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GAZA CITY/ISTANBUL – One Palestinian was killed in an Israeli strike in central Gaza early Saturday, while another died from wounds sustained in a previous attack, medical sources told Anadolu Ajansi (AA). The deaths occurred amid ongoing violations by the Israeli military of the Gaza Strip ceasefire agreement, which has been in effect since October 2025. Medical sources at Al-Awda Hospital in central Gaza said Diaa Abu al-Rous was killed in an Israeli strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp. Witnesses told Anadolu that an Israeli drone carried out the strike near the headquarters of an electricity company in the northern part of the camp. Separately, Arafat al-Arair died from critical injuries sustained days earlier in an Israeli strike targeting a vehicle in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood, southwest of Gaza City. Medical sources at Al-Shifa Hospital in western Gaza City confirmed his death to Anadolu. Meanwhile, local sources told Anadolu that Israeli military vehicles and artillery shel...

KUALA LUMPUR – More than 580,000 pages from 4,840 Malay manuscript titles had been digitized by the National Library of Malaysia (PNM) as of September this year, in an effort to preserve the nation's literary heritage. National Unity Minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang said PNM’s Malay manuscript collection currently totals 5,405 copies, with written heritage preservation efforts also encompassing the digitization of archival materials, documentation, and the publication of historical works. "These treasures are highlighted through exhibitions featuring the transliteration of old Jawi script into Rumi and digital storytelling. "In line with technological advancements, the ministry welcomes proposals to explore strategic collaboration between PNM and Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) to develop immersive Jawi learning content based on official Jawi spelling guidelines," he said in the Dewan Rakyat today. He was responding to a proposal by Datuk Mumtaz Md Nawi (PN-Tumpat) to...

HYDERABAD – Malaysia and Bangladesh are set to begin the first round of free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations in Dhaka on Tuesday. A 30-member Malaysian delegation is currently in the Bangladeshi capital for the three-day talks, Bangladeshi media reported. Bangladesh is seeking to strengthen economic ties with its key trading partners as it prepares to graduate from the United Nations' Least Developed Country (LDC) status next month. "A free trade agreement (FTA) with Malaysia is vital for Bangladesh's export competitiveness, considering that after graduating from LDC status, preferential access to international markets will be affected," Bangladesh-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BMCCI) President Mohammad Anwar Shahid told Bernama on Monday. Both countries aim to finalize the FTA by 2027. Bangladesh is Malaysia's second-largest trading partner in South Asia, with total bilateral trade valued at RM12.18 billion in 2025. Malaysia exported goods worth ...

KOTA KINABALU – The international land border demarcation and survey operation between Malaysia and Indonesia in the Sungai Sinapad–Sungai Sesai Outstanding Boundary Problem (OBP) area is running smoothly through close cooperation between technical teams from both countries, according to the Department of Survey and Mapping Malaysia (JUPEM) Sabah. In a statement on Facebook, JUPEM Sabah said Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup visited Boundary Marker B2787, located in the Pensiangan and Nabawan districts, on Monday to inspect the fieldwork carried out by the survey team firsthand. According to JUPEM Sabah, the working visit provided an opportunity to observe up close the operational challenges of border demarcation in the interior, which include hilly terrain, dense jungle environments, and the high technical precision required to accomplish the national border marking mission. "The field team also faces various technical cha...

CAIRO – The Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC) announced that authorities have dispatched over 280 trucks carrying flour and food baskets to help alleviate severe bread shortages in the Gaza Strip as of Sunday, Xinhua reported. Over 90 trucks departed on Sunday, following more than 190 trucks sent throughout the previous week. The supplies will be handed over to the Egyptian Relief Committee in Gaza for distribution to bakeries whose operations have been disrupted, according to the ERC. The ERC added that an aid convoy departed for Gaza early Sunday carrying over 3,676 tons of humanitarian supplies, including flour, food baskets, relief items, medicines, and fuel for hospitals, bakeries, and other essential facilities. This marks the 302nd convoy from Egypt to Gaza since the ERC launched its pro-Gaza humanitarian aid initiative in late July 2025. The ERC stated that it has maintained extensive involvement since the crisis began, helping distribute over 1 million tons of humanitarian aid thr...

LONDON – British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he is open to discussing the possibility of restoring the rules on the free movement of workers with the European Union (EU), one of the most pivotal issues that triggered the 2016 Brexit referendum. In an interview with the Sunday Times , Burnham stated that while the influx of workers from EU countries into Britain prior to Brexit indeed posed significant challenges, the migration patterns at that time differed from the current situation. "In-and-out migration, when someone comes to work and then returns to their home country, is different. The balance of migration has also changed now. "I think we need to have an honest conversation about this," he said. The remark reinforces his previous stance suggesting that Britain should reassess its relationship with Brussels, including the possibility of rejoining the EU in the future. Official data shows that Britain's long-term net migration rate in 2025 has dropped c...

