GAZA — At least 40 Palestinians were killed and more than 60 others wounded in an Israeli airstrike on tents sheltering displaced people in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, Palestinian and Israeli sources said Tuesday.

“Israeli warplanes launched rockets at tents housing displaced Palestinians at the entrance to Muwasi in Khan Younis, causing widespread destruction and resulting in numerous casualties,” Palestinian medics told Xinhua.

Dr. Mohammed Al-Mughair, director of supply at the Civil Defense, confirmed that rescue teams had recovered 40 bodies and come to the aid of more than 60 injured individuals.

He said that the bombardment created craters up to nine meters deep, suggesting the Israeli use of explosive missiles. “We are facing one of the most horrific massacres committed in this war,” he lamented.

Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said that the attack targeted senior Hamas leaders operating from a hidden command center in a humanitarian area of Khan Younis.

These individuals, he said, were involved in planning and executing “terrorist operations” against the army and Israeli civilians.

Adraee added that the army took extensive measures to reduce civilian casualties.

Hamas has not yet commented on these reports.

Israel has been conducting a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for a Hamas attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and around 250 others taken hostage.

XINHUA

MOSCOW — Russian air defense forces intercepted and destroyed 59 Ukrainian drones over the Bryansk region, local officials said Tuesday.

Earlier Tuesday, Bryansk Governor Alexander Bogomaz said on his Telegram channel that a large-scale attack involving drones had been repelled in the area.

“At the moment, 59 enemy drones have been intercepted and destroyed over the Bryansk region by the air defense forces of the Russian Defense Ministry,” he said.

There were no casualties or damage at the scene, and emergency services were currently working on site, he added.

XINHUA

NAIROBI — Dickson Ndiema Mengich, the man accused of setting Ugandan marathoner Rebecca Cheptegei on fire, leading to her death, has also died in a Kenyan hospital.

An official at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, western Kenya, confirmed that Ndiema, who had been admitted to the ICU with 30 percent burns, succumbed to his injuries on Monday evening.

“Yes, it’s true we lost him last evening. We are waiting for the family so that we can give a more comprehensive report,” the official told Xinhua on Tuesday morning.

Ndiema was accused of attacking Cheptegei at her home in Trans Nzoia County on Sept. 1, reportedly over an unresolved land dispute. The marathoner had just returned home from church with her two children when the assailant, hiding nearby, doused her with petrol and set her on fire.

Efforts by her children and younger sister to extinguish the flames and save Cheptegei were thwarted by the attacker, who continued to pour petrol on the athlete.

During the attack, Ndiema, said to be an ex-lover of Cheptegei, also suffered burns when he lit a match to ignite more flames. He sustained 30 percent burns.

Both were rushed to a hospital in Eldoret for specialized treatment, where Cheptegei succumbed to her injuries on Sept. 4, after suffering 80 percent burns.

Cheptegei, who finished 44th in the women’s marathon at the Paris 2024 Olympics, will be buried with full military honors in Uganda on Saturday.

XINHUA

MOSCOW — Flights were delayed at three major Moscow airports after a drone attack in the Moscow region Tuesday, TASS news agency reported.

According to information on Vnukovo Airport’s online departure board, 30 outbound and 11 inbound flights were delayed, and two flights were canceled at the airport.

Affected flights include those bound for Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Astana, Yerevan, Istanbul and others. Flights from Grozny to Moscow and those from Moscow to Abu Dhabi were canceled.

Delays were also reported for both departing and arriving flights at Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo airports.

Earlier Tuesday, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that Russian air defense forces had shot down seven drones that were flying toward the city.

XINHUA

KUALA TERENGGANU — Seorang bekas pegawai eksekutif sebuah syarikat berkaitan kerajaan (GLC) direman enam hari mulai hari ini bagi membantu siasatan kes salah guna kuasa dan tuntutan palsu.

Perintah tahanan reman dikeluarkan Majistret Iffah Nabihah Mohd Ishak selepas membenarkan permohonan Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah (SPRM) terhadap wanita berusia 40-an.

Wanita itu disyaki menyalahgunakan jawatannya untuk menyokong pelantikan syarikat milik suaminya bagi mendapatkan kontrak pembekalan pekerja berjumlah kira-kira RM1.4 juta.

