KFAR ADUMIM: Twenty years after he planned the controversial barrier between Israel and the Palestinians, Dany Tirza is developing a security tool that requires no cement: body cameras with facial recognition technology. Tirza, a former Israeli army colonel, says his company, Yozmot Ltd, aims to produce a body-worn camera enabling police to scan crowds and detect suspects in real time, even if their faces are obscured. Facial recognition in law enforcement has sparked global criticism, with US tech giants backing away from providing the technology to police, citing privacy risks. Proponents including Tirza, however, tout its ability to track down…
Author: Hasnain Abid Khanzada
WASHINGTON: The United States on Tuesday warned Moscow of damaging sanctions, including high-tech export curbs, as Russian combat troops massing around Ukraine launched new exercises. Unveiling ways that Western allies intend to inflict “massive consequences” on Russia’s economy in the event of a Ukraine invasion, a senior US official also warned Moscow against using energy exports as a weapon. “We are prepared to implement sanctions with massive consequences” that go far beyond previous measures implemented in 2014 after Russia invaded Ukraine’s Crimea region, the official said. “The gradualism of the past is out,” the official told reporters. British Prime Minister…
LONDON: The Pakistan-based middleman, Muzamil, who allegedly sought to hire 31-year-old Mohammad Gohir Khan to kill dissident blogger Ahmad Waqass Goraya had also mentioned future ‘jobs’, a UK jury heard on Tuesday. The prosecution said the first mention of a ‘job’ of this nature was in November or December 2020, but that no details were shared of the target. Then, a voice note shared on a messaging application was played in court, in which a man with a British accent could be heard saying: “If the first one is done nicely within a month, then by the end of June…
Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty is finally free of the obscenity charges filed against her in 2007 when Hollywood actor Richard Gere kissed her on the hand and cheek at a charity event in India. Fifteen years ago at an AIDS awareness event, Gere was filmed publicly kissing Shetty’s hand and cheek on stage. The move irked many radical Hindu groups, which resulted in protests calling for the Pretty Woman actor to apologise not only to Shetty but the entire country. Years ago, a court had issued arrest warrants for both parties on charges including “obscenity” and “indecency”. The charges were dropped against Gere and he was…
BANGKOK: A US Navy F35C Lightning II combat jet conducting exercises in the South China Sea crashed while trying to land on the deck of an American aircraft carrier, injuring seven sailors, the military said on Tuesday. The pilot was able to eject before the aircraft slammed into the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson on Monday and then fell into the water. The pilot was safely recovered by a helicopter, said Lt. Mark Langford, a spokesman for the US 7th Fleet. Seven sailors, including the pilot, were injured and three were evacuated for medical treatment in Manila, Philippines,…
SHABWA: Yemen’s Houthi rebels were expelled from a key battleground district by UAE-trained Giants Brigade fighters, the militia said on Tuesday, a day after the insurgents’ latest missile attack on Abu Dhabi. The Iran-backed Houthis lost Harib district south of Marib, the government’s last northern stronghold which they have been fighting to seize for months. The Giants Brigade said “hundreds were killed and wounded on both sides” in battles that lasted for more than two weeks and also secured the neighbouring governorate of Shabwa. There was no immediate comment from the Houthis. “We thank the Arab coalition for their support…
Lumbering tanks and the deafening roar of fighter planes echoed through New Delhi on Wednesday as military and police battalions marched down a boulevard past Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the country’s Republic Day. This year, however, the parade was held without the customary foreign dignitary guests of honour, as India battles a resurgence of Covid-19 infections. The annual January 26 event marks the adoption of India’s constitution with missile launchers, jet flyovers, motorcycle stunts and the brass band of the camel-mounted Border Security Force. Audience numbers along the usually crowded sidelines of the procession were capped at 4,000 people…
WASHINGTON: The withdrawal of Nato troops from Afghanistan has created new opportunities for Pakistan and the United States to build a more broad-based relationship, according to the country’s US ambassador Asad Majeed Khan. In a conversation with members of the American Association of Foreign Services Worldwide (AASFW) and retired diplomatic and consular officers, Ambassador Khan said that the two countries had many common interests to build this broad-based relationship. The association hosted the Pakistani envoy earlier this week for a discussion on US-Pakistan relations. “Our engagement with the US has often been narrowly framed, dictated either by short-term security interests…
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has urged governments around the world to employ their two years of Covid-handling experience to do away with travel restrictions, which it said were “a mess”. Calling for the adoption of “unique solutions” to manage global travel, IATA Director General Willie Walsh, in a statement on Tuesday, urged governments to accelerate the relaxation of travel restrictions for fully vaccinated passengers with a WHO-approved vaccine as Covid-19 continued to evolve from the “pandemic to endemic stage”. Walsh said it was the need of the hour to remove all travel barriers, including quarantine and testing, for fully vaccinated…
KARACHI: With recent approval from the Sindh cabinet for procurement of 7,000 pistols for police, authorities at the helm of affairs are confident that the force in Karachi will be equipped with handguns completely replacing the decades-old practice of carrying AK-47 assault rifles. The move came amid growing security challenges, which made it necessary to use effective and easy-to-handle firearms in urban policing against organised criminal gangs and militant outfits. The officials said the decision was part of departmental reforms pledged by Sindh Inspector General of Police Mushtaq Ahmed Mahar in the aftermath of collateral damages during recent encounters and…
