MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree extending an embargo on agricultural products from Western countries for another two years, local media reported on Wednesday.

The embargo, which will run from Jan. 1, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2026, marks the first time the extension has exceeded one year.

Originally enacted in August 2014 in retaliation for Western sanctions over the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the ban affects products from the United States, the EU, Australia, Norway, and Canada. The restrictions were later expanded to other European countries, including Ukraine.

It is reported that Putin has praised the import ban for spurring Russia’s agricultural growth.

XINHUA

KHARTOUM – Two people were killed and 10 others injured on Wednesday in an artillery shelling attack by paramilitary forces on Omdurman city, north of the capital Khartoum, Khartoum State’s Health Ministry said in a statement.

The “systematic bombing against citizens” by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the Karari locality of northern Omdurman targeted densely populated areas, the ministry stated.

Those injured in the attack were transferred to Al-Nao and Sawaed hospitals. The RSF has not yet commented on the attack.

Since April 15, 2023, Sudan has been embroiled in a violent conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF, resulting in at least 16,650 deaths and the displacement of millions of people.

XINHUA

ADEN, Yemen – An explosion at a weapons depot rocked Yemen’s southwestern province of Taiz on Wednesday, resulting in at least two deaths, a security official told Xinhua.

According to the official who spoke to Xinhua on condition of anonymity, the weapons depot belonged to the country’s pro-government forces and was under the control of the 22nd Army Brigade.

The official confirmed that the blast claimed the lives of at least two and left about six others injured, and the casualty count may rise.

Eyewitnesses reported seeing flames and columns of smoke rising from the area. The explosion sent projectiles hurtling into nearby residential buildings, causing significant damage to local homes.

The pro-government forces in Taiz said in a statement that “the explosion originated in a building which was being used as a reserve warehouse for the 22nd Army Brigade’s armaments.”

The military reported that measures were being taken to contain the situation, with firefighters, soldiers from the 22nd Army Brigade, and security forces working together to control the blaze.

A committee of relevant authorities has been established to investigate the explosion and its aftermath.

Yemen has been embroiled in a devastating civil war since 2014, with the Houthis fighting against the internationally-recognized Yemeni government.

In 2015, the Houthi group entered Taiz province and surrounded its capital, Taiz. Although the city remains under the control of the Yemeni government, it is still besieged by Houthi forces.

XINHUA

NIAMEY – More than 100 terrorists have been “neutralized” and significant enemy equipment destroyed, thanks to coordination between Nigerien ground and air forces, on Sunday in Niaktiré, near the commune of Makalondi in the Tillabéry region (west), reported the army on Wednesday in a news bulletin.

According to the bulletin, a unit of the Nigerien Defense and Security Forces (FDS) stationed in Niaktiré was targeted in a terrorist attack on Sunday afternoon.

“Hordes of criminals, coming in hundreds, launched the assault but faced fierce resistance. Our soldiers, showing remarkable courage, held their position bravely, inflicting heavy losses on the enemy,” the army said.

“In response to the intensity of the attack, two units of special forces were quickly deployed as reinforcements — one from Torodi and the other from Makalondi. Simultaneously, air assets were mobilized to carry out targeted strikes, annihilating the attackers to their last stronghold,” it added.

Furthermore, ground units’ sweeping operations revealed “new enemy bodies as well as dozens of motorcycles, some riddled with bullets and others completely burnt.”

Despite this achievement, the FDS mourned the loss of five soldiers, and 27 others were injured, none of whom are in critical condition. They have been evacuated to Niamey for necessary medical care.

The highest authorities of the country have commended the unwavering commitment of the Nigerien armed forces in defending national integrity.

These areas are located in the “three borders” region (Niger-Mali-Burkina Faso), a new hub of insecurity in the extreme southwest of the country, fueled in recent years by other jihadist groups.

XINHUA

GAZA – At least eight Palestinians were killed in an Israeli attack on a school sheltering displaced people east of Gaza City, Palestinian sources said Wednesday.

Israeli aircraft bombed the “Ibn Al-Haytham” school housing displaced people in the Shuja’iyya neighborhood, Palestinian security sources told Xinhua.

“Our teams recovered the bodies of eight victims, including five children and two women, as a result of the Israeli airstrike,” the Gaza Civil Defense said in a press statement.

