Israel intensifies southern Gaza offensive; US, UN urge civilian protection - The Straits Times

GAZA – Israeli forces pressed ahead with their air and ground bombardment of the southern Gaza Strip, killing and wounding dozens of Palestinians.

The United States and the United Nations have repeatedly urged the Israeli military to protect civilians.

Israel’s closest ally, the US, has said the Israeli offensive in the south should not repeat the “massive” civilian toll it has had in the north.

But residents and journalists on the ground said the intense air strikes in the south included areas where Israel had told people to seek shelter.

At the United Nations, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed to Israel to avoid further action that would make the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza worse, and to spare civilians from more suffering.

“The secretary-general is extremely alarmed by the resumption of hostilities between Israel and Hamas... For people ordered to evacuate, there is nowhere safe to go and very little to survive on,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.

Israel largely captured the northern half of Gaza in November.

Since a week-long truce collapsed on Dec 1, the Israelis have swiftly pushed deep into the southern half.

About 900 people have been killed in Israeli air strikes since the truce ended, Gaza health authorities said.

Hamas ally Islamic Jihad’s armed wing said its fighters engaged in fierce clashes with Israeli soldiers north and east of Khan Younis, Gaza’s main southern city.

Israeli tanks have driven into Gaza across the border and cut off the main north-south route, residents said.

The Israeli military said the central road out of Khan Younis to the north “constitutes a battlefield” and was now shut.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiZmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnN0cmFpdHN0aW1lcy5jb20vd29ybGQvdXMtZXhwZWN0cy1pc3JhZWwtbm90LXRvLWhpdC16b25lcy1kZWNsYXJlZC1zYWZlLWZvci1nYXphLWNpdmlsaWFuc9IBAA?oc=5

2023-12-04 21:28:26Z
2638803325

Tourist dies hours after completing 233m bungee jump from Macau Tower: Report - CNA

A 56-year-old Japanese tourist died hours after completing a bungee jump from Macau Tower on Sunday (Dec 3), according to local media reports. 

Hong Kong news site HK01 reported that the man felt breathless after completing the 233m jump at about 4.30pm.

The man, who had no visible injuries, was then taken to Conde S Januario Hospital after he stopped breathing. He was later pronounced dead. 

The popular attraction at Macau Tower is run by Skypark by AJ Hackett. The Skypark website bills the facility as the world's highest commercial bungee jump. 

Each jump costs 2,888 Macanese Pataca (US$359) per participant. 

Besides bungee jumping, other activities operated by AJ Hackett include a Skywalk experience on a platform around the tower, as well as a climb to the summit of the tower's mast at 338m. 

On its website, Skypark by AJ Hackett states that prospective participants should disclose their relevant medical conditions, including high blood pressure, epilepsy, neurological conditions, asthma, and physical disabilities. 

According to the activity's listing on Klook, a travel and services booking platform, participants are required to sign a liability waiver form that notifies them of the risks of the activity. If the participant is a minor, a parent or a legal guardian must sign the waiver form on their behalf. 

The activity is also not recommended for people with certain medical conditions such as high blood pressure or epilepsy. 

CNA has contacted AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand, which runs the facility, for more information. 

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiamh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vYXNpYS9tYWNhdS10b3dlci1idW5nZWUtanVtcC1qYXBhbi10b3VyaXN0LWRpZXMtc2t5cGFyay1hai1oYWNrZXR0LTM5NjQ2OTbSAQA?oc=5

2023-12-04 14:36:46Z
CBMiamh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vYXNpYS9tYWNhdS10b3dlci1idW5nZWUtanVtcC1qYXBhbi10b3VyaXN0LWRpZXMtc2t5cGFyay1hai1oYWNrZXR0LTM5NjQ2OTbSAQA

France urges Beijing to help avert 'crisis' in South China Sea - CNA

"Calm and stability must prevail in the Taiwan Strait, and certainly the world doesn't need a new crisis," she added.

Colonna stressed China should be free to pursue its "economic rise", but that in exchange it needed to meet international expectations on issues such as human rights.

"For all these reasons we will keep engaging China constructively, and there are actually encouraging signs," she said.

"Our efforts are paying off somehow and creating positive trends of cooperation."

Beijing claims most of the South China Sea, including waters and islands close to the shores of its neighbours.

The Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam have also staked claims to various islands and reefs in the sea, which is believed to contain rich petroleum reserves.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiX2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vd29ybGQvZnJhbmNlLXVyZ2VzLWJlaWppbmctc291dGgtY2hpbmEtc2VhLWF2ZXJ0LWNyaXNpcy0zOTYzOTk20gEA?oc=5

2023-12-04 06:51:14Z
CBMiX2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vd29ybGQvZnJhbmNlLXVyZ2VzLWJlaWppbmctc291dGgtY2hpbmEtc2VhLWF2ZXJ0LWNyaXNpcy0zOTYzOTk20gEA

11 hikers dead after Indonesia volcano erupts, dozen still missing - CNA

A clip shared with AFP showed a rescue worker with a flashlight strapped to his head piggybacking a hiker, who moans in pain and says "God is greatest" as she is led to safety in the darkness of night.

Zhafirah Zahrim Febrina, one of the rescued hikers, is shown in a video message from the volcano desperately appealing to her mother for help.

The 19-year-old student appeared shocked, her face burnt and her hair matted with thick grey ash.

"Mom, help Ife. This is Ife's situation right now," she said, referring to her nickname.

She is now in a nearby hospital with her father and uncle after being trapped on the mountain on a hiking trip with 18 school friends.

"She is going through a tremendous trauma," said her mother Rani Radelani, 39.

"She is affected psychologically because she saw her burns, and she also had to endure the pain all night."

"TREMENDOUS TRAUMA"

Local rescue agency spokesperson Jodi Haryawan said the rescue efforts had been broken up by sporadic eruptions but the search was still going despite the risks.

"Once it was safer they continued the search. So the search was not halted," he told AFP.

Rudy Rinaldi, head of the West Sumatra Disaster Mitigation Agency, told AFP some of the rescued hikers had suffered burns.

"Those who are injured were the ones who got closer to the crater," he said.

At least eight people suffered burns, one had burns and a fracture and another had a head wound, according to a list of those found from Basarnas, a national search and rescue agency, seen by AFP.

Ahmad Rifandi, an official at the Mount Marapi monitoring station, told AFP that ash rain was observed after the eruption and had reached Bukittinggi, the third-largest city in West Sumatra that has a population of more than 100,000.

The plume of smoke and ash blocked out the sun after the eruption and coated nearby cars, scooters and ambulances.

Marapi is on the second alert level of Indonesia's four-step system and authorities have imposed a three-kilometre exclusion zone around its crater.

The Indonesian archipelago sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where the meeting of continental plates causes high volcanic and seismic activity.

The Southeast Asian country has nearly 130 active volcanoes.

As the search goes on for the missing 12 hikers, Febrina's family was relieved she was one of the lucky ones.

Good news arrived in the form of a livestream on video app TikTok by a member of the rescue services, in which Radelani saw her visibly shaken daughter.

"It felt incredible, praise God she has been found," Radelani said.

"If she asks me to allow her to climb a mountain, I'll say no."

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiY2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vYXNpYS9oaWtlcnMtZm91bmQtZGVhZC0xMS1pbmRvbmVzaWEtbWFyYXBpLXZvbGNhbm8tZXJ1cHRpb24tMzk2MzYwMdIBAA?oc=5

2023-12-04 06:32:24Z
2638427211

11 hikers found dead after Indonesia volcano eruption: Official - CNA

A clip shared with AFP by rescue teams at the scene showed an ambulance blaring its sirens, rushing an evacuated climber from the scene with burns.

In another clip, a rescue worker with a flashlight strapped to his head piggybacks a hiker who moans in pain and says "God is great" as she is led to safety in the darkness of night.

The eruption was ongoing, which was preventing air evacuations by helicopter, Malik said.

"Visually, until this morning, smokes are still billowing from the top. Visually, everything still looks grey," he said.

RAINING ASH

Rudy Rinaldi, head of the West Sumatra Disaster Mitigation Agency told AFP some of the rescued hikers needed medical treatment because of their proximity to the eruption.

"Some suffered from burns because it was very hot, and they have been taken to the hospital," he said.

"Those who are injured were the ones who got closer to the crater."

According to a national search and rescue agency, or Basarnas, list seen by AFP of those found, at least eight people suffered burns, one had burns and a fracture and another had a head wound.

Ahmad Rifandi, an official at the Mount Marapi monitoring station, told AFP that ash rain was observed after the eruption.

"It has reached to Bukittinggi city," he said Sunday, referring to the third-largest city in West Sumatra that has a population of more than 100,000.

Local disaster agency official Ade Setiawan said in a statement residents in local villages were "given masks and reminded to stay inside their houses".

Marapi is on the second alert level of Indonesia's four-step system and authorities have imposed a three-kilometre exclusion zone around its crater.

