06/09/2025

SATURDAY | SEPT 6, 2025

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Trump tells EU leaders to stop buying Russian oil WASHINGTON: US President

UK asylum seeker convicted of sexual assault CHELMSFORD: A court in England on Thursday convicted an Ethiopian asylum seeker of the sexual assault of two teenage girls, a case that ignited weeks of angry protests. Hadush Kebatu was arrested on July 8 in Epping, northeast of London, after the two victims complained he had tried to touch their legs. One of them, a 14-year old, also said he had tried to kiss her. After a three-day trial, he was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault, one count of attempted sexual assault, one count of inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity and one count of harassment without violence. Kebatu was staying at the Bell Hotel in Epping, where about 130 other refugees were housed and which, following his arrest for the assaults, became the target of repeated protests. The demonstrations, fuelled by online anger, spread to other towns where asylum seekers were believed to be housed, as well as sparking counter-demonstrations. Kebatu, who arrived in the UK on a small boat across the Channel at the end of June, told the court he did not ask the girl for a kiss. He added that he only said “hello” to her and her friend. “I’m not a wild animal. I cannot do these kind of things. These are children, a new generation,” he said, speaking through an interpreter. He alleged that one of the victims was “drunk” and that she had said to him: “You are very handsome, you need to come to my house.” One of the teenagers said he told her he wanted to have a baby with her after she offered him pizza because he looked hungry. The judge told the court there was “clear and consistent evidence he interacted with the children”. “I’m not persuaded there is any evidence that the children fabricated the evidence they gave.“ Kebatu did not react as the verdict was read. He will be sentenced on Sept 23. The Bell Hotel is now at the centre of a legal battle between the Epping Forest district council, which wants it emptied of refugees, and the interior ministry, which is fighting to keep using it as a shelter. A national debate on immigration policy has been raging in the UK, amid growing frustration over the continued arrival of boats carrying migrants across the Channel from France. More than 50,000 migrants have made the Channel crossing from northern France since the Labour Party’s Keir Starmer became prime minister in July 2024. This year’s numbers are on course to be record breaking. – AFP

o US president also calls for economic pressure on China for funding war effort

der Leyen were among the leaders on the call. “The meeting was on security guarantees for Ukraine. President Trump questioned their seriousness while they continue to fuel Russia’s economy and war. The president made clear that this is not his war and the Europeans must step up as well.” The official gave no details on the discussion around security guarantees, but Trump has previously expressed support for Ukraine without making a specific pledge. Macron said on Thursday that 26 nations have pledged to provide Ukraine the postwar support of an international force on land, sea and in the air. Trump has said he could impose sanctions on countries that buy oil from Russia, but did not impose direct tariffs on Moscow when he announced broad tariffs on dozens of countries in April. – Reuters

Donald Trump told European leaders on Thursday that Europe must stop buying Russian oil that he said is helping Moscow fund its war against Ukraine, a White House official said. Trump joined a call of the “coalition of the willing” countries, led by French President Emmanuel Macron, who were meeting in Paris on security guarantees for Kyiv in the event of a peace deal with Russia. “President Macron and European leaders called President Trump into their meeting. President Trump emphasised that Europe must stop purchasing Russian oil that is funding the war, as Russia received 1.1 billion euros (RM5.42 billion) in fuel sales from the EU in one year,” the official said. The European Commission has proposed legislation to phase out EU imports of Russian oil and gas by Jan 1, 2028, as Brussels seeks to sever its decades-old energy

withheld new sanctions on Russia and China, a top Russian oil buyer. However, he has ramped up tariffs on US imports from India, another top Russian energy consumer. Trump shrugged off talks this week between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, but also said the leaders might be conspiring against the US. The president also continues to press Europeans to absorb more of the burden for their defence and is reluctant to commit more American support to a war that he wants to end. The White House official said Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and European Commission President Ursula von

relations with Russia following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Most European countries stopped importing Russian crude in 2022 and Russian fuel in 2023. It was not clear whether Trump was referring to crude imports by Hungary and Slovakia, which have continued, or imports of fuel made from Russian crude that is refined in third countries, such as India. The official added that Trump also said in the call that “European leaders must place economic pressure on China for funding Russia’s war efforts”. Trump has been unable to bring a halt to the fighting in Ukraine after he initially predicted he would be able to end the war swiftly when he took office last January. He has also

Major aftershocks hit Afghanistan after quakes kill 2,200 JALALABAD: The German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) said two aftershocks rocked eastern Afghanistan in a span of 12 hours, triggering fears of more deaths and destruction on Friday in a region where about 2,200 people died in quakes over four days. Survivors in the earthquake

prone region are scrambling for basic amenities as the United Nations and other agencies warn of a critical need for funds, food, medical supplies and shelter, with the World Health Organisation seeking funds of US$4 million (RM16.9 million). It warned against the risk of disease, stemming from overcrowded shelters, unsafe water and inappropriate waste management, while an influx of Afghans recently deported from Pakistan strains the healthcare system. The aftershocks follow two earthquakes that ravaged the South Asian nation. The Taliban administration estimated 2,205 deaths and 3,640 injuries by Thursday. A Reuters witness said continuous aftershocks hit the province of Nangarhar and details of the damage were still being collected. GFZ said Friday’s 5.4 magnitude earthquake struck the southeast at a depth of 10km, hours after one late on Thursday night. The week’s first earthquake (6.0 magnitude), just minutes before midnight on Sunday, was one of

The first 6.0 magnitude earthquake was one of the deadliest, unleashing destruction in the Nangarhar and Kunar provinces. – AFPPIC

where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet. Afghanistan’s Taliban government appealed for urgent aid from the world soon after Sunday’s disaster but relief has been scant in a country largely ignored by the world since the Taliban takeover in 2021. A United Nations senior official in the country said the organisation plans to launch an emergency appeal for funds, adding that money to help quake victims would run out soon. – Reuters

rather than return home, as a precaution against aftershocks. Nangarhar health department spokesperson Naqibullah Rahimi said the epicentre of Thursday’s earthquake was in the Shiwa district near the border with Pakistan and there were some initial reports of damage. The earlier quakes flattened villages in both provinces, destroying more than 6,700 homes. The earthquakes mainly happen in the Hindu Kush mountain range,

Afghanistan’s deadliest, unleashing damage and destruction in the provinces of Nangarhar and Kunar when it struck at a shallow depth of 10km. A second quake (5.5 magnitude) on Tuesday caused panic and interrupted rescue efforts as it sent rocks sliding down mountains and cut off roads to villages in remote areas. With houses built mostly of dry masonry, stone and timber, some families preferred to stay in the open

Fastest supercomputer in Europe to boost AI drive, climate research JULICH: The fastest supercomputer in Europe, called Jupiter, is set to be inaugurated on Friday in Germany, with its operators hoping it could help the continent in everything from climate research to catching up in the artificial intelligence (AI) race. Based at Julich Supercomputing Centre in western Germany, Jupiter is Europe’s first “exascale” supercomputer, meaning it would be able to perform at least one quintillion (one billion billion) calculations per second. The United States already has three such computers, all operated by the Energy Department Jupiter is housed in a centre covering about 3,600m containing racks of processors and packed with about 24,000 Nvidia chips, which are favoured by the AI industry. Half of the 500 million euros

training AI models. “Jupiter is a leap forward in the performance of computing in Europe,” Juelich centre head Thomas Lippert told AFP, adding that it is 20 times more powerful than any other computer in Germany. – AFP

(RM2.46 billion) required to develop and run the system over the next few years comes from the European Union and the rest from Germany. Its vast computing power can be accessed by researchers across numerous fields as well as companies for purposes such as