World news in brief
Israelis stage ‘day of resistance’ against Netanyahu
Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Israel yesterday in a “day of resistance” against plans by prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to overhaul the legal system. Parents and children demonstrated across the country ahead of school and some protesters barricaded the offices of a conservative think tank helping to spearhead the judicial changes. As violent opposition has surged from across society, business leaders and
legal officials have also spoken out against what they say will be the ruinous effects of the plan. The rift has not spared Israel’s military, which is seeing unprecedented opposition from within its own ranks.
Demonstrators converged on the country’s main airport in a bid to disrupt a trip abroad by Mr Netanyahu as well as a visit by the US defence secretary. Mr Netanyahu managed to greet Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin at Ben Gurion Airport, however. And Mr Austin, speaking later about ties with Israel, mentioned the importance of shared values, including ensuring an independent judiciary. Mr Netanyahu says the reform would restore balance between the branches of government. Though it has yet to be written into law, the judicial overhaul plan has hit the shekel and stirred concern abroad for Israel’s democratic health. Polls have found that most Israelis want it shelved or amended to satisfy a national consensus.
Three Palestinians killed in Israeli West Bank raid
A shootout with Israeli troops yesterday led to the death of three Palestinians, the latest deaths in a surge of Israeli arrest raids in the occupied West Bank. Israeli security forces said they raided the village of Jaba to arrest suspects wanted for attacks on Israeli soldiers in the area. The suspects opened fire on Israeli troops, who shot back and killed three people, all affiliated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group, police said.
The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the men as Sufyan Fakhoury, 26, Nayef Malaisha, 25 and Ahmed Fashafsha, 22, and said they were shot by Israeli fire during the military operation. A fourth man was admitted to hospital with a bullet wound to the head, authorities added. AP
Two dead after attempted Chile airport robbery
An airport shootout in Chile’s capital killed a security officer and an alleged robber in what authorities said was an attempted robbery of more than $32m (£26.8m) in cash aboard a plane
from Miami. Around 10 heavily armed robbers were able to skirt security measures to reach the runway at the Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport, where a Latam airlines aircraft had the cash that was being transferred to an armoured truck. There was a shootout between the would-be robbers and security officials that killed an employee as well as an alleged assailant. The other robbers fled. Two burned vehicles were later found nearby.
This was not the first time the airport in Chile’s capital was targeted. In 2020, thieves stole some $15m from a warehouse in the airport, six years after a similar $10m heist.
Virginia-class submarines to be bought by Australia
Australia is set to buy as many as five Virginia-class nuclearpowered submarines from the US as part of a tri-county agreement between the two countries and the UK. Four US officials confirmed the pact. The agreement, known as the AUKUS pact, will have multiple stages with at least one US submarine visiting Australian ports in the coming years. It is understood the deal will end in the late 2030s with a new class of submarines being built with British designs and American technology, one of the officials said.
Australia has an existing fleet of six conventionally powered Collins-class submarines, which will have their service life extended to 2036. Nuclear submarines can stay underwater for longer than conventional ones and are harder to detect.
Football officials guilty of negligence over stampede
Two match officials have been found guilty of negligence over the deadly stampede at a football stadium in Indonesia that killed 135 people in October last year. The incident, described as one of the world’s worst stadium disasters, occurred at Kanjuruhan stadium in East Java province’s Malang city after Arema FC lost to Persebaya Surabaya. Police responded to the riot by firing teargas on the crowd, causing panic. Fifa has
banned the use of teargas as a crowd-control measure in stadiums.
The court in Indonesia found the match organiser Abdul Haris guilty of negligence and gave him a sentence of 18 months in prison. Prosecutors had sought a sentence of six years and eight months. Security official Suko Sutrisno was also found guilty of negligence and sentenced to one year in prison.
Viral ‘sushi terrorism’ trend in Japan leads to three arrests
Three people have been arrested in Japan for allegedly carrying out what has been described as “sushi terrorism”. Police made the arrests over the bizarre viral social media trend that involves unhygenic food pranks, mostly involving sushi, in a country famous for its hygiene and cleanliness standards. One video had shown the three accused tampering with sushi being served on a conveyor belt at a restaurant. The three accused were arrested from Aichi Prefecture, local police said yesterday.
Ryogo Yoshino, 21, and an unnamed 15-year-old girl were arrested on Wednesday, while a third 19-year-old man – whose identity was withheld – was arrested last month.
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