Local sources and eyewitnesses said the airstrike caused significant destruction to the schoolyard and classrooms.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army said in a statement that its air force targeted Hamas militants at a command and control center previously known as the Ibn Al-Haytham school in Gaza City.

Israel has been launching a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and some 250 taken hostage.

The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in Gaza has risen to 41,272, Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement Wednesday.

XINHUA

KHARTOUM – Two people were killed and 10 others injured on Wednesday in an artillery shelling attack by paramilitary forces on Omdurman city, north of the capital Khartoum, Khartoum State’s Health Ministry said in a statement.

The “systematic bombing against citizens” by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the Karari locality of northern Omdurman targeted densely populated areas, the ministry stated.

Those injured in the attack were transferred to Al-Nao and Sawaed hospitals. The RSF has not yet commented on the attack.

Since April 15, 2023, Sudan has been embroiled in a violent conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF, resulting in at least 16,650 deaths and the displacement of millions of people.

XINHUA

BEIJING – China’s Ministry of Water Resources on Wednesday issued a Level-IV emergency response to flooding, the lowest among its four-tier system, in five provincial-level regions: Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Henan and Hainan.

Affected by Typhoon Bebinca, Typhoon Pulasan and a tropical depression in the South China Sea, it is projected that some medium-sized and minor rivers in the five regions will see water levels exceed their warning thresholds between Wednesday and Friday, the ministry said.

It stressed the need to strengthen typhoon monitoring, forecasting and early warning, and to prevent disasters triggered by floods in small and medium-sized rivers as well as by mountain torrents in affected areas.

China’s National Meteorological Center issued a yellow alert for Typhoon Pulasan on Wednesday evening, warning that strong winds and heavy rainfall will batter eastern parts of the country from Wednesday night to Thursday night.

The center said the typhoon is expected to make landfall on the coast of Zhejiang between Thursday afternoon and Thursday evening.

XINHUA

UNITED NATIONS – The UN General Assembly (UNGA) passed a non-binding resolution on Wednesday demanding an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory within the next 12 months by an overwhelming margin.

The resolution was adopted with 124 votes in favor, 14 against and 43 abstentions, during the UNGA’s 10th emergency special session considering Israeli actions in occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

The resolution demanding that Israel comply with all its legal obligations under international law, including advisory opinions by the International Court of Justice, was introduced by the State of Palestine on Tuesday and was co-sponsored by more than two dozen nations.

By the newly adopted resolution, the UNGA “demands that Israel brings to an end without delay its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which constitutes a wrongful act of a continuing character entailing its international responsibility and do so no later than 12 months from the adoption of the present resolution.”

The UNGA also demands that Israel comply without delay with all its legal obligations under international law, including as stipulated by the International Court of Justice.

In remarks before the vote, Mohamed Issa Abushahab, the permanent representative of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations, said the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza must be addressed through unimpeded access to those in need, a ceasefire deal and the full implementation of all related Security Council resolutions.

A credible peace process must be relaunched to work towards a two-State solution to diffuse this conflict, he said, expressing support for the State of Palestine’s full statehood and UN membership. “The time has come to end the suffering,” he noted.

Introducing the draft resolution on Tuesday, Riyad Mansour, the permanent observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, called for the establishment of an independent and sovereign State of Palestine on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

He said the Palestinian people have been steadfast in the pursuit of their inalienable rights, just like all other citizens worldwide who seek self-determination.

“The Palestinians want to live, not survive — they want to be safe in their homes, they want their children to go to school without fear. They want to be free in reality as they are in spirit,” said Mansour.

XINHUA

YANGON – The death toll from severe flooding in Myanmar has reached 268 people, with 88 still missing as of Wednesday morning, according to the Information Team of State Administration Council late Wednesday.

The floods, triggered by heavy rains, have impacted multiple regions and states in Myanmar, including Nay Pyi Taw, Kayah, Kayin, Bago, Magway, Mandalay, Shan and Ayeyarwady.

The floods have destroyed roads, bridges, homes, offices, schools and other buildings, the information team said.

The government will give cash support to the bereaved, and more aid will be given based on the level of damage in the affected areas, it added.

