Malaysian boy hailed as a hero for rescuing rabbits from fire
A boy in Malaysia is being praised for the heroic act of risking his life to save two rabbits from a fire.
The boy, identified only as Jason, can be seen in a viral video climbing a concrete wall to reach a rabbit cage to rescue the trapped animals in Selangor state.
He balances on shrubs and tree branches growing out of the wall to reach the cage as a massive fire rages just metres away in an outdoor parking space in the Kajang Utama area.
The rescue operation was filmed by wedding planner Balanagamma Punaimuthi, who was on her way to work when she noticed the place was on fire.
There were two rabbits still trapped but no one was helping them, she told Star News.
Ms Balanagamma, 32, said she and her husband called her cousin, Jason, to help them free the rabbits. The boy arrived at the scene with tools to cut open the cage and rescue the animals.
“Pull it out fast. Leave it down it will be safe,” she can be heard directing the boy in the background. “Come down quickly,” she screams as the fire intensifies.
“My cousin was slightly burnt on his hands, but we were very happy that the rabbits were saved,” Ms Balanagamma said.
She took the rabbits home and saw that one had suffered burn injuries. She nursed the animals before returning them to their owners. “We love animals, and also have pet rabbits of our own,” she said.
“You are a hero, thanks for saving them,” a TikTok user commented under the video, referring to Jason.
Another person said: “Thank you, kindhearted person. You are the real hero.”
China’s ‘wolf warrior’ foreign minister reportedly given low-level job
China’s former foreign minister Qin Gang, who mysteriously disappeared from public view in the summer of 2023, has been demoted to a publishing job, according to a media report, signalling an end to his political career.
Mr Qin, 58, who was known for his “wolf warrior” diplomacy and regarded as one of Beijing’s most influential policymakers, was unceremoniously removed as foreign minister last July after a month-long disappearance from public view.
The former diplomat had been rapidly climbing the leadership ladder, serving as an ambassador to the US for 18 months before his appointment as foreign minister.
Since his demotion, Mr Qin has been working in a low-level job at World Affairs Press, a publishing house affiliated with the Chinese foreign ministry, anonymous US officials told the Washington Post.
His “fall from grace” means that “he’s off the hook”; he is not going to jail but “his career is over,” one official told the newspaper.
After Mr Qin’s disappearance, rumours swirled about his possible imprisonment, suicide, and an extramarital affair with a Chinese journalist, Fu Xiaotian, which might have posed a security risk.
After taking over as China’s youngest foreign minister since the 1950s, Mr Qin, now 58, served only 207 days in the position. He was replaced by his predecessor, Wang Yi, who is 70.
It remains unclear why Mr Qin was removed. He was also recognised for being one of the first diplomats to speak aggressively in defence of China’s increasingly assertive foreign policy, a style known as “wolf warrior” diplomacy.
The Financial Times reported that Ms Fu, a host for the Chinese broadcaster Phoenix TV, based in Hong Kong, had a child delivered by a surrogate mother in the US, citing people close to the journalist and Chinese foreign policy establishment.
According to observers, Ms Fu’s celebrity lifestyle and social media presence, including posts about her travels on private jets with her son, potentially posed a security vulnerability for the Chinese Communist Party. It was also alleged that Beijing suspected her of passing secrets to a foreign intelligence service. The allegations have never been confirmed or supported by concrete evidence.
Mr Qin’s removal last year was part of an overhaul of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in which several officials were dismissed.
They included defence minister General Li Shangfu, who was subsequently investigated for corruption.
The Independent has been unable to reach Mr Qin or Ms Fu for comment. They have not commented publicly on the reports of their affair or Mr Qin’s removal from his post.
Celebrity Filipino pastor arrested over sex trafficking charges
A celebrity preacher accused of sexual abuse and sex trafficking in the Philippines and similar charges in the US has been arrested after the police gave him 24 hours to surrender, top officials announced.
The arrest of Apollo Quiboloy, founder of the Philippines-based Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) church, was confirmed by interior secretary Benhur Abalos in a brief statement on his Facebook.
“Apollo Quiboloy has been caught,” Mr Abalos said. Philippine police spokesperson Jean Fajardo confirmed to reporters on Sunday Mr Quiboloy was captured inside the compound, but did not provide further details.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who had urged Mr Quiboloy to surrender, said the evangelist preacher will not be given any special treatment. Mr Quiboloy, who was on the run for three years, has denied wrongdoing.
