World

U.S. authorities say three men have been arrested on charges of plotting attacks in New York City for the extremist Islamic State (IS) group.

Federal prosecutors in New York said on October 6 that the planned attacks, which were thwarted by law-enforcement authorities, included bombings in New York City's Times Square and subway system, as well as shooting people at concert venues.

The attacks were to be carried out during the Islamic holy month of Ramadhan in the summer of 2016, prosecutors said in a statement on the unsealing of the charges.

The suspects include a 19-year-old Canadian citizen accused of purchasing bomb-making materials and securing the use of a cabin to build explosive devices, and a 19-year-old U.S. citizen based in Pakistan who allegedly planned to travel to New York to help carry out the attacks.

The third suspect, a 37-year-old Philippine citizen, is accused of wiring money from the Philippines to the United States to help fund the planned attacks, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors added that all three men have been arrested, and that the Canadian man, Abulrahman El Bahnasawy, has pleaded guilty.

Saudi Arabia's king has issued an order allowing women to drive cars for the first time.

The decree announced on September 26 on the state news agency SPA ordered the creation of a ministerial council to advise the royal palace within 30 days, and then put the order into place by next June.

"The royal decree will implement the provisions of traffic regulations, including the issuance of driving licenses for men and women alike," the Saudi Press Agency said.

The country was the only one in the world where women have been explicitly banned from driving.

Activists have been pushing for the right for women to drive since the 1990s, saying it was part of a wider struggle for women's rights in the kingdom.

The United States, one of the kingdom's closest allies, called the order "a great step in the right direction."

Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, SPA