US destroyer shoots down anti-ship missiles fired from Yemen - CNA

WASHINGTON: An American destroyer shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles fired from Yemen on Saturday (Dec 30) as it responded to a call for help from a container ship that was hit in a separate strike, the United States military said.

The missiles were launched from territory controlled by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a social media post, describing it as the "23rd illegal attack by the Houthis on international shipping" since Nov 19.

The Houthis have repeatedly targeted vessels in the vital Red Sea shipping lane with strikes they say are in support of Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel is battling militant group Hamas.

CENTCOM said that the USS Gravely and USS Laboon - both destroyers - responded to a request for assistance from the Maersk Hangzhou, a Singapore-flagged, Denmark-owned and operated container ship that reported being struck by a missile while transiting the Red Sea.

While responding, the Gravely shot down the missiles, which were fired "toward the ships", it said.

The attacks by the Yemeni rebels - who have said they are targeting Israel and Israeli-linked vessels - are endangering a transit route that carries up to 12 percent of global trade, prompting the United States to set up a multinational naval task force earlier this month to protect Red Sea shipping.

The latest round of the Israel-Hamas conflict began when the Palestinian militant group carried out a shock cross-border attack from Gaza on Oct 7 that killed about 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

Following the attack, the United States rushed military aid to Israel, which has carried out a relentless campaign in Gaza that has killed at least 21,672 people, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.

Those deaths have sparked widespread anger in the Middle East and provided an impetus for attacks by armed groups across the region that are opposed to Israel.

US forces in Iraq and Syria have also repeatedly come under fire from drone and rocket attacks that Washington says are being carried out by Iran-backed armed groups.

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2023-12-31 02:46:35Z
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Russia pounds Kharkiv with missiles and drones, Ukraine says - CNA

Images from Kharkiv showed badly damaged buildings, including a hotel with many windows blown out.

Ukraine's air force said the military had shot down 21 out of 49 drones launched overnight by Russia. Most were aimed at the front line and parts of the Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia regions, it said.

In a separate attack, three people were killed when Russian forces shelled a village in the Kharkiv region near the front line, Syniehubov said.

The attacks came within hours after what Moscow called an "indiscriminate" Ukrainian air attack on the city of Belgorod, near Kharkiv and just north of Ukraine's border, that killed at least 22 people.

Russian newspaper Kommersant cited a source close to the Russian Investigative Committee as saying that Ukraine launched its attack on Belgorod from a multiple rocket launcher in the Kharkiv region.

Both sides have increased attacks in the last week of 2023, with Russia killing at least 31 civilians in its biggest air assault of the 22-month war on Ukraine on Friday.

US President Joe Biden, asked if he'll speak to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after Russia's latest attacks in Ukraine, said: "I speak to him regularly."

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2023-12-31 08:29:00Z
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Russia vows 'punishment' after strike on Belgorod kills 14 - CNA

Russia's army said it had "carried out 50 group strikes and one massive strike" on military facilities in Ukraine over the past week, adding that "all targets were hit".

The United Nations condemned the attacks and said they must stop "immediately".

Missile 'entered' and 'left' Polish airspace

Poland reported that a Russian missile briefly passed through its airspace during Friday's attacks.

"Everything indicates that a Russian missile entered Polish airspace... It also left," said General Wieslaw Kukula, chief of the general staff of the Polish armed forces.

After speaking to Polish President Andrzej Duda, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance "stands in solidarity" with Poland, adding: "NATO remains vigilant."

In the face of sustained Russian assaults, Ukraine is urging Western allies to maintain military support.

Ukraine presidential aide Andriy Yermak said Kyiv needed "more support and strength to stop this terror".

US President Joe Biden called on Congress to overcome its division to approve new aid for Ukraine, after Washington released its final package of weaponry under existing agreements still to be renewed.

"Unless Congress takes urgent action in the new year, we will not be able to continue sending the weapons and vital air defence systems Ukraine needs to protect its people," Biden said.

"Congress must step up and act without any further delay."

Britain announced it would send hundreds more air defence missiles to Kyiv, after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak declared that "We must continue to stand with Ukraine, for as long as it takes."

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2023-12-30 19:14:16Z
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Rescuers comb through rubble after deadly Russian strikes across Ukraine - CNA

MATERNITY WARD "SEVERELY DAMAGED"

The strikes targeted at least six Ukrainian regions including Kharkiv in the northeast, Lviv in the west, Dnipro in the east and Odesa in the south.

In Dnipro, a maternity hospital was "severely damaged" but staff and patients managed to shelter in time, the health ministry said.

There were 12 women in labour and four newborns inside when it was struck, governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, Sergiy Lysak, said on Friday.