“There is no special treatment. We will treat him like any other arrested person and respect his rights. We will demonstrate once again that our judicial system in the Philippines is active, vibrant and working,” Mr Marcos Jr told reporters shortly after Mr Quiboloy’s arrest was confirmed.
The US federal prosecutors in 2021 announced the indictment of Mr Quiboloy for allegedly having sex with women and underage girls who faced threats of abuse and “eternal damnation” unless they catered to the self-proclaimed “son of God” for nearly 15 years.
Mr Quiboloy is also wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the US on charges of sex trafficking and bulk cash smuggling.
Around 1.30pm, the National Police in the Philippines surrounded Mr Quiboloy and four of his aides in a 30-hectare (75acre) compound in the southern city of Davao on Sunday. Nearly 2,000 officers were deployed around the church compound where Mr Quiboloy and his aides were allegedly hiding. The police issued a 24-hour ultimatum to them to come out.
However, several of Mr Quiboloy’s followers allegedly threw stones at officers and blocked the nearby highway using tyres set ablaze, Davao police officials said.
After four hours of standoff, the five men walked out of the church and surrendered, reported the Philippine News Agency. Police officials have now transported them to the national police headquarters in Manila using military aircraft on Sunday night. The pastor “chose to surrender because he does not want the lawless violence to continue within the KOJC compound”, his lawyer, Israelito Torreon, said.
Philippine police chief Gen Rommel Francisco Marbil also confirmed the self-styled godman’s arrest.
Mr Quiboloy and two of his top administrators were among nine people named in a superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury and unsealed in November 2021. It contained a raft of charges, including conspiracy, sex trafficking of children, sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, marriage fraud, money laundering, cash smuggling and visa fraud.
The US embassy in Manila referred requests for comments by the Associated Press to Philippine authorities.
Mr Quiboloy and his lawyers have rejected the allegations against him, calling them fabricated claims by critics and former members who were evicted from the religious group.
In 2019, Mr Quiboloy claimed he stopped a major earthquake from hitting the southern Philippines. The KJOC church claims to have six million members in about 200 countries. Its US headquarters is in the Van Nuys area of Los Angeles.
He is also allegedly linked to the former president Rodrigo Duterte who is being investigated by the International Criminal Court in connection with the extrajudicial killings by police of thousands of mostly poor drug suspects.
Police arrest man accused of filming rape on crowded street in India
Police in India arrested a man who allegedly filmed and shared a video of the rape of a woman on a street in a case that has sparked a public outcry.
The incident occurred on 4 September at a busy intersection in the city of Ujjain in the central state of Madhya Pradesh. A woman who worked as a ragpicker was allegedly raped by a man the police identified only by his first name, Lokesh.
Lokesh, who was arrested within hours of a complaint being filed by the survivor, had allegedly forced her to consume alcohol before he raped her, police said.
Ujjain’s superintendent of police, Pradeep Sharma, said the individual who allegedly filmed the rape has been identified as Mohammad Salim, an auto rickshaw driver in the city.
Mr Sharma said the investigators are still questioning him to ascertain his motive.
It comes in the wake of widespread protests against last month’s rape and murder of a resident doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
Mr Sharma said that the police deployed district officials, cyber, and social media teams to identify the man accused of filming the rape.
Several people witnessed the incident, but instead of intervening, they filmed videos that were later shared on social media.
“Lokesh later fled from the spot. After the woman filed a complaint when the effect of alcohol wore off, Lokesh was arrested,” said Kotwali area’s city superintendent of police Om Prakash Mishra, PTI reported.
The incident has stirred a political row, with the opposition party Congress questioning the law and order situation in the state and the safety of women in Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Madhya Pradesh. Chief minister Mohan Yadav has promised strict action in the case, accusing the opposition of politicising the crime.
“No one will be spared. Be it Ujjain or [anywhere in] the state, we are committed to good governance under the leadership of the prime minister [Narendra Modi],” said Mr Yadav of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
Ujjain is the hometown of Mr Yadav, who also holds the portfolio of home ministry. He said: “Those who are doing politics should look into their own affairs.”
He added: “It will be understandable if they take care of the states ruled by them. They do not open their mouths on the incident in Kolkata [rape-murder of a trainee doctor].”
“The incident of a woman being assaulted in broad daylight on the sidewalk in Ujjain is extremely horrifying,” Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra posted on social media on Friday.
“Today, the entire nation is stunned, wondering where our society is headed. According to reports, instead of rescuing the woman, passersby were making videos.”
