Commuters drive along a highway in Islamabad on September 26, 2024. (AFP)
PESHAWAR — The death toll from ongoing sectarian clashes in northwest Pakistan has risen to at least 37, with more than 150 injured in fighting that has raged for a sixth straight day, a local official told AFP on Friday.
The Kurram district, formerly a semi-autonomous area, has a history of bloody confrontations between tribes belonging to the Sunni and Shiite sects of Islam that have claimed hundreds of lives over the years.
July clashes over land involving the same tribes killed 35 people and ended only after a jirga (tribal council) called a ceasefire, with officials attempting to broker a new truce.
Fighting involving heavy weaponry has continued in 10 areas of the district despite efforts by security forces and locals to reach an agreement, an official posted in Kurram told AFP requesting anonymity.
“What began as a land dispute has escalated into a full-fledged sectarian clash involving the use of automatic and semi-automatic weapons, as well as mortar shells,” he said.
He added that 37 people had been killed and another 153 wounded. Another security official, stationed in the provincial capital Peshawar, added that “28 houses have been damaged.”
Tribal and family feuds are common in Pakistan.
However, they can be particularly protracted and violent in the mountainous northwestern region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where communities abide by traditional tribal honor codes.
In Pakistan, a predominantly Sunni Muslim country, the Shiite community has long suffered discrimination and violence.
A man walks in the rain with bags of groceries as Hurricane Helene intensifies before its expected landfall on Florida’s Big Bend, in Apalachicola, Florida, U.S. September 26, 2024. REUTERS/Marco Bello
Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region late Thursday as one of the most powerful storms to hit the state, raising fears of deaths, widespread damage and even worse floods than the severe deluge which had preceded its arrival.
Helene hit Florida packing sustained winds of around 130 mph (209 kph), the National Hurricane Center said, making it a powerful Category 4 storm. Even before it made landfall, the storm had flooded the Gulf Coast and knocked out power for at least 1 million customers in the state.
Officials pleaded with residents in the path of the storm to heed mandatory evacuation orders or face life-threatening conditions.
Helene’s surge – the wall of seawater pushed on land by hurricane-force winds – could rise to as much as 20 feet (6.1 meters) in some spots, as tall as a two-story house, the center’s director, Michael Brennan, said in a video briefing.
“A really unsurvivable scenario is going to play out” in the coastal area, Brennan said, with water capable of destroying buildings and carrying cars pushing inland.
Strong rain bands were whipping parts of coastal Florida, and rainfall had already lashed Georgia, South Carolina, central and western North Carolina and portions of Tennessee. Atlanta, hundreds of miles north of Florida’s Big Bend, was under a tropical storm warning.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told reporters late Thursday the hurricane had already caused one fatality. He gave no details.
In Pinellas County, which sits on a peninsula surrounded by Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, roads were already filling with water before noon.
Officials warned the storm’s impact could be as severe as last year’s Hurricane Idalia, which flooded 1,500 homes in the low-lying coastal county.
Videos posted on the county’s social media site showed some swamped beachside roads and water rising over boat docks.
Airports in Tampa, Tallahassee and St. Petersburg all suspended operations on Thursday.
Helene is expected to remain a full-fledged hurricane as it rolls through the Macon, Georgia, area on Friday, forecasters said. It could bring 12 inches (30.5 cm) of rain or more, potentially devastating the state’s cotton and pecan crops, which are in the middle of harvesting season.
“The current forecast for Hurricane Helene suggests this storm will impact every part of our state,” Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said.
After making landfall across the Florida coast, Helene is expected move more slowly over the Tennessee Valley on Friday and Saturday, the NHC said.
WALL OF WATER
Storm surge was forecast to reach 15 to 20 feet (4.6 to 6.1 meters) in the Big Bend area of Florida’s Panhandle region where the storm came ashore.
Numerous evacuations were ordered along Florida’s Gulf Coast, including Sarasota and Charlotte counties.
Not everyone heeded the evacuation orders. In coastal Dunedin, Florida, about 25 miles west of Tampa, state ferry boat operator Ken Wood, 58, planned to ride out the storm with his 16-year-old cat, Andy.