Lysak also reported six killed and 28 wounded in strikes on a shopping mall, private houses and administrative buildings.

Kharkiv faced around 20 strikes, which killed three employees at a civilian enterprise and wounded 11, governor Oleg Synegubov said on Friday.

In Zaporizhzhia, on the shores of the Dnipro river, governor Yuriy Malashko reported seven dead and 13 wounded according to a Friday toll.

In the Odesa region, which has seen renewed attacks since the summer, four people were killed.

Strikes over Lviv in western Ukraine are much more rare, but the region was not spared on Friday.

One person was killed and 15 wounded as blocks of flats and two schools were damaged, the interior ministry said.

Separately, local Russian officials said Saturday at least four people including three children were killed by Ukrainian strikes in the border regions of Belgorod and Bryansk over the past 24 hours.

Belgorod is about 30km from the border with Ukraine and has been repeatedly targeted by what Russia says is indiscriminate shelling by Kyiv's forces.

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2023-12-30 14:46:00Z
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Probe into Malaysia's ex-finance minister Daim based on Pandora Papers: Anti-graft agency - CNA

KUALA LUMPUR: The corruption investigation against Malaysia's former finance minister Daim Zainuddin was based on information obtained from the Pandora Papers, the country's anti-graft agency said on Saturday (Dec 30).

The probe started in February, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said, a day after Mr Daim broke his silence on the matter and accused Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of initiating a "political witch-hunt".

He also criticised MACC chief Azam Baki for unprofessional conduct, such as making “various prejudicial comments" against him in public while investigations are still ongoing. 

In a statement on Saturday, the anti-graft agency said Mr Daim's comments have "caused confusion and misunderstanding to the general public".

"First of all, the MACC has never at any point raised or issued any official statement accusing Daim of committing any offences," the agency said, as quoted by the Star.

"In the case of Daim, the MACC opened an investigation paper in February 2023 based on information from the Pandora Papers."

The Pandora Papers are a trove of documents, leaked in 2021, that revealed the hidden wealth of world leaders, billionaires and celebrities who used offshore companies to acquire mansions, private jets and stakes in companies.

Mr Daim said in the wake of the leak that his business dealings, as revealed in the Pandora Papers, were legitimate. He added that he was a “successful and wealthy” businessman long before he entered politics and that taxes had been fully paid for his businesses and income. 

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2023-12-30 09:23:29Z
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China eases visa application for US tourists - CNA

BEIJING: China will simplify visa applications for tourists from the United States from Jan 1, cutting the documents required, according to a notice on Friday (Dec 29) on the website of the Chinese embassy in Washington.

The move is the latest by China to revive tourism and boost the world's second-largest economy following a slump during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tourist visa applicants in the US will no longer need to submit air ticket bookings, hotel reservations or an invitation letter, the embassy's notice said. 

Beijing earlier cleared the way for passport holders from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia to visit the country without visas from Dec 1.

Visa-free treatment will run for 12 months, during which tourists from those six countries can visit China for up to 15 days.

China also expanded its visa-free transit policy to 54 countries in November.

The number of inbound tourists to the country plummeted during the pandemic due to the country's strict COVID-19 control policies.

International flights to China have picked up since Beijing dropped COVID-19 restrictions a year ago but are still only at 60 per cent of 2019 levels.

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2023-12-30 08:27:36Z
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McDonald's Malaysia sues Israel boycott movement for US$1.3 million in damages - CNA

KUALA LUMPUR: McDonald's Malaysia has sued a movement promoting boycotts against Israel for "false and defamatory statements" that it says hurt its business.

It is seeking damages amounting to 6 million ringgit (US$1.3 million).

Malaysia, a majority-Muslim country, is a staunch supporter of the Palestinians, and some Western fast food brands in the country, as in some other Muslim nations, have been targeted by boycott campaigns over Israel's military offensive in Gaza.

Gerbang Alaf Restaurants (GAR), which is the licensee of McDonald's in Malaysia, is suing the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Malaysia movement for a series of social media postings allegedly linking the fast food franchise, among other companies, to Israel's "genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza".

According to a writ of summons dated Dec 19 sighted by Reuters, Gerbang Alaf Restaurants alleged that BDS Malaysia incited the public to boycott McDonald's Malaysia, which led to a loss of profit and job cuts, among other damages, due to closures and shortened operating hours of its outlets.

McDonald's Malaysia confirmed it filed the suit against BDS Malaysia to protect its "rights and interests", it said in a statement on Friday (Dec 29).

In response, BDS Malaysia said it "categorically denies" defaming the fast food company and would leave the matter to the court.

The BDS movement aims to end international support for Israel's "oppression of Palestinians" and pressure Israel to comply with international law.

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2023-12-30 05:50:00Z
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