19/12/2025

FRIDAY | DEC 19, 2025

FOLLOW

ON YOUTUBE

8

Malaysian Paper

/theSunMedia /

US forces launch strike on vessel in Pacific, four killed

the new police stance, arguing “the Arabic word i ntifada means shaking off or uprising against injustice”. “It came to prominence during the first intifada, which was marked by peaceful protest that was repressed by the Israeli state.“ UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whose wife is Jewish, denounced the shooting in Australia as “sickening”, adding that it was “an antisemitic terrorist attack against Jewish families”. Chief prosecutor Lionel Idan said Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service was “already working closely with police and communities to identify, charge and prosecute antisemitic hate crimes”. – AFP Germany approves US$59 billion military purchases BERLIN: German lawmakers on Wednesday approved about US$59 billion (RM241 billion) in military purchases, as Berlin accelerates defence spending in the face of a hostile Russia and signs of weakening security commitments from Washington. The extensive list of procurements included missiles, artillery, torpedoes, armoured vehicles, satellite systems and new uniforms as Berlin races to overhaul the long-neglected Bundeswehr. Officials said the new purchases, greenlighted by the Parliament’s budget committee, mean a “historic” number of defence acquisitions have been approved this year. “We are sending a signal to the (Nato) alliance and our partners (that) Germany is leading the way,“ the defence ministry said in a statement. “We are fulfilling our obligations to the alliance and accepting our responsibility for security and peace in Europe.” After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Germany dropped a long-standing pacifist tradition shaped by its World War II past and started ramping up spending to overhaul the armed forces. Signs of weakening commitment from the US to European security since President Donald Trump’s return to the White House further pushed Germany, and the rest of the continent, into speeding up rearmament. Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who took office in May, has given the drive even greater momentum, exempting defence spending from strict debt rules to free up more funds. The defence budget for this year had already been laid out but Wednesday’s purchases had to be approved by the Parliament’s budget committee. The Israeli Defence Ministry said among the projects approved was a US$3.1 billion (RM12.7 billion) contract expansion of the Arrow 3 anti-ballistic missile defence system, which is Israeli-made and developed with US support. The ministry said the deal, which was originally signed in 2023, is now worth a total of about US$6.5 billion (RM26.6 billion), adding that it is Israel’s largest-ever military export contract. The list also included “combat clothing and equipment” for up to 460,000 troops and protective equipment for 80,000 civilians. “We must be able to equip each and every individual for their mission when they join us,“ said Defence Minister Boris Pistorius. “We can’t put young soldiers in tracksuits because their uniforms haven’t been delivered yet.” The government is seeking to expand the army, which shrank after the end of the Cold War, and German lawmakers this month backed a new scheme aimed at boosting the number of troops. – AFP

o Death toll from ‘anti-drug campaign’ rises to 99

The US military “conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organisation” in the Eastern Pacific which was engaged in “narco-trafficking operations”, the Southern Command said on social media platform X. “A total of four male narco-terrorists were killed and no US military forces were harmed.” The latest strike brings the death toll up to 99 since the US began in September striking alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean

Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean. US President Donald Trump has also overseen a major military deployment off the coast of Venezuela, and this week declared a blockade of “sanctioned oil vessels” to and from Caracas. The moves add growing pressure to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who claims the US campaign seeks regime change instead of its stated goal of stopping drug trafficking. – AFP

WASHINGTON: The United States Southern Command said US forces on Wednesday carried out a strike on a vessel that was allegedly engaged in drug trafficking in the Pacific Ocean, killing four “narco-terrorists”. Justice Dept admits liability in air crash WASHINGTON: The United States Justice Department said on Wednesday the federal government was liable in the fatal Jan 29 collision of an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet that killed 67 individuals near the Reagan Washington National Airport. The government admitted it “owed a duty of care to plaintiffs, which it breached, thereby proximately causing the tragic accident”, adding that the pilots of the helicopter and jet “failed to maintain vigilance so as to see and avoid each other.” The department said a Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controller also did not comply with an FAA order and as a result of both agencies’ conduct, the US was liable for damages. The FAA declined to comment. Robert Clifford, an attorney for the family of one of the victims of the crash that filed the suit, said the filing showed “the United States admits the Army’s responsibility for the needless loss of life in the crash, as well as the FAA’s failure to follow air traffic control procedure”. He added that the “government, however, rightfully acknowledges that it is not the only entity responsible for this crash and it asserts that its conduct is but one of several causes of the loss of life.” The FAA restricted helicopter flights in March after the National Transportation Safety Board said their presence posed an “intolerable risk” to civilian aircraft near the airport. In May, it barred the Army from helicopter flights around the Pentagon after a close call that forced two civilian planes to abort landings. On Wednesday, the US Senate unanimously passed legislation to tighten military helicopter safety rules. – Reuters

Greece announces major cocaine bust ATHENS: Greek police on Wednesday said they had broken up a major network smuggling cocaine into Europe, arresting 10 individuals after a weekend raid off the coast of France. SUBMERGED SEDANS ... An inundated neighborhood, caused by the failure of a temporary flood barrier along the White River, after severe weather brought flooding to the Pacific Northwest, Washington. – REUTERSPIC

Police also said they had tracked the racket, which mainly involved Greeks, since October 2024. The gang used fishing vessels that appeared to be engaged in legitimate commercial fishing in international waters. A so-called “mothership” brought in the drugs, which were initially loaded onto the fishing boats and subsequently onto yachts. Occasionally, the cargo was dumped near the European coast, to be retrieved by divers. Officers said additional suspects were sought in Latin America, Africa and the European Union, adding that the gang’s proceeds are estimated to exceed US$118 million (RM482 million). – AFP

Citizen’s Protection Minister Michalis Chrisochoidis told reporters the operation had been carried out in cooperation with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and the French navy. Police said the quantity of cocaine seized on Sunday on a Greek fishing vessel is estimated at over three tonnes. They added that the drugs had been loaded onto the vessel in early December off the island of Martinique.

UK cops arrest two over alleged ‘intifada’ chants LONDON: UK police made their first arrests on Wednesday since announcing officers would detain individuals who publicly chant pro-Palestinian calls to “globalise the intifada ”, in a change prompted by Australia’s Bondi Beach attack. assertive” in policing such protests to counter alleged antisemitism and incitement to violence through slogans. The decision follows two gunmen killing 15 people on Sunday at a Hanukkah festival on Sydney’s Bondi Beach and an October attack on a Manchester synagogue during Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. announcement, with UK chief rabbi Ephraim Mirvis calling it “an important step towards challenging the hateful rhetoric we have seen on our streets, which has inspired acts of violence and terror”. However, Palestine Solidarity Campaign member Ben Jamal said it infringes on the right to protest.

London’s Metropolitan Police said two people “who shouted slogans involving calls for intifada were arrested for racially aggravated public order offences” at a pro-Palestinian demonstration in the British capital. Officers also arrested a third person for obstructing the arrests. The move came hours after police in Manchester announced they would “be more

“We know communities are concerned about placards and chants such as ‘globalise the i ntifada’ . Violent acts have taken place and the context has changed. Words have meaning and consequence. We will act decisively and make arrests.” Jewish groups welcomed the

“The statement by police marks another low in the political repression of protest for Palestinian rights.“ The rally was attended by more than 1,000 individuals, according to the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Jamal criticised the lack of consultation over