The Indonesian archipelago sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where the meeting of continental plates causes high volcanic and seismic activity.

The Southeast Asian country has nearly 130 active volcanoes.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiY2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vYXNpYS9oaWtlcnMtZm91bmQtZGVhZC0xMS1pbmRvbmVzaWEtbWFyYXBpLXZvbGNhbm8tZXJ1cHRpb24tMzk2MzYwMdIBAA?oc=5

2023-12-04 02:45:00Z
2638427211

Association lauds use of digital arrival card - New Straits Times

[unable to retrieve full-text content]

1. Association lauds use of digital arrival card  New Straits Times
2. Foreigners entering Malaysia required to submit digital arrival cards from December  CNA
3. No problems using Malaysia Digital Arrival Card  The Star Online
4. Foreign tourists entering Malaysia now required to fill up digital arrival card  NST Online
5. Foreigners entering Malaysia from Dec 1 must submit digital arrival card  The Straits Times
6. View Full coverage on Google News

https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiXGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm5zdC5jb20ubXkvbmV3cy9uYXRpb24vMjAyMy8xMi85ODYxMzgvYXNzb2NpYXRpb24tbGF1ZHMtdXNlLWRpZ2l0YWwtYXJyaXZhbC1jYXJk0gFgaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnN0LmNvbS5teS9hbXAvbmV3cy9uYXRpb24vMjAyMy8xMi85ODYxMzgvYXNzb2NpYXRpb24tbGF1ZHMtdXNlLWRpZ2l0YWwtYXJyaXZhbC1jYXJk?oc=5

2023-12-03 23:02:07Z
2662023521

Islamic State claims responsibility for deadly Philippine bombing - CNA

MANILA: Islamic State militants claimed responsibility for a deadly bombing at a Catholic Mass in the Philippines on Sunday (Dec 3) that killed at least four people and injured 50 others.

The attack was carried out in a university gymnasium in Marawi, a city in the south of the country besieged by muslim militants for five months in 2017.

The Islamic State group, which wields influence in the country's south, said on Telegram its members had detonated the bomb.

Earlier on Sunday, before Islamic State's claim, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr condemned "the senseless and most heinous acts perpetrated by foreign terrorists". Police and the military strengthened security in the country's south and around the capital Manila.

In Rome, Pope Francis offered prayers for the victims during his Sunday address, and, in a separate written message, appealed to "Christ the prince of peace (to) grant to all the strength to turn from violence and overcome every evil with good".

Law enforcement operations to bring to justice the perpetrators of the "terrorist activity" will "continue unabated", Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro told a press conference.

There were "strong indications of a foreign element" in the bombing, Teodoro said, refusing to elaborate so as not to compromise ongoing investigation.

Fragments of a 16mm mortar were recovered at the scene, senior police official Emmanuel Peralta told the press conference.

HIGH ALERT

The blast in Marawi, capital of Lanao del Sur province, followed a series of military operations against local pro-Islamic State groups in the southern Philippines, the military chief said.

One on Sunday in Lanao del Sur led to the killing of a leader of the Dawlah Islamiya-Maute group.

"It is possible that what happened this morning was a retaliatory attack," Armed Forces Chief Romeo Brawner told the press conference.

The Islamic State-linked Maute seized Marawi on May 2017, seeking to make it a Southeast Asian "wilayat", or governorate, for Islamic State.

In the ensuing five-month battle, militant fighters and Philippine forces killed more than a thousand people, including civilians.

Images shared by the Lanao del Sur government on Facebook showed military officials surveying the gym at the Mindanao State University where the blast occurred, which appeared intact except for burn marks in the centre.

Videos posted by DZBB radio on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, showed rescuers carrying injured people out of the gym on plastic chairs.

Police offices in Mindanao and the capital region were placed on high alert and police checkpoints tightened "to prevent possible follow-up incidents", police official Peralta said.

The coast guard directed its districts to intensify pre-departure inspections at ports.

Mindanao State University said in a Facebook post it was "deeply saddened and appalled by the act of violence that occurred during a religious gathering". "We unequivocally condemn in the strongest possible terms this senseless and horrific act."

The university said it was suspending classes until further notice.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMia2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vd29ybGQvaXNsYW1pYy1zdGF0ZS1jbGFpbXMtcmVzcG9uc2liaWxpdHktZGVhZGx5LXBoaWxpcHBpbmUtYm9tYmluZy0zOTYzMDA20gEA?oc=5

2023-12-03 18:13:44Z
2665003315