Suspek juga disyaki bersubahat dengan seorang lagi wanita yang juga pemilik syarikat berusia 50-an dengan mengemukakan dokumen mengandungi butir matan palsu berhubung ujian saringan COVID-19 dan pembekalan barangan plastik masing-masing bernilai RM2,000.

Sumber berkata, kedua-dua wanita itu ditahan antara jam 2.30 dan 3.50 petang semalam ketika hadir bagi memberi keterangan di Pejabat Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) Terengganu.

Katanya, suspek utama dipercayai melakukan perbuatan itu pada 2019 dengan menggunakan jawatannya bagi mencadang dan menyokong syarikat milik suaminya untuk mendapatkan kontrak pembekalan pekerja berjumlah kira-kira RM1.4 juta.

Katanya, wanita itu juga dipercayai bersubahat bersama suspek kedua mengemukakan dokumen yang mengandungi butir matan palsu membabitkan ujian saringan COVID-19 berjumlah kira-kira RM2,000 pada 2022 sedangkan ujian itu tidak dilaksanakan.

“Pada 2023, suspek utama juga disyaki bersubahat mengemukakan dokumen yang mengandungi butir matan palsu membabitkan pembekalan barangan plastik berjumlah kira-kira RM2,000 sedangkan barangan itu tidak dibekalkan.

“Bagaimanapun, suspek kedua dibebaskan dengan jaminan SPRM, ” katanya.

Sementara itu, Pengarah SPRM Terengganu, Hazrul Shazreen Abd Yazid ketika dihubungi mengesahkan tangkapan itu dan kes disiasat mengikut Seksyen 23 dan 18 Akta SPRM 2009.

Beliau berkata, pihaknya tidak menolak kemungkinan akan melakukan beberapa tangkapan susulan bagi membantu siasatan kes berkenaan.

BH ONLINE

SHANGHAI, China — Malaysia meraih potensi pelaburan baharu berjumlah RM4 bilion dari China untuk industri halal.

Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi berkata, komitmen pelaburan itu diraih hasil pertemuan serta mesyuarat beliau dan delegasi Malaysia bersama pemain industri halal China hari ini.

Beliau berkata, pelaburan yang bakal diterima dari 40 syarikat China itu turut merangkumi pelbagai sektor termasuk perubatan herba, makanan dan minuman, vaksin, kosmetik dan farmaseutikal.

“Potensi yang sudah kami dokongi setakat tengahari tadi, terdapat 40 syarikat (dari China) yang sangat serius untuk melabur di Malaysia, iaitu menurut perkiraan kita, ia bernilai RM4 bilion.

“Tentunya barang keluaran mereka menjadi keutamaan termasuklah makanan dan minuman. Terdapat juga (permintaan pelaburan berkaitan) kawalan farmaseutikal, kosmetik, vaksin serta bahan perubatan herba.

“Oleh kerana mereka mempunyai permintaan besar dari segi penggunaan herba di Malaysia, mereka juga tawar kolaborasi perubatan herba ini dengan universiti kita dan MARDI (Institut Penyelidikan dan Kemajuan Pertanian Malaysia),” katanya kepada media Malaysia di sini hari ini.

Beliau berkata, di Malaysia kini, terdapat 14,300 ekar kawasan yang didedikasi untuk industri halal, di mana kawasan paling besar berada di Tanjung Mas, Sarawak iaitu seluas 9,900 ekar.

“Apa yang kita perlu adalah pelabur dan China pula mahu memasarkan barangan halal mereka dari Malaysia. Untuk itu, mereka bercadang mendirikan kilang di Malaysia dan peroleh sijil halal JAKIM yang membolehkan mereka eksport ke luar negara,” katanya.

Justeru itu, Ahmad Zahid berkata kerajaan negeri wajar mempermudahkan urusan pelabur, khususnya berkaitan penyediaan infrastruktur termasuk bekalan air dan api, disamping insentif seperti pengecualian cukai.

Dalam pada itu, Ahmad Zahid berkata, beliau turut menemui Asian Development Invesment Bank dari China yang sedia menawarkan pendanaan pelaburan di peringkat awal berjumlah AS$500 juta (RM2.17 bilion).

Terdahulu, Ahmad Zahid hadir menyertai Forum Perniagaan Halal Malaysia-China di Shanghai, dianjurkan Halal Development Corporation (HDC) yang turut dihadiri pemain industri halal dari Malaysia dan China.