KUALA LUMPUR – The government's move to relinquish executive control over the administration of Parliament after more than three decades, through the enforcement of the Parliamentary Services Act 2025, will strengthen the administrative autonomy of the Malaysian Parliament. International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) Law Lecturer Assoc. Prof. Dr. Khairil Azmin Mokhtar said the act allows staffing, appointments, and administrative affairs of parliamentary officers to be managed more independently, thereby clarifying the principle of the separation of powers between the legislature and the executive. He noted that previously, Parliament's administrative affairs were subject to the Federal public service structure following the repeal of the Parliamentary Services Act 1963 in 1992. "This effort is a appropriate step and a continuation of efforts to solidify the institution of Parliament as one of the pillars of the country, based on the doctrine of the separation of po...

KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has detained a civil servant on suspicion of soliciting and accepting approximately RM30 million in bribes related to tax assessments from 2025 to this year. According to MACC sources, the illicit acts by the 50-year-old man are believed to involve several companies in exchange for helping reduce tax assessments totaling RM140 million. "The suspect, who is a public sector unit director, was detained at around 12:30 midnight while hiding in a hotel in the Klang Valley," the source said. Sources added that a six-day remand order against the suspect until next Monday was issued by Magistrate Ezrene Zakariah following an application made by the MACC at the Putrajaya Magistrate's Court this morning. MACC Chief Commissioner Datuk Seri Abd Halim Aman, when contacted, confirmed the arrest, and stated that the case is being investigated under Section 16(a)(A) of the MACC Act 2009.

BERLIN – Factory-produced cigarette prices in Germany are set to increase significantly around the turn of the year after the German parliament gave final approval on Friday to a tobacco tax reform proposed by the government, the German News Agency ( dpa ) reported. Following the lower house of parliament's (Bundestag) approval of amendments to existing laws on Thursday, the upper house of parliament (Bundesrat) cleared the way on Friday for substantial tax hikes on cigarettes and other tobacco products for the 2027–2030 period. The tax increases will be passed on to end consumers, resulting in prices rising by roughly 50 percent or more over the period. Currently, a pack of 20 cigarettes in Germany costs an average of over €8 ($9), but prices are projected to rise to nearly €12 by 2030, according to Finance Ministry projections. Premium brand cigarettes could reach prices of up to €14 per pack. The government argued that the legal amendment is necessary to strengthen the country...

GAZA – Medical sources announced on Tuesday that the death toll in the Gaza Strip since the start of Israeli attacks on Oct. 7 has risen to 74,389, while another 175,423 have been injured, the Palestinian News and Information Agency ( WAFA ) reported. The sources said seven victims died, including three who succumbed to their injuries, one body that was recovered, alongside seven individuals who were injured and brought to hospitals across the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours. They stated that the death toll since the ceasefire on Oct. 11, 2025, has reached 1,498, while 5,306 injury cases have been recorded. Additionally, there are 838 martyrs whose bodies have been recovered.

SEPANG – Jordan’s King Abdullah II arrived here on Sunday for a two-day state visit at the invitation of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim. His Majesty and his delegation, arriving aboard a special aircraft, were welcomed by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Zulkifli Hasan at the Bunga Raya Complex of Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 11:13 pm. King Abdullah II then inspected a guard of honor comprising 28 officers and personnel from the First Battalion of the Royal Ranger Regiment. This marks King Abdullah II's second state visit to Malaysia since May 2008. According to a Wisma Putra statement, this state visit takes place as Malaysia and Jordan celebrate more than six decades of diplomatic relations established since 1965. During the visit, King Abdullah II will be greeted with a State Welcoming Ceremony at Istana Negara, followed by an audience with Sultan Ibrahim. He will also be hosted at a State Banquet and is scheduled to grant an ...

PUTRAJAYA – Malaysia and Egypt signed four Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) in the fields of women's empowerment, higher education, tourism, and investment to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries. The exchange of the MoU documents took place in conjunction with the state visit of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to Malaysia, witnessed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at Seri Perdana Complex here on Saturday. The four MoUs cover cooperation between the two governments in women's empowerment, higher education, and tourism, alongside cooperation between the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) and Egypt's General Authority for Investment and Free Zones. The MoU on women's empowerment cooperation was exchanged by Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri and Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Expatriates, Dr. Badr Ahmed Mohamed Abdelatty. For higher educ...