Indonesia has inaugurated its first electric vehicle (EV) battery factory, which will operate entirely on renewable energy at the Neo Energy Morowali Industrial Estate in Central Sulawesi.

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said on Saturday that the factory was part of the critical minerals downstream policy aimed at boosting national economic competitiveness, improving public welfare and utilising environmentally friendly technology, Xinhua news agency reported.

“Successful downstream processing of nickel has significantly boosted the export value of nickel derivatives, rising from $4.31 billion in 2017 to $34.44 billion in 2023,” Airlangga said at the event.

With abundant mineral resources especially nickel, Indonesia holds substantial potential for EV battery production, with an estimated annual capacity of 210 GWh.

The factory’s high-pressure acid-leaching smelter will process nickel ore into mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP), a key material for EV battery cathodes, adding 120,000 tons of MHP to the country’s production capacity each year.

The Investment Ministry revealed that as of June 2024, the total investment in nickel downstream activities, particularly smelter and EV battery factory development, has reached $30 billion in the country.

On May 6, Indonesian President Joko Widodo had told the media that the first electric vehicle (EV) battery factory in the country will begin operating in June.

Speaking at the EV exhibition of the Indonesian Electric Vehicle Industry Association or Periklindo Electric Vehicle Show in 2024, he emphasised that the factory’s operation signals that the domestic environmentally friendly vehicle ecosystem is starting to form in the country.

The factory which is said to be owned by PT Hyundai LG Industry (HLI) Green Power, is located in Karawang, West Java, with a maximum capacity of up to 10 GW per hour and is capable of producing 32.6 million battery units.

The Indonesian President said that Indonesia currently hosts 59 electric vehicle manufacturers, with plans for expansion in the pipeline.

According to him, with current infrastructure, Indonesia can make up to 1.6 million electrical motorbikes yearly.

However, the production of new electric motorbikes is 100,000 motorbikes now, so Indonesia sees room to develop the industry. AGENCIES

A case has been filed against 59 people, including former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, on charge of attempting to murder a student during an anti-government protest in Dinajpur on August 4.

Fahim Faisal, 22, a resident of Rajbati area in Dinajpur, filed the case at Kotwali police station on Friday, claiming he was shot and injured during the demonstration, The Daily Star reported.

Officer-in-Charge of the police station Farid Hossain confirmed the development to The Daily Star on Saturday.

According to the case statement, Faisal, who participated in the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, was shot during an attack on protesters near Dinajpur Sadar Hospital.

Protesters were assaulted with firearms and local weapons, resulting in multiple injuries to Faisal’s face, chest, arms, and other parts of his body. He was treated at Dinajpur Medical College Hospital and recovered partially.

Former whip Iqbalur Rahim, Dinajpur Sadar Upazila Chairman Imdad Sarkar, and general secretary of the district’s Jubo League Anwar Hossain are among the accused.

With this, Hasina is now facing 155 cases, including 136 for murder, seven for crimes against humanity and genocide, three for abduction, eight for attempted murder and one for the attack on a BNP procession.

Sheikh Hasina and former local lawmaker Iqbalur Rahim were listed as the first and second accused in the case, respectively, with 57 others named and several additional individuals left unidentified, the OC added.

Since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government, the former whip has so far been accused in the four cases.

AGENCIES

The financial problems faced by the Maldives are temporary, and there is no need to seek assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the country’s state media reported quoting the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Moosa Zameer.

Zameer is currently in Sri Lanka to engage with its banks and officials as part of a broader diplomatic and economic outreach, reports Xinhua news agency, quoting state media PSM.

The Maldives is facing a temporary problem related to a decline in reserves, and this can be solved without external financial intervention, Zameer said on Saturday.

He said the government’s strategy to address the current issues includes reforming the tax regime, cost-cutting measures for government-owned enterprises and strengthening bilateral relations with China and India.

Recent data by the Maldives government shows that usable reserves increased to US$61 million in August, up from US$45 million in July. AGENCIES

The death toll from last week’s explosion and fire at a ship-breaking yard in southeastern Bangladesh rose to six with two more injured succumbing to their wounds, an official said.

