON: An injured sailor was evacuated from a US navy destroyer and taken to the hospital by a Japanese coast guard helicopter after the vessel collided with a Philippine-flagged merchant vessel off Japan, the navy’s 7th fleet said on Friday.

The 7th fleet said the destroyer was sailing under its own power but on limited propulsion. – Reuters

Cold comfort

ROME: Italy’s highest court ruled on Friday that lobsters not be kept on ice in kitchens as it causes them unjustifiable suffering before they die.

Judges accepted a complaint by an animal rights group against the owner of a restaurant near Florence who kept live crustaceans on ice, ordering him to pay a €2 000 (R29 000) fine and €3 000 in legal fees. – Reuters

Trump on Cuba

NEW YORK: President Donald Trump will tighten restrictions on Americans travelling to Cuba and US business dealings with the island’s military, rolling back parts of former president Barack Obama’s historic opening to Havana.

Trump said he will issue a presidential directive to reverse some of the loosened regulations. – Reuters

Pakistan lion drive

KARACHI: Police in Pakistan have arrested a man who took his pet lion for a night-time drive through the bustling city of Karachi after a video of the incident went viral on social media, police said.

Keeping wild cats as pets is not uncommon in Pakistan, where wealthy businessmen have been known to run private zoos and sometimes parade the animals. – Reuters

Doha grievances

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said the four Arab states that broke ties with Doha were drawing up a list of “grievances”, and would present them soon.

Minister Adel al-jubeir, said Qatar should respond to demands to halt support for “extremism and terrorism” which, he said, were being made by the whole world and not just Gulf states. – Reuters