Dalam ucaptama pada forum itu, Ahmad Zahid mencadangkan penubuhan Koridor Perdagangan Halal Malaysia-China, satu inisiatif strategik bagi meningkatkan perdagangan di bawah rangka kerja inisiatif One Belt One Road.

“Ia akan membolehkan kami memenuhi keperluan Halal negara BRICS (kesatuan ekonomi terdiri daripada Brazil, Russia, India, China, dan Afrika Selatan), ASEAN dan Global Selatan dengan lebih baik, sambil memperkemas perdagangan antara China dan Malaysia untuk rantaian bekalan yang lebih cekap,” katanya.

Menerusi koridor ini juga, Malaysia katanya akan membangunkan lebuh raya perdagangan khusus yang menyediakan Pusat Sehenti Halal Dua Negara (Bi-Nation Halal One-Stop Centres).

“Pusat ini akan memudahkan proses import dan eksport, menyediakan protokol yang jelas, menawarkan logistik khusus halal dan memastikan akses lebih cepat ke pasaran tempatan untuk kedua-dua negara.

“Saya berharap inisiatif ini membolehkan China meletakkan Malaysia sebagai hab utama untuk menyaring produk halalnya dan mendapatkan pensijilan Halal Malaysia. Ini akan membuka peluang baru bagi kedua-dua negara mengukuh kedudukan kami dalam ekosistem halal global,” katanya.

BH ONLINE

SYDNEY — Australia said on Tuesday it planned to introduce legislation this year to ban children from using social media platforms, citing the risks it could pose to physical and mental health.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his centre-left government would begin an age verification trial over the next few months.

“I want to see kids off their devices and onto the footy fields and the swimming pools and the tennis courts. We want them to have real experiences with real people because we know that social media is causing social harm,” Albanese told national broadcaster ABC News.

He did not specify the age limits for the ban but said he was “looking at the range between 14 and 16.”

Albanese said he was concerned about the impacts of cyber bullying on the mental health of children and the easy exposure to content on social media that could harm them.

The move comes after Australia’s eSafety regulator in July asked internet firms to come up with an enforceable code detailing how it will stop children seeing pornography and other inappropriate material, or face having a code imposed on the industry.

Several countries have been trying to restrict social media use by minors but legal challenges and technology, such as virtual private networks that disguise locations, have hampered efforts by governments.

“This is a global issue that governments around the globe are trying to deal with … we know that it’s not simple and it’s not easy, otherwise governments would have responded before,” Albanese said.

REUTERS

CAIRO — Israeli airstrikes on a tent camp for displaced Palestinians killed and wounded 65 people in southern Gaza, the enclave’s civil emergency service said early on Tuesday, as the Israeli military said it had targeted a Hamas command centre.

Residents and medics said a tent encampment near Khan Younis in the Al-Mawasi area, a designated humanitarian zone, was struck by at least four missiles. The camp is crowded with displaced Palestinians who have fled from elsewhere in the territory.

The Gaza civil emergency service said at least 20 tents caught on fire, and missiles caused craters as deep as nine meters (30 feet). It said the 65 victims included women and children but did not provide a breakdown of deaths and injuries.

There was no immediate comment from the Gaza health ministry, which compiles casualty figures.

Earlier, the Hamas-aligned Shehab News Agency said 40 Palestinians were killed.

“Our teams are still moving out martyrs and wounded from the targeted area. It looks like a new Israeli massacre,” a Gaza civil emergency official said.

The official added that teams have been struggling to search for victims who might have been buried.

The Israeli military said it “struck significant Hamas terrorists who were operating within a command and control centre embedded inside the Humanitarian Area in Khan Younis.”

“The terrorists advanced and carried out terror attacks against IDF troops and the state of Israel,” the statement said, referring to the Israeli Defence Forces.

Hamas, the Islamist group that controlled Gaza before the conflict, denied Israeli allegations gunmen existed in the targeted area, and rejected accusations it exploited civilian areas for military purposes.

“This is a clear lie that aims to justify these ugly crimes.

The resistance has denied several times that any of its members exist within civilian gatherings or using these places for military purposes,” said Hamas in a statement.

Ambulances raced between the tent camp and a nearby hospital, while Israeli jets could still be heard overhead, residents said.

Nearly all of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been forced from their homes at least once, and some have had to flee as many as 10 times.

The war was triggered on Oct. 7 when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel’s subsequent assault on Gaza has killed more than 40,900 Palestinians, according to the enclave’s health ministry.