The victims died on Saturday at a hospital in Dhaka, said Tariqul Islam, a resident physician of the institute.

“With this, the death toll in the explosion rose to six,” he told journalists, adding that the death toll may rise further as several critically injured patients are undergoing treatment.

Jahangir Hawlader, 45, and Barkatullah, 23, were declared dead in between 6 a.m. and 6:30 a.m., he said at the hospital.

Jahangir and Barkatullah had suffered burn on 70 and 50 per cent of their bodies respectively, he added.

At least 12 people were wounded on September 7 after a blast sparked a fire at a ship-breaking factory in Sitakunda on the outskirts of Bangladesh’s southeastern Chattogram seaport city. Four of them had died earlier, Xinhua news agency reported.

Among the injured, Anwar Hossain and Abul Kashem who are still undergoing treatment at the burn institute, have 25 per cent and 70 per cent burn injuries, hospital sources said.

Their condition is critical too, the sources said.

Bangladesh’s Ministry of Industries has formed a committee to investigate the accident while operations at the ship-breaking yard have been suspended until further notice.

Bangladesh’s Sitakunda sea beaches have emerged as one of the world’s largest ship-breaking yards, with many European shipping companies sending their end-of-life ships for scrap.

AGENCIES

Galati County, Romania, is struggling to recover from the severe floods brought by Cyclone Boris, which has claimed five lives and displaced over 250 residents.

The cyclone unleashed heavy rainfall, totalling 150 litres per square meter on Saturday. According to local media reports, it caused widespread flooding, leaving more than 25,000 homes without power and impacting over 5,000 households across 12 towns.

In response to the disaster, the Romanian government has mobilised emergency resources, reports Xinhua news agency.

Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu visited Slobozia Conachi, one of the hardest-hit towns.

“Our priority is saving lives. We have the logistics in place to respond quickly,” he said, promising temporary housing, food, and other essential supplies for displaced families.

Meanwhile, the National Committee for Emergency Situations approved emergency aid, which includes 400 tonnes of food, sleeping bags, mattresses, and modular housing units to provide temporary shelter for those affected.

The Ministry of National Defense deployed military personnel, rescue boats and trucks to assist in rescue operations.

Romanian Gendarmerie patrols have also been deployed to prevent looting and vandalism in the affected towns.

“The safety of the people remains our top priority,” a Gendarmerie spokesperson said, urging residents to follow safety instructions and avoid returning to dangerous areas until conditions stabilise.

As more severe weather is forecast, with a red alert for heavy rain issued for nearby Vaslui County, the Romanian government is closely monitoring the situation. Efforts are also underway to repair damaged infrastructure and restore normalcy for the thousands impacted by what has been described as the worst flooding in the region since 2016. AGENCIES

Ferocious clashes erupted between Houthi militants and pro-government forces in the country’s southern province of Lahj, a military official said.

The local official, speaking on condition of anonymity to Xinhua news agency, reported that armed confrontations broke out on Saturday when Houthi forces attempted to seize control of strategic mountainous positions along the administrative borders of Lahj and Taiz provinces.

The official confirmed that two soldiers were killed and five others left injured as a result of the Houthi offensive, and heavy weapons were used in the hours-long confrontations.

The Houthis failed to capture new territory, but they established military positions near the contact lines, according to the source.

Local media outlets reported that the intensification of hostilities prompted many families in affected areas to evacuate their homes, raising concerns about potential humanitarian consequences.

The recent outbreak of violence followed limited engagements between the two sides in the same area last week, which resulted in the killing of a number of people.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Houthi group seized several northern provinces, forcing the Yemeni internationally recognised government out of the capital, Sanaa. AGENCIES

China’s Ministry of Water Resources has issued a Level-IV emergency response to flooding in Shanghai, and the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui.

Strong rain caused by the approaching Typhoon Bebinca will hit China’s southeastern regions, and the water levels of some medium and minor rivers in the regions are projected to exceed warning thresholds, the Ministry said on Saturday.