XINHUA

CHUKAI – Seorang wanita Kemboja maut dihempap pokok ketika hujan lebat serta angin kencang melanda Pantai Penunjuk Kijal, dekat sini, petang tadi.

Dalam kejadian kira-kira jam 6.15 petang itu, mangsa, Saleha Ashaari, 54, yang berstatus penduduk tetap dan berasal dari Kampung Titian Berayun Kijal, disahkan meninggal di tempat kejadian akibat kecederaan pada kepala.

Ketua Polis Daerah Kemaman, Superintendan Hanyan Ramlan berkata sebelum kejadian wanita itu berniaga di bawah payung sebelum tiba-tiba sebatang pokok berdekatan tumbang dan menghempapnya.

“Anggota bomba membantu mengeluarkan mangsa yang tersepit sebelum dia disahkan meninggal,” katanya.

Hanyan berkata, hujan lebat serta dan angin kencang itu turut menyebabkan beberapa batang pokok di lokasi kejadian tumbang menghempap beberapa kenderaan.

BH ONLINE

KUCHING – Seorang kanak-kanak perempuan berusia enam tahun disambar buaya di jeti di Kampung Seberang Pasar Lama, Tatau, di Bintulu, hari ini.

Mangsa, Cicilia Julan Intik disambar reptilia itu ketika mandi bersama ahli keluarganya di jeti berkenaan.

Kejadian kira-kira jam 6.30 petang itu disaksikan datuk mangsa yang turut mandi di lokasi sama.

Jurucakap Pusat Gerakan Operasi (PGO) Jabatan Bomba dan Penyelamat Malaysia (JBPM) Sarawak berkata, pihaknya menerima panggilan jam 7.21 petang.

“Sepasukan enam anggota dari Balai Bomba dan Penyelamat (BBP) Tatau diarah ke lokasi kira-kira lima kilometer dari balai sejurus menerima panggilan itu.

“Pencarian dilakukan di sekitar jeti dan tebing sungai bersama anggota polis, selain ahli keluarga mangsa, namun sehingga kini mangsa gagal dikesan,” katanya.

BH ONLINE

GAZA – Medical crews recovered 10 slain Palestinians on Wednesday from areas north of Rafah city.

Medical sources reported that the bodies of five people were recovered from homes targeted by the occupation in Al-Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip yesterday.

They added that five civilians were killed as a result of the Israeli occupation bombing of Khirbet al-Adas area yesterday.

The occupation forces also blew up residential buildings in the city of al-Zahraa in the Nuseirat camp, while the occupation’s aircraft targeted the eastern areas of al-Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza City.

The Israeli military vehicles stationed east of the Jabalia camp opened fire on the lands and homes of citizens in northern Gaza.

The death toll in the Gaza Strip has risen to 41,252, and 95,497 wounded, most of them children and women, since the beginning of the Israeli occupation aggression on October 7, while thousands of victims are still under the rubble.

WAFA

RAMALLAH – A Palestinian young man was killed at dawn on Wednesday by Israeli occupation forces near the town of Ni’lin, west of Ramallah.

The Ministry of Health said that Hassan Yousef Hassan Al-Shaer, 17, was killed by occupation forces near Ni’lin.

Local sources indicated that al-Shaer was from the town of Habla, south of Qalqilya.

With the killing of al-Shaer, the death toll in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, since October 7, 2023 has risen to 706, including 160 children, 10 women, and 9 elderly people.

WAFA

CAPE TOWN – Twenty-five people were injured when a train derailed on Tuesday night in South Africa’s Western Cape province, local authorities confirmed on Wednesday.

The derailment occurred at Dal Josafat Station near Paarl, about 60 kilometers northeast of Cape Town, according to a statement by Metrorail Western Cape.

“The train was en route from Cape Town to Wellington station when the incident occurred,” Metrorail said in the statement. “Twenty-five passengers were injured and transported by ambulance to various hospitals for treatment. No fatalities were reported. Other passengers onboard were transported to their homes.”

Emergency services, including ambulances, firefighters and the South African Police Service (SAPS), responded to assist the injured.

Metrorail said that the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa and Transnet Freight Rail are investigating the derailment.

XINHUA

ISLAMABAD – Three terrorists were killed in a clash with the Counter-terrorism Department (CTD) in Pakistan’s east Punjab province on Wednesday, the CTD said in a statement.