“We’re under orders, but I’m going to stay right here at the house,” Wood told Reuters by telephone. “The storm looks like it’ll be a bit west of us, but who knows? I’m sure it’ll be interesting, to say the least.”
In Taylor County, the Sheriff’s Department asked residents who decided not to evacuate to write their names and dates of birth on their arms in ink – so that they could be identified in the case they lost their lives in the hurricane.
Reinsurance broker Gallagher Re said preliminary private insurance losses could reach $3 billion to $6 billion, with additional losses to federal insurance programs approaching a potential $1 billion.
Energy facilities along the U.S. Gulf Coast scaled back operations and evacuated some production sites.
The director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Deanne Criswell, said at a White House briefing that she would travel to Florida on Friday to assess the damage.
Helene was expected to dump up to 15 inches (38.1 cm) of rain in some isolated spots after making landfall in Florida, causing considerable flash and urban flooding, the hurricane center said.
“You need to prepare for prolonged (energy) outages. Those trees are going to come down in strong winds, block roads,” National Hurricane Center Deputy Director Jamie Rhome said.
CONAKRY — A spokesperson for the Guinean presidency on Thursday officially denied rumors of gunfire in the commune of Kaloum, home to the presidential palace.
“On the afternoon of Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024, a wild rumor of alleged gunfire at the Presidency of the Republic was spread in the city and abroad,” said General Amara Camara, the spokesperson for the Presidency of the Republic, in an official statement.
He noted that this misinformation caused panic in places in the commune of Kaloum and throughout Conakry.
In response, he reassured both national and international audiences that these rumors are “false and fabricated,” as outlined in the statement. The spokesperson urged the people of Conakry to “continue to freely go about their daily business.”
However, unofficial sources indicated that gunfire was reported in the vicinity of the Mohammed V Palace, which is located in the Boulbinet district near a military camp of the presidential guard.
KLANG — Pendakwah selebriti, Azman Syah Alias atau lebih dikenali sebagai PU Azman dijatuhi hukuman penjara 24 tahun dan dua sebatan oleh Mahkamah Sesyen hari ini selepas didapati bersalah atas dua pertuduhan melakukan amang seksual fizikal terhadap seorang remaja lelaki 17 tahun, dua tahun lalu.
Hakim Noridah Adam membuat keputusan itu selepas mendapati pihak pembelaan gagal menimbulkan keraguan munasabah di akhir kes pembelaan.
Mahkamah menjatuhkan masing-masing 12 tahun penjara dan satu sebatan bagi dua pertuduhan yang berjalan berasingan.
Mahkamah juga menetapkan Azman Syah, 43, menjalani sesi kaunseling sepanjang tempoh pemenjaraan dan pengawasan polis selama dua tahun selepas selesai menjalani hukuman.
Pada 26 Disember tahun lalu, Azman diperintah membela diri selepas mahkamah mendapati pihak pendakwaan berjaya membuktikan kes prima facie terhadap pertuduhan itu.
Mengikut pertuduhan, Azman Syah didakwa melakukan amang seksual fizikal terhadap seorang remaja lelaki berumur 17 tahun di sebuah inap desa di Kampung Sungai Udang, di sini, masing-masing pada 12.15 tengah malam dan 1 pagi pada 20 Februari serta 29 Jun 2022.
Dia dituduh mengikut Seksyen 14(a) Akta Kesalahan-Kesalahan Seksual terhadap Kanak-Kanak 2017 yang memperuntukkan hukuman penjara sehingga 20 tahun dan boleh juga dikenakan hukuman sebat, jika sabit kesalahan.
Azman yang turut dikenali sebagai Cik Man turut berdepan sembilan pertuduhan iaitu lima pertuduhan di Mahkamah Sesyen Seremban, dua kes di Mahkamah Shah Alam dan masing-masing satu kes di Mahkamah Majistret Klang dan Mahkamah Sesyen Ampang.
DAKAR, Senegal — Shots were fired late Thursday near the presidential palace in Guinea ‘s capital Conakry, and the army briefly locked down the city center and evacuated it.