The incident has sparked widespread outrage on social media, with many users expressing horror and disgust at the incident.
Journalist Shuja ul Haq wrote: “Woman raped on the roadside in broad daylight at a busy intersection in Ujjain, MP. The crime seen by plenty of passersby. Some even film it. Shocking that nobody intervened.”
Journalist Rohini Singh added: “A man rapes a woman on a busy footpath in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain. People passing by shot videos instead of stopping the heinous crime.
“The same sick people will be outraging on Facebook demanding death for rape. Meanwhile, women in India continue to be brutalised.”
“A woman is raped in broad daylight on a road in Ujjain. Business as usual. Videos are made. Sold & circulated,” wrote journalist Swati Chaturvedi on Twitter/X. “No one man or woman intervenes even uses the phone they film with to call the cops. We are a sick country & the rape capital of the world.”
FBI: Alleged terror plotter wanted three-way attack at Jewish centers
A Pakistani man living in Canada who was arrested for allegedly plotting terrorist acts against New York’s Jewish population reportedly envisioned a multi-team simultaneous attack to maximize the body count.
Law enforcement officials arrested Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, in Canada, after he was accused of plotting to attack a Jewish center in Brooklyn on the one-year anniversary of the Hamas October 7 attacks in Israel.
Khan, allegedly tried to travel from his home in Canada to New York City to carry out the “stated goal of slaughtering, in the name of ISIS, as many Jewish people as possible,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement on Friday.
The suspect — who also goes by the name Shazeb Jadoon — was taken into custody on September 4 and has been charged with trying to provide material support and resources to a foreign terror organization, which in this case was ISIS.
“Through our investigation, we discovered Khan used encrypted messaging apps in planning a mass shooting attack at a Jewish site in New York City,” Rob Kissane, the New York Join Terrorism Task Force special agent in charge, told reporters on Friday.
It’s unclear where Khan is being held following his arrest or if he will be extradited to the US to face charges.
A spokesperson for the Manhattan federal prosecutor’s office told NPR that the case was being deferred to the Canadian government.
Khan landed on the radar of federal agents after he allegedly began sharing ISIS propaganda videos and discussing his support for the terror organization’s causes beginning sometime in the fall of last year. During that time Khan began interacting with an individual who was actually a confidential informant for the FBI.
Evidence gathered from Khan’s discussions suggested he was planning to amass weapons and ammunition to attack Jewish community centers in Brooklyn.
In early versions of his alleged plan, Khan envisioned the use of an AR-15 assault rifle to carry out a mass shooting and for a three-prong attack — six men total, with three teams of two — attacking three targets simultaneously and “maximizing the casualty count.”
He allegedly wanted the attacks to align with the October 7 Hamas attack that kicked off Israel’s war in Gaza last year, or with the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur on October 11.
Khan allegedly told the undercover agents “if we succeed with our plan this would be the largest Attack [sic] on US soil since 9/11.”
“Jewish communities — like all communities in this country — should not have to fear that they will be targeted by a hate-fueled terrorist attack,” Garland said in a statement.
On August 20 Khan told the confidential sources he was speaking with that he decided on targets in New York because of its large Jewish population. He also allegedly sent a photo of the Jewish center he intended to attack, according to the US Justice Department.
Khan allegedly described the site as the “the ultra orthodox hasidic jews world headquarters,” according to investigators.
The 20-year-old was reportedly making his way toward the US-Canada border, where he intended to pay a smuggler to get him across the border. He allegedly used three different vehicles — which were driven by other people — before Canadian authorities stopped him in Ormstown, Quebec, and took him into custody.
Khan made it to approximately 12 miles (19km) of the US-Canada border before he was stopped.
“Terrorism has no place in our society,” Kissane said. “This case underscores the commitment of our Joint Terrorism Task Force in New York City to continue to aggressively work to prevent deadly plots before they can be carried out. Our partners are on the front lines every day, united to protect our nation from those who threaten our safety and our way of life. We plan to keep up the good work,”
Building collapse in India kills 8 as rescue efforts continue
A building collapse in the most populous Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has claimed eight lives and injured 28 people, police said.
The incident occurred on Saturday evening in Lucknow’s Transport Nagar area, and rescue efforts are still underway.
The building, identified as the Harmilap Building, housed godowns and a motor workshop. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) recovered three bodies from the debris on Sunday morning, bringing the death toll to eight.
