The State Department said the sanctions were in response to “the use of a ‘Novichok’ nerve agent in an attempt to assassinate UK citizen Sergei Skripal” — who was a double agent — and his daughter Yulia in March.

The action is aimed at punishing President Vladimir Putin’s government