Local journalist Fode Toure, who was a few hundred meters from the presidential palace, told The Associated Press he heard gunshots and saw people running away in panic. An AP reporter near the palace saw heavily armed soldiers patrolling the streets.
A diplomatic official close to Guinea’s leader told the AP that 11 dissident soldiers opened fire on the special forces around the presidential palace, but they were overpowered by the special forces. Three of the assailants were killed and eight others arrested, he said, adding that the situation was under control. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to talk to reporters.
The official said the soldiers were loyal to Col. Celestin Bilivogui, who disappeared almost a year ago in mysterious conditions following his arrest by the special forces. Bilivogui was found dead on Wednesday, his family and lawyers said.
The lockdown of the center of Conakry was later lifted.
The ruling junta denied that any gunshots took place calling it a “crazy” and “fabricated” rumor in a statement read on national television. It urged residents of the city center to go about their business.
The West African nation has been led by a military regime since soldiers ousted President Alpha Conde in 2021. The West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS has pushed for a quick transition back to civilian rule and elections are scheduled for 2025.
Col. Mamadi Doumbouya, the country’s leader, overthrew the president three years ago, saying he was preventing Guinea from slipping into chaos and chastised the previous government for broken promises.
However, since coming to power he’s been criticized for being no better than his predecessor. In February, military leaders dissolved the government without explanation, saying a new one will be appointed.
Doumbouya has rebuffed attempts by the West and other developed countries to intervene in Africa’s political challenges, saying Africans are “exhausted by the categorizations with which everyone wants to box us in.”
Several West African nations including Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have had coups that installed military juntas.
They have severed or scaled back long-standing military ties with Western powers in favor of security support from Russia.
Israelis run to take cover in Safed, northern Israel, as a siren sounds a warning of incoming rockets fired from Lebanon, on Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo)
WASHINGTON — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Israel on Thursday that further escalation to the conflict involving Lebanon will only make it harder for civilians to return home on both sides of the border, the State Department said.
Israel rejected global calls on Thursday for a ceasefire with the Hezbollah movement, defying its biggest ally in Washington and pressing ahead with strikes that have killed hundreds in Lebanon and heightened fears of an all-out regional war.
Despite Israel’s stance, the US and France sought to keep prospects alive for an immediate 21-day truce they proposed on Wednesday, and said negotiations continued, including on the sidelines of a United Nations meeting in New York.
“The Secretary discussed the importance of reaching an agreement on the 21 day ceasefire across the Israel-Lebanon border,” the State Department said in a statement referring to talks between Blinken and Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer.
“He underscored that further escalation of the conflict will only make that objective (of civilian return) more difficult.”
The State Department added that Blinken also discussed efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and steps that Israel needs to take to improve delivery of humanitarian assistance in the enclave where nearly the entire 2.3 million population is displaced and a hunger crisis exists.
US President Joe Biden laid out a three-phase ceasefire proposal for Gaza on May 31 but the deal has run into obstacles, mostly over Israeli demands to maintain presence in the Philadelphi corridor on Gaza’s border with Egypt and specifics about exchanges of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.
Washington has faced mounting global and domestic criticism over its backing of Israel amid the escalation of conflict in Lebanon, where Israeli strikes have killed hundreds in recent days.
Critics say Washington has not leveraged its assistance to pressure Israel into accepting ceasefire calls.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to address the United Nations General Assembly on Friday.
The latest bloodshed in the decades old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered on Oct. 7 when Palestinian Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel’s subequent military assault on Gaza has killed over 41,000, according to Palestinian health authorities.
CARACAS — At least two people died and four others are missing after a service barge used in the maintenance of oil wells sank in Lake Maracaibo, in western Venezuela’s Zulia state, state-run oil company Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) said Thursday.
In a statement, the firm said the incident was caused by “bad weather conditions that affected the area at the time of the accident,” and said the barge named “Chantase G” belongs to SOSCA, the firm currently providing oil well maintenance services.
“Search and rescue work continues in conjunction with public safety organizations,” the company said, adding a PDVSA High-Level Investigation Committee will look into the matter to definitively determine the causes of the accident and support will be provided to the relatives of the victims.