The incident happened in the provincial capital city of Lahore where the CTD raided a compound suspected of harboring the terrorists, the statement added.

“During the raid, the terrorists opened fire on the law enforcement officers, and in the exchange of gunfire, three of their accomplices were killed by their own shots,” the statement added.

Two other terrorists managed to flee during the shootout, and a search operation is underway to apprehend them, said the CTD.

Arms and ammunition were also recovered from the compound as well as from the possession of the slain terrorists.

The terrorists were reportedly planning a large-scale attack in Lahore, according to the CTD.

XINHUA

PUTRAJAYA – Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) mendedahkan penemuan wang tunai hampir RM800,000 dalam serbuan di kediaman dua pegawai Imigresen bergred rendah yang terbabit sindiket ‘counter setting’.

Ketua Pesuruhjaya SPRM, Tan Sri Azam Baki, berkata selain RM518,250 dalam bagasi di bilik tidur pegawai wanita Imigresen Gred KP22 di kediamannya di Pahang, pihaknya turut menemui wang tunai RM248,443 yang disimpan di bawah katil bilik utama pegawai Imigresen lelaki Gred KP19 di rumahnya di Melaka.

Jumlah yang ditemukan dalam dua serbuan itu, katanya adalah sebahagian daripada keseluruhan wang tunai RM1.49 juta yang disita daripada penguat kuasa yang bersekongkol dengan sindiket ‘counter setting’.

“Sepanjang operasi ini, SPRM turut menyita wang tunai AS$9,900 (RM41,990) serta 5,470 Bath (RM696),” katanya ketika sidang media di Ibu Pejabat SPRM di sini, hari ini.

Selain tunai, Azam berkata, pihaknya turut menyita 27 keping dinar emas seberat 575.75 gram dengan anggaran nilai melebihi RM200,000 daripada pegawai Imigresen Gred KP22 di Negeri Sembilan.

Sepanjang operasi terbabit, katanya pihaknya juga menyita 22 kenderaan membabitkan sembilan kereta dan 13 motosikal, selain lebih 75 barangan kemas seperti cincin, gelang, rantai, loket dan subang serta 12 jam tangan pelbagai jenama.

SPRM turut membekukan 215 akaun bank milik 16 syarikat dan 84 individu dengan nilai pembekuan melebihi RM3.6 juta.

Dalam pada itu, Azam mendedahkan modus operandi ‘counter setting’ adalah sindiket mempromosikan pakej untuk masuk ke Malaysia menerusi platform media sosial khususnya Facebook dan Telegram.

Katanya, ejen akan menghubungi pegawai Imigresen menerusi aplikasi WhatsAapp untuk mendapatkan tarikh sesuai membolehkan kumpulan warga asing datang ke Malaysia sebagai pelancong.

“Pegawai Imigresen kemudian akan memberikan ‘green light’ (lampu hijau) jika tarikh berkenaan sesuai.

“Ejen atau sindiket akan memberikan butiran pasport dan gambar kumpulan warga asing yang akan tiba menerusi WhatsApp kepada pegawai Imigresen terbabit.

“Pegawai itu akan memberikan maklumat nombor ‘kaunter khas’ yang perlu dituju oleh kumpulan warga asing untuk pelepasan masuk ke Malaysia,” katanya.

BH ONLINE

TOKYO – Large tropical storm Pulasan is expected to make its closest approach to the main island of Okinawa Prefecture in southwestern Japan on Wednesday evening, the country’s weather agency said.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said Pulasan, packing winds of up to about 80 kilometers per hour with maximum gusts of 126 kilometers per hour, was moving northwest at 20 kilometers per hour over waters south of Minami-Daito Island in Okinawa on Wednesday morning.

Okinawa’s main island and the Amami region of Kagoshima Prefecture are expected to be hit with winds of up to 72 kilometers per hour, with maximum gusts possibly reaching 108 kilometers per hour, according to the JMA.

High waves and swells are likely around the two prefectures through Thursday, it added.

Weather officials said severe thunderstorms could bring up to 150 millimeters of rain to Okinawa by Thursday noon, and up to 120 millimeters in the Amami region and the Tanegashima and Yakushima region of Kagoshima.