“We had come down to the ground floor because it was raining. We noticed that a crack had developed on a pillar of the building. Suddenly, the entire building collapsed on us,” Akash Singh, an injured survivor, told the Press Trust of India.
According to police, the building, which was constructed around four years ago, was undergoing renovation work when it collapsed. Most of the victims were on the ground floor at the time of the incident.
The injured individuals have been transported to several medical facilities, including Lok Bandhu Hospital, for treatment.
The building’s layout consisted of a motor workshop and storage area on the ground floor, a medical storage facility on the first floor, and a cutlery storage area on the second floor, as confirmed by officials.
The Relief Commissioner’s office released a statement identifying the deceased as Raj Kishore, Rudra Yadav, Jagrup Singh Sahani, Jagroop Singh, Dheeraj Gupta, Pankaj Tiwari, Arun Sonkar, and Rakesh Lakhan Pal.
President Droupadi Murmu expressed deep sorrow over the Lucknow building collapse. “I’m deeply saddened by the loss of lives. My condolences go out to the bereaved families, and I pray for the swift recovery of the injured.”
Prime minister Narendra Modi announced Rs200,000 (£1,813) ex-gratia for next of kin of the deceased and Rs50,000 (£453) for injured in Lucknow building collapse.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has taken cognisance of the incident and directed district officials to accelerate relief efforts and ensure proper medical care for the injured.
“The loss of life due to the collapse of a building in Lucknow district is extremely sad and heartbreaking. My condolences are with the grieving families of the deceased,” said the chief minister of the state ruled by prime minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh, who is also the Lok Sabha MP from Lucknow, expressed his sorrow over the deaths. “The news of the collapse of a building in Lucknow is extremely painful. I have spoken to the District Magistrate of Lucknow over the phone and got information about the situation at the spot,” he said.
The police have filed a case against the building owner, and an investigation is underway.
The rescue operation is ongoing, with officials ensuring that no one else remains trapped under the rubble.
“It was a terrifying sight,” Bacchan Pandey, manager of a security agency just 10m away from the site, told the Times of India. “We have never seen anything like this before. It crashed like a mound of dust. I ran to the site to help, offering water to those who were rescued. I just hope the injured recover quickly.”
Disqualified Indian Olympian Vinesh Phogat joins Congress
Indian Olympic wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia have joined the opposition Congress party, marking their entry into politics. This development comes a year after they led a high-profile protest against the chief of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) over alleged sexual harassment.
The move came weeks after Ms Phogat‘s emotional return home last month from the Paris Olympics, where she failed to make weight for the women’s 50kg freestyle final by 100 grams despite starving herself.
It pushed the 30-year-old Asian Games gold medallist to announce her retirement from the sport and led to an outpouring of support, with hundreds of teary-eyed fans and wrestlers taking her on a road show to her village in northern India after she arrived in Delhi.
Ms Phogat, an Asian Games gold medalist, will contest from Julana in Jind district in the upcoming assembly election in her home state Haryana, while Mr Punia has been appointed as the working chairman of the All India Kisan Congress.
“I want to thank the people of the country for supporting me during my wrestling career, and I hope I live up to their expectations,” Phogat said after joining the party. “I am very proud to be associated with a party that stands up against misbehaviour and injustice against women.”
Their entry into politics comes after a highly publicised protest against the chief of the sport’s governing body in India, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, over alleged sexual harassment. Singh has denied any wrongdoing and has accused Phogat and others of being part of a “political conspiracy” against him.
“The fight is continuing, it hasn’t ended yet,” Phogat said, reflecting on the ongoing battle in court over allegations of sexual harassment. “We will win that fight as well… With the new platform that we are getting today, we will work for the service of the nation.”
Punia, who won bronze in men’s 65kg wrestling at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, added, “The hard work that we did during the protests and in support of farmers, soldiers, and the youth, we will continue that hard work for our country.”
The move is seen as a significant boost for the Congress party ahead of the Haryana elections, where prime minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is seeking a third straight term in power.
“They have not only brought glory to the country in the sports field but have also fought a strong battle against injustice on the street,” Congress general secretary KC Venugopal told reporters after inducting the wrestlers into the party in New Delhi, as the party announced its list of 32 candidates for the Haryana Assembly election slated for 5 October. The results will be announced on 8 October.
Meanwhile, Singh claimed the protest was scripted and accused Congress of fighting for politics. “They weren’t fighting for daughters’ honour, but for politics,” he said.
He offered to campaign for the BJP in Haryana, confident of support from his community, and even willing to do so “right in front of” Phogat and others.