The state-run company offered its condolences to the families of the deceased.
UNITED NATIONS — This week’s violence in Lebanon has forced more than 90,000 people from their homes, with 70,000 cramming into 400 schools and other sites, UN humanitarians said on Thursday.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) tallied the number of displacements since Monday with data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which reported it expects the numbers to increase.
OCHA said it is gravely concerned over the safety of civilians on both sides of the Blue Line between Israel and Lebanon.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Syria estimated that more than 10,000 people — both Lebanese and Syrians — have crossed from Lebanon into Syria due to the hostilities.
The office said the world body and its partners provide food, water, mattresses and hygiene kits. The recent escalation of violence is also affecting education, health and other vital civilian facilities in Lebanon.
OCHA said Lebanon’s Ministry of Education postponed the start of the school year until Oct. 14, which affects thousands of students nationwide.
The office said Israeli airstrikes on Wednesday damaged four more water stations, bringing the total number of such facilities impacted since October 2023 to 24, affecting access to clean water for more than 250,000 people.
OCHA said the fighting forced 18 primary healthcare centers to close on Thursday.
The UN Population Fund said it provides productive health and dignity kits to displaced women and girls. At the same time, the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, delivered essential supplies, including water, blankets, and hygiene kits, to collective shelters.
The World Food Programme reported pre-positioning enough food to support 250,000 people for five days, with the UN relief agency for Palestinians, known as UNRWA, and IOM also providing mattresses, blankets and additional supplies to support displaced people.
OCHA said that the United Nations and its humanitarian partners need additional resources to sustain the response to urgent needs.
On the margins of the annual General Debate in the great General Assembly Hall, a ministerial-level meeting was held on UNRWA, its funding and the situation in Gaza, where the current hostilities began on Oct. 7, 2023, before spilling over into the West Bank and Lebanon.
“We have failed the people of Gaza,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the meeting. “They are in a living hell that somehow gets even worse by the day.”
Yet, he said, if there is any outpost of hope in the hellscape, it is UNRWA.
He defended the agency mandated to support Palestinians whether in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria or the West Bank.
After the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, the Israeli government accused staff members of UNRWA of participating in the deadly raid and donor contributions for the agency plummeted.
“In the face of the catastrophic conditions, UNRWA perseveres,” Guterres said, adding that donations are recovering. “This is a tribute to the resilience of the women and men of UNRWA.”
He voiced complete confidence in UNRWA’s continued commitment “to upholding the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality, and humanity.”
DAMASCUS — Twenty-three Syrian refugees, mostly women and children, were killed on Thursday in an airstrike on Lebanon’s Younine area, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said.
In a statement, the ministry said the airstrike was launched just hours before Israeli forces struck the Matrabah border crossing between Lebanon and Syria, injuring several refugees fleeing the violence.
The statement accused Israel of deliberately targeting innocent civilians, including refugees seeking safety.
It condemned Israel’s “blatant disregard” for international law, humanitarian law, and human rights, saying that Israel’s actions reflect its long-standing indifference to human lives.
The ministry urged the international community to hold Israel accountable for its repeated violations of international law and to prevent further escalation of violence in the region.
JERUSALEM — Militants in Yemen launched at least one missile toward Israel overnight between Thursday and Friday, setting off air raid sirens across central Israel, including Tel Aviv, the Israeli military said in a statement.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the missile was “successfully intercepted by the Arrow Aerial Defense System in high altitude.”
“Sirens and explosions were heard following the interception and falling shrapnel,” added the statement.
The IDF said the details were still under review.
There were no reports of casualties. The country’s Air Ports Authority announced that the Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv was temporarily closed for flights.
JERUSALEM/BEIRUT — Israeli warplanes continued their deadly airstrikes across Lebanon for the fourth consecutive day on Thursday, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a clear rejection of a ceasefire proposal advanced by the United States and France.
The Israeli military stated that its drones targeted rocket launchers in southern Lebanon responsible for attacks on Israeli targets. Fighter jets struck “dozens” of Hezbollah targets, including militant cells, launchers, and weapons storage facilities in various areas of southern Lebanon.