The Ministry highlighted the prevention of floods in small and medium-sized rivers and mountain torrents in the affected areas to ensure the safety of people’s lives and property, Xinhua news agency reported.

China has a four-tier emergency response system for flood control, with Level I being the most severe.

From Sunday night to Monday morning, Typhoon Bebinca will make landfall along the coast from Taizhou in Zhejiang to Qidong in Jiangsu, bringing heavy rain, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management.

Eastern Chinese regions are recalling ships to port and monitoring risks of flash floods and geological disasters amid warnings of strong rain caused by the approaching Typhoon Bebinca.

From Sunday night to Monday morning, Typhoon Bebinca will make landfall along the coast from Taizhou, Zhejiang to Qidong, Jiangsu, and cause tremendous rain, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management.

China’s State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters has launched a Level-IV emergency response for typhoons and flooding in provincial regions of Shanghai, Zhejiang, Fujian and Jiangsu.

A Level-IV response is the lowest level in China’s four-tier emergency response system.

AGENCIES

At least 21 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, said Palestinian security and medical sources.

An Israeli warplane struck a residential house in the al-Tuffah neighbourhood east of Gaza City with at least one missile, Palestinian security sources told Xinhua news agency on Saturday.

The raid killed 10 Palestinians, including three children and a woman, said Palestinian medical sources.

In addition, the Palestinian Civil Defence said in a press statement that at least five Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike near a school northwest of Gaza City, Xinhua news agency reported.

Six other people were killed in an Israeli shelling of a tent housing displaced people in the al-Mawasi area west of Khan Younis city in the southern Gaza Strip, according to local sources and eyewitnesses.

The Israeli army has not yet commented on these incidents.

Israel launched a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on October 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and about 250 taken hostage.

The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has risen to 41,182, Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Saturday.

In addition, Gaza-based health authorities announced in a press statement the death of Palestinian paramedic Hamdan Abu Anaba inside an Israeli prison after the Israeli army arrested him in December 2023.

Palestinian medical sources told Xinhua that Abu Anaba once worked at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis and was arrested at the Netzarim checkpoint in the central Gaza Strip.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since a Hamas attack last October despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

More than 41,100 people, mostly women and children, have since been killed and over 95,100 injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel faces accusations of genocide for its actions in Gaza at the International Court of Justice.

AGENCIES

At least 16 people were killed and 40 others injured after a fuel tanker exploded in Haiti, regional civil protection authorities said.

Initial reports reveal that the explosion occurred on Saturday when people were attempting to illegally collect fuel from the tanker following an accident in the Calbassier area of the Nippes department.

Many of the injured, who were taken to a local hospital for treatment, were in critical condition, said officials, Xinhua news agency reported.

Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille said on social media that civil protection and public health teams are assisting the victims.

“I am very sorry for the explosion of the gas tank truck that happened miraculously today. I talk to the concerned local authorities in #Nip and mobilise the responsible civil protection #DGPC , public health, social affairs to save the lives of the seriously injured. More than 15 dead, and 40 serious burns according to provisional figures #DGPC at noon,” Conille said in a post on X.

“The government stands in solidarity with all the victims and their families and is planning evacuation by helicopter,” he added.

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At least three people have been confirmed dead and three others were injured in a road accident in east Afghanistan’s Wardak province on Sunday morning, a local police official reported.

The mishap occurred on the outskirts of Maidan Shar City, the capital of the province, along the highway linking the capital Kabul with the southern Kandahar province, said Mohammad Yosuf Asrar, spokesman for the provincial police.

According to Asrar, the injured are now under treatment in the provincial hospital of Wardak, but their conditions were reported as critical.

The victims of the road accident, including two women, are members of the same family, Xinhua news agency reported.

Some 2,000 people lost their lives and about 6,000 others were injured in 4,270 road accidents in Afghanistan over the past 12 months.

Road accidents due to reckless driving on congested roads and lack of traffic signs on dilapidated highways are a leading cause of deaths in the war-ravaged country.

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