The agency urged people to stay alert for high waves, strong winds, storm surges, landslides, floodwaters in low-lying areas and swollen rivers.

XINHUA

SYDNEY – Thousands of Australian workers on Wednesday walked off job sites and joined protests against the federal government’s crackdown on a major construction trade union.

Members and supporters of the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) joined rallies in Sydney and Melbourne to protest against the government’s decision to force the construction arm of the union into administration.

The government in August placed all branches of the construction arm of the CFMEU into administration in response to allegations of corruption and criminal infiltration.

Workers on Wednesday walked off job sites for the second time to support the CFMEU after similar protests in August.

Speaking to protesters in Melbourne, CFMEU National Secretary Zach Smith said that the government’s move would lead to worse wages and conditions for Australian workers, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

“An attack on one union is an attack on all,” he said.

“Our victory is assured if we stand together and fight together and today we will be sending a very clear message across those corporate board rooms, across the halls of parliament that we’re drawing a line in the sand.”

Troy Gray, secretary of the Electrical Trades Union in the Australian state of Victoria, reportedly threatened a three-day strike from next Wednesday if employers don’t stop an “attack” on working conditions, according to the Guardian Australia.

Responding to Wednesday’s protests, Murray Watt, Australia’s minister for employment and workplace relations, said that the government is not targeting CFMEU members, union members or construction workers at all, the Age reported.

“We’re doing this to ensure that their union gets back to its job, which is representing the interests of those workers,” he told reporters in Canberra.

Unions previously said that they would go to court to challenge laws that allowed the government to take control of the construction union for a minimum of three years.

XINHUA

PUTRAJAYA – Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) tidak akan mencampuri siasatan membabitkan syarikat Global Ikhwan Service and Business Holdings (GISBH).

Ketua Pesuruhjaya SPRM, Tan Sri Azam Baki, berkata pihaknya tidak melihat sebarang elemen rasuah membabitkan siasatan yang sedang dijalankan Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM).

“Yang ini kita serah kepada pihak polis kerana saya tak nampak isu rasuah di sini.

“Jadi pihak polis boleh meneruskan siasatan tanpa campur tangan daripada SPRM,” katanya pada sidang media di sini, hari ini.

BH ONLINE

PORT DICKSON – Pengerusi sebuah pusat pengajian agama di daerah ini dihadapkan ke Mahkamah Majistret, di sini, hari ini atas pertuduhan mencabul seorang guru praktikal di pusat berkenaan, bulan lalu.

Tertuduh, Mohd Hafidz Eshak, 44, bagaimanapun mengaku tidak bersalah sebaik pertuduhan dibacakan di hadapan Majistret Uthman Abd Ghani.

Berdasarkan pertuduhan, tertuduh didakwa menggunakan kekerasan jenayah kepada seorang remaja perempuan berusia 19 tahun dengan niat dan maksud melakukan suatu perbuatan mencabul kehormatan remaja berkenaan.

Perbuatan itu dilakukan kira-kira jam 6.40 petang di tingkat satu pusat pengajian agama terbabit pada 18 Ogos lalu.

Pertuduhan dibuat mengikut Seksyen 354 Kanun Keseksaan, memperuntukkan hukuman penjara sehingga 10 tahun atau denda atau sebatan atau mana-mana dua daripada hukuman itu jika sabit kesalahan.

Timbalan Pendakwa Raya, Mohamad Azriff Firdaus Mohamad Ali menawarkan wang jaminan sebanyak RM50,000 susulan kes membabitkan kepentingan awam serta mendapat liputan meluas.

Bagaimanapun tertuduh yang diwakili peguam, Datuk Hanif Hassan dan Nur Haifa Husna Zuhaimi memohon jaminan rendah berikutan tertuduh di dalam keadaan kesempitan kewangan.

Terdahulu, Hanif turut membetulkan fakta, anak guamnya tidak mempunyai sebarang kaitan dengan Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings (GISBH).

Mahkamah kemudiannya menetapkan wang jaminan sebanyak RM4,000 dengan seorang penjamin dan syarat tambahan supaya tertuduh tidak mengganggu mangsa atau mana-mana saksi pendakwaan.

Sebutan semula kes akan ditetapkan pada 17 Oktober ini.

BH ONLINE