The Lebanese Health Ministry reported that at least 60 people were killed and 81 others injured in Israeli airstrikes on Thursday across various regions in Lebanon.
Israel conducted 115 attacks on Thursday, the ministry noted, adding that the large-scale airstrikes, which began on Monday and have previously focused on the south and east of Lebanon, have now spread to include regions in the Mount Lebanon Governorate.
According to the Israeli military, Hezbollah forces launched approximately 150 rockets toward northern Israel. Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service stated that no casualties resulted from the rocket attacks.
Some rockets were intercepted, but others struck communities in northern Israel, where most residents have been displaced due to ongoing cross-border fire. In Rosh Pina, located in the Upper Galilee, a rocket hit a residential home, causing extensive damage. Fires broke out in Rosh Pina, Safed, and Birya as a result of the strikes.
Hezbollah confirmed the rocket attacks, stating that the bombings and raids were “in defense of Lebanon and its people, and in response to the barbaric Israeli invasion of cities, villages, and civilians.”
During a situational assessment, Israel’s military chief, Hertzi Halevi, rejected the U.S.-led ceasefire call at a UN Security Council emergency meeting. “We must continue to attack Hezbollah,” Halevi said. “We have waited for this opportunity for years.”
Netanyahu echoed this sentiment, stating that Israel “will continue to strike Hezbollah with full force” until all objectives are achieved, including the safe return of northern residents to their homes.
Also on Thursday, Israel’s Defense Ministry announced an 8.7-billion-U.S.-dollar aid package from the United States to support Israel’s military efforts. The package includes 3.5 billion dollars for “urgent wartime procurement,” which has already been transferred to Israel, and an additional 5.2 billion dollars earmarked for air defense systems, including the Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and an advanced laser defense system.
“This substantial investment will significantly strengthen critical systems like Iron Dome and David’s Sling while supporting the continued development of an advanced high-powered laser defense system, currently in its later stages of development,” the ministry stated.
The United States has been supporting Israel since the beginning of the conflict with Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, sending at least 700 cargo planes with weapons, bombs, and ammunition, according to official Israeli sources.
Israel and Hezbollah, a Lebanese armed group and political party, have been trading fire across the border since Oct. 8, 2023, when Hezbollah launched rockets in solidarity with Hamas’ deadly attack on communities in southern Israel the previous day.
As of Thursday, the total death toll from the Israel-Hezbollah clashes since last October has reached 1,540, with injuries totaling 5,410, according to the Lebanese health ministry.
Since Monday, Israel has conducted extensive airstrikes across Lebanon, resulting in over 650 deaths and more than 2,000 injuries. The Israeli military reported that it has targeted over 2,000 locations during this period. Lebanese Environment Minister Nasser Yassin noted on Wednesday that the bombardment has displaced more than 150,000 residents this week.
This sharp escalation has raised concerns about a potential full-scale conflict between Israel and Lebanon, with fears that other regional powers could also become involved.
ISLAMABAD — Eight people were injured in an explosion inside a police station in Pakistan’s northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Thursday night, rescuers said.
The accident happened in Swabi district of the province where a fire broke out prior to the explosion, severely damaging a room in the police station and reducing it to rubble, Bilal Faizi, spokesperson of the state-owned rescue organization Rescue 1122, told Xinhua.
He said that the fire erupted inside the room where explosive materials, recovered from terrorists during separate operations, were stored.
The fire was apparently caused by a short circuit, ultimately triggering the explosion, Faizi said.
The injured people have been shifted to a nearby hospital, where two of them were in critical condition, he added.
KABUL — The Taliban said Thursday it was absurd to accuse them of gender discrimination and other human rights violations, as four countries vow to hold Afghanistan’s rulers accountable under international law for their treatment of women and girls.
Australia, Canada, Germany and the Netherlands are set to start legal proceedings against the Taliban for violating a UN convention on women, to which Afghanistan is a party.
The countries launched the initiative on Wednesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, which is taking place in New York until Monday.
Despite promising more moderate rule after they seized power in 2021, the Taliban have barred women and girls from education beyond sixth grade, many public spaces and most jobs.