The two warring sides each blame the other for a failure so far to reach a ceasefire that would end the fighting and see the release of hostages.

REUTERS

KUALA LUMPUR — Penulis blog, Raja Petra Kamarudin meninggal dunia malam tadi di United Kingdom (UK) pada usia 74 tahun.

Kematiannya disahkan oleh abangnya, Raja Idris, pagi tadi, menurut portal FMT.

“Dengan rasa dukacita, saya memaklumkan bahawa adik kesayangan saya, Raja Petra Kamarudin, baru sahaja meninggal dunia pada jam 11.26 malam waktu UK pada Isnin (9 September) di Manchester, UK,” katanya dalam teks ringkas kepada FMT.

Raja Petra, lebih dikenali sebagai RPK, dilahirkan pada 27 September 1950.

Beliau mengendalikan laman web Malaysia Today, yang menerbitkan ulasan dan artikel mengenai politik Malaysia.

Raja Petra yang menetap di Manchester, UK sejak beberapa tahun lalu, terus aktif menulis dan menyuarakan pandangan mengenai politik Malaysia melalui platform digital.

Raja Petra dilahirkan pada 27 September 1950 adalah ahli kerabat diraja Selangor dan juga anakanda saudara kepada Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah.

Allahyarham mendapat pendidikan awal di Sekolah Alice Smith dan kemudiannya melanjutkan pelajarannya di Kolej Melayu Kuala Kangsar (MCKK) sebelum melengkapkan pendidikannya di Victoria Institution.

Allahyarham berkahwin dengan Marina Lee Abdullah pada 14 April 1973 dan mempunyai lima anak dan dua orang cucu.

Raja Petra pernah ditahan di bawah Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA) pada 2001 dan 2008.

BH ONLINE

UNITED NATIONS — Both Sudan and Chad have been hit by flooding, while Lesotho, another country in Africa, is impacted by drought, a UN spokesman said on Monday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is warning that heavy rains and flooding have been impacting about half a million people in Sudan’s South Darfur, Red Sea, River Nile and Northern states since late June, said Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, at a daily briefing.

The severe flooding is worsening an already dire humanitarian situation in Sudan. In areas at risk of famine, including in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, about 124,000 people have been affected by heavy rains, he said.

Flooding and stagnant water are heightening the risk of diseases spreading, with nearly 2,900 suspected cholera cases reported since the start of the latest outbreak in mid-August.

Dujarric said the United Nations and its partners are on the ground aiding those who need assistance. Last week, aid organizations delivered life-saving therapeutic food to treat 6,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition in the city of Nyala in South Darfur.

In Chad, OCHA said flooding continues to get worse across the country. According to authorities, at least 340 people have been killed, nearly 1.5 million people are now impacted by the floods, and more than 160,000 homes have been destroyed.

The floods are also impacting agriculture, and nearly 3.4 million people are facing acute hunger in the current lean season, Dujarric said, adding that Chadian authorities, UN agencies and partners are providing food and nutrition supplies.

The spokesman said Acting UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Joyce Msuya has increased the allocation from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support the floods response in Chad from 5 million U.S. dollars to 8 million dollars.

Meanwhile, OCHA reported that the food security situation in Lesotho, a landlocked country in southern Africa, is deteriorating following a historic drought caused by El Niño.

On average, agricultural production in the country has decreased by one third, and nearly a third of the population — or 700,000 people — are facing food insecurity in the coming months, Dujarric said.

The acting UN emergency relief coordinator has allocated 2 million dollars from the CERF toward the drought, and Assistant Secretary-General and Climate Crisis Coordinator Reena Ghelani recently visited the country to assess the drought’s impact and call for more international support, he said.

XINHUA

RABAT — At least 18 people have been killed and four others remain missing after torrential rains hit southern Morocco, the Interior Ministry said on Monday, updating its previous report of 11 deaths and nine missing.

The fatalities, including three foreigners from Spain, Canada, and Peru, were reported in the provinces of Tata, Errachidia, Tiznit, Tinghir, and Taroudant. The ministry added that the search for the missing is ongoing.

It noted that water supply and telecommunications services disrupted by heavy rainfall and flooding have been fully restored, and 84 of the 110 affected road sections have been reopened to traffic.

