Saudi Arabia 'ready' to allow women to drive as lifting of ban nears
Riyadh, May 28: The Saudi Interior Ministry has confirmed its readiness to allow women to drive vehicles in the kingdom, starting from June 24 after decades of a ban.
Assistant Minister of Interior for Operation Affairs General Saeed Al-Qahtani confirmed that all women capable of driving cars can do so, according to an Al Arabiya report on Monday.
He also said female drivers would be on par with males in facing penalties and fines in case of traffic violations.
"Those who will drive cars are our daughters, wives and sisters, and it's our duty to remind them of rules and prevent any harm against them," he said, adding that the decision to allow women to drive serves the country.
He highlighted that security checkpoints would be set up to deal with expected changes in traffic after the ban would be lifted, Xinhua news agency reported.
Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ordered in September 2017 to allow women to drive cars after decades of restricting driving only to male citizens and residents.
The order was one of the major steps Saudi Arabia has taken to change the society in general and promote the foundations for a strong economy in particular.
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Manipur: Autopsy reports reveal multiple bullet wounds, lacerations on bodies of 3 killed in Jiribam
Imphal, Nov 24: The autopsy reports of three of the six persons killed in Manipur's Jiribam district by suspected Kuki militants revealed multiple bullet injuries and lacerations on various parts of their bodies, officials said on Sunday.
The report of three-year-old Chingkheinganba Singh showed that his right eye was missing and he had a bullet wound in the skull, they said.
The report also noted cut wounds, fractures in the chest, and lacerations on the forearm and other parts of his body. Signed on November 17, the report indicated that the child's body was in a "state of decomposition", they added.
The report said the cause of death would be pending until the receipt of the chemical analysis report of viscera from the Directorate of Forensic Sciences in Guwahati, officials said.
The post-mortem examinations were conducted at the Silchar Medical College Hospital (SMCH) in Assam's Cachar district.
The report also detailed the injuries sustained by his mother, L Heitonbi Devi (25), who had "three bullet wounds in the chest and one in the buttock", officials said.
According to the report, her body was brought to SMCH on November 18, around seven days after her death, they said.
The child's grandmother, Y Rani Devi (60), suffered five bullet wounds -- one in the skull, two in the chest, one in the abdomen, and one in an arm, officials said.
Her body was brought to SMCH on November 17, at least three to five days after her death, the report noted.
The autopsy reports also showed deep lacerations on many parts of the bodies of the two women.
The cause of Rani Devi's death is also yet to be known, awaiting the chemical analysis report of the viscera, officials said.
The post-mortem reports of one more woman and two children are still pending, they said.
The six persons belonging to the Meitei community had gone missing from a relief camp in Jiribam after a gunfight between security forces and suspected Kuki-Zo militants that resulted in the deaths of 10 insurgents on November 11.
Their bodies were found in the Jiri river in Jiribam district, and the nearby Barak river in Assam's Cachar over the next few days.