In August, the Vice and Virtue Ministry issued laws banning women’s bare faces and prohibiting them from raising their voices in public.
More than 20 countries expressed their support Thursday for the proposed legal action against the Taliban.
“We condemn the gross and systematic human rights violations and abuses in Afghanistan, particularly the gender-based discrimination against women and girls,” the countries said.
“Afghanistan is responsible under international law for its ongoing gross and systematic violation of numerous obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women,” they added.
The countries said they did not politically recognize the Taliban as the legitimate leaders of the Afghan population.
“Afghanistan’s failure to fulfill its human rights treaty obligations is a key obstacle to normalization of relations,” they said.
The Taliban’s deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said human rights were protected in Afghanistan and that nobody faced discrimination.
“Unfortunately, an attempt is being made to spread propaganda against Afghanistan through the mouths of several fugitive (Afghan) women and misrepresent the situation,” he said on social media platform X.
“It is absurd to accuse the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan of violating human rights and gender discrimination,” he added.
The Taliban reject all criticism of their policies, especially those affecting women and girls, describing it as interference. They maintain that their actions are in line with their interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia.
Fereshta Abbasi, an Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch, urged other countries to register their support for the four countries’ legal action and for them to involve Afghan women as the process moved forward.
“The announcement by Germany, Canada, Australia and the Netherlands may mark the beginning of a path to justice for the Taliban’s egregious human rights violations against Afghan women and girls,” said Abbasi.
JERUSULAM — Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Thursday rejected a proposal for a 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon and called for the “crushing” of the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.
The United States, European Union and other allies including several Arab states issued a joint call for a 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon after Israeli air strikes on Hezbollah killed hundreds and displaced tens of thousands in Lebanon this week.
The call for a three-week ceasefire came hours after Israeli army chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi on Wednesday told soldiers to prepare for a possible ground offensive against Hezbollah.
Smotrich, a key member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government, opposed the proposal, insisting that continuing the war against Hezbollah was the only way forward.
“The campaign in the north should end with a single result: crushing Hezbollah and elimination of its ability to harm the residents of the north,” Smotrich said on X.
“The enemy must not be given time to recover from the heavy blows it has suffered and reorganize itself to continue the war after 21 days,” he said.
“Hezbollah’s surrender or war — this is the only way to bring back the residents and security to the north and the country.”
In a separate statement on X, opposition leader Yair Lapid said the Israeli government should only agree to a seven-day ceasefire.
This would “prevent Hezbollah from restoring its command and control systems,” Lapid said.
“We will not accept any proposal that does not include the withdrawal of Hezbollah from our northern border.”
Smotrich, along with far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, has been a strong advocate of continuing the war in Gaza too, where Israeli forces have been battling Palestinian militants led by the Islamist group Hamas since October 7.
The Gaza war erupted when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, and Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel from Lebanon a day later in what it says is solidarity with its ally Hamas.
Since then Israel and Hezbollah have been engaged in fierce cross-border clashes, which worsened this week when Israel launched a withering bombing campaign in southern Lebanon targeting Hezbollah sites in the deadliest violence since Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war.
DAMASCUS — An Israeli airstrike targeted a bridge near the Matrabah crossing on the Syria-Lebanon border early Thursday, injuring eight people and an unknown number of civilians, Syria’s state TV reported.
Four of the injured were border-control policemen, while the other four were customs officers, the report said, adding that the airstrike also damaged the bridge.
It is the first Israeli raid on the Syrian border region since Israel escalated its military operations in Lebanon on Monday.
The Matrabah crossing, linking the al-Qusayr region in the central Syrian province of Homs to Lebanon, has recently been used by displaced Lebanese seeking refuge in Syria.
ADDIS ABABA — A total of 28 people were killed and 19 others injured in a traffic accident in southern Ethiopia, local media reported on Wednesday.
The deadly accident happened when a bus traveling from Wolaita Sodo to Dawro Zone overturned on Wednesday afternoon, local media reported, citing officials.