Technical teams are still working to restore the damaged electricity network, the ministry said, stressing that necessary resources have been mobilized to handle the exceptional situation and assist citizens in flood-stricken areas.

According to a social media post by the Moroccan meteorological authorities, the deadly rains and floods were caused by “an unstable tropical air mass.”

XINHUA

KUALA LUMPUR — Polis sedang memburu seorang penghantar makanan kerana disyaki mencuri wang derma RM3,000 dari dua tabung sebuah masjid di USJ 4, Subang Jaya dekat sini, semalam.

Kejadian disedari setiausaha masjid terbabit kira-kira jam 9.30 malam, semalam selepas mendapati dua tabung berkenaan diumpil dan wang derma di dalam kedua-dua tabung itu lesap.

Ketua Polis Daerah Subang Jaya, Asisten Komisioner Wan Azlan Wan Mamat, berkata hasil siasatan dan semakan rakaman kamera litar terutup (CCTV), mendapati kejadian berlaku kira-kira jam 11.40 pagi, semalam.

Katanya, suspek adalah seorang lelaki yang tidak dapat dipastikan bangsanya, dilihat memakai baju biru, seluar panjang warna coklat dan bertopi keledar warna merah serta menggalas beg ‘ShopeeFood’ warna oren.

“Dia dilihat menaiki motosikal jenis Yamaha 135LC warna merah namun kita tidak dapat pastikan nombor pendaftaran motosikalnya.

“Suspek mengumpil dua buah tabung masjid yang terletak di foyer pintu masuk masjid menggunakan besi sehingga rosak dan mencuri wang dalam tabung itu dianggarkan RM3,000,” katanya dalam kenyataan, hari ini.

Wan Azlan berkata, kedua-dua tabung berkenaan adalah tabung derma untuk pembangunan dan utiliti masjid.

“Siasatan lanjut sedang dijalankan dan usaha mengesan suspek sedang dilakukan.

“Kita minta orang ramai yang mempunyai maklumat berkaitan kes ini supaya tampil membantu siasatan polis,” katanya.

Katanya, maklumat boleh disalurkan dengan menghubungi Pusat Kawalan Daerah Subang Jaya ditalian 03-78627222 dan identiti pemberi maklumat akan dirahsiakan.

Kes disiasat mengikut Seksyen 380 Kanun Keseksaan (Akta 574).

BH ONLINE

GAZA — Six civilians were killed and others were injured on Monday in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a house in the town of Jabalia in the northern war-torn Gaza Strip.

Medical sources reported that six civilians, including a woman and two children, were killed and several others were injured after the occupation shelled a house near the center of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip.

The death toll in the Gaza Strip has risen to 40,988, most of them children and women, since the Israeli occupation began its aggression on October 7, 2023. At least 94,825 have been wounded.

Thousands of victims remain missing; either buried under the rubble or scattered on the roads, as rescue teams face tremendous difficulties in reaching them due to the continued Israeli attacks and the massive amount of debris.

WAFA

JAYAPURA — A plane with 48 people aboard skidded off the runway in Indonesia’s remote eastern region of Papua on Monday, police said, injuring several passengers.

The Southeast Asian archipelago has a poor aviation safety record, and Papua is covered in mountainous terrain where flying is hampered by frequent poor weather.

The ATR-42 aircraft belonging to Trigana Air was taking off from an airport in the remote Yapen Islands regency to Papuan capital Jayapura on Monday morning when it skidded off the runway.

The flight was carrying 42 passengers, including a baby, and six crew.

“Praise God everybody survived and has been taken to a hospital for a health checkup,” local police chief Ardyan Ukie Hercahyo said in a statement.

“We are investigating the incident and coordinating with related parties to ensure this will never happen again.”

The local search and rescue agency said in a statement that some passengers were injured and traumatized by the incident.

Indonesia relies heavily on air transport to connect its thousands of islands, but Papua is a particularly difficult area to reach.

In 2015, a Trigana Air plane crashed there, killing all 54 people on board.

AN-AFP

DAKAR — At least 16 people were killed in a traffic accident in central Senegal on Monday, the Senegalese national news agency APS reported, citing local administrative sources.

The accident involving a truck and a passenger bus occurred Monday morning in the Bambey Department, and 11 people were seriously injured, according to the report.

According to witnesses, the bus, which was attempting to overtake another passenger vehicle, collided with a truck traveling in the opposite direction, said the report.

XINHUA