The injured are currently receiving intensive medical treatment in nearby healthcare institutions, said the police, warning that the death toll may increase.
Despite a low per capita car ownership rate, deadly traffic accidents are relatively common in Ethiopia due to poor road conditions, reckless driving, a flawed driving license issuance system, and lax enforcement of safety regulations.
KIEV — Blasts rocked the city of Starokostiantyniv in Ukraine’s western Khmelnytsky region on Thursday morning, said authorities.
Several blasts were heard in the city, which is home to a major military airfield, public broadcaster Suspilne reported, citing the city’s mayor Mykola Melnychuk.
The Russian military launched at least two hypersonic air-launched Kinzhal ballistic missiles against Starokostiantyniv, said the Ukrainian Air Force.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damages caused by the attack.
SHANGHAI — China’s financial hub, Shanghai, launched the country’s first direct air route to Venice, Italy, in response to growing travel demand, according to Shanghai Airport Authority.
On early Thursday, flight MU785 departed from Shanghai Pudong International Airport with over 200 passengers, adding to the travel options available for the upcoming National Day holiday.
Operated by China Eastern Airlines, the new air service utilizes an Airbus A330 aircraft. Flights are scheduled three times a week on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Qin Yun, chairman of Shanghai Airport Authority, said that this direct flight is expected to facilitate personal and economic and trade exchanges between China and Italy.
Wan Qingchao, vice general manager of China Eastern Airlines, said China’s visa exemption policies have further stimulated these exchanges. By the end of September, the airlines had launched four air routes between the two countries, which are expected to further promote connectivity between China and Italy, and between China and the whole of Europe.
This year, China is experiencing a faster-than-expected resurgence in both inbound and outbound tourism.
Shanghai’s Pudong and Hongqiao airports can now reach 112 international airports across 48 countries, collectively handling over 83 million passengers in the first eight months. Notably, the flow of outbound and inbound passengers surged to nearly 23 million, marking a remarkable 119 percent rise year on year.
Staff members transport giant panda An An at the Hong Kong International Airport in Hong Kong, south China, Sept. 26, 2024. A pair of giant pandas gifted by the central government to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of China arrived at the Hong Kong International Airport on Thursday morning.
HONG KONG — A pair of giant pandas gifted by the central government to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of China arrived at the Hong Kong International Airport on Thursday morning.
The pair’s arrival is among the most anticipated celebratory events leading up to the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, which falls on Oct. 1.
“We are more than happy to welcome the pair of the energetic giant pandas at this joyful time,” said Chan Kwok-ki, chief secretary for administration of the HKSAR government, at a welcome ceremony at the Hong Kong International Airport.
At around 13:00 p.m., the pandas were driven to Ocean Park Hong Kong witnessed by dozens of local fans waving panda-shaped balloons and cardboard cutouts. They will spend time in quarantine and adapt to the new environment before their scheduled public debut in December.
The two pandas, named An An and Ke Ke, were both born in June 2019. Ocean Park Hong Kong has added climbing frames for the lively pair, among other upgrades to their residence.
They are the third pair of giant pandas the HKSAR has received as gifts from the central government. Together with the previous pair gifted to the HKSAR in 2007 and their twin cubs born on Aug. 15, the city now has six giant pandas.
NANJING — This year’s harvest season for China’s highly sought-after freshwater crabs began on Wednesday in the Yangcheng Lake in Suzhou, east China’s Jiangsu Province.
The tasty and pricey mitten crabs are expected to hit the market around China’s National Day holiday in early October, according to the Suzhou municipal agriculture and rural affairs bureau.
A total of 9,900 tonnes of crabs are expected to be harvested this year from a breeding area spanning around 5,426 hectares, the bureau said.
Due to the impact of prolonged high temperatures and influenced by typhoons, crabs have grown slightly slower than in previous years. However, their quality remains excellent, the bureau said.
Chinese people have a custom of eating crabs in autumn when the meat is at its best. The tradition can be traced back to the Han Dynasty (202 B.C. to 220 A.D.).
The crab is considered to be auspicious as the Chinese word for crab is “xie,” which has the same pronunciation as the Chinese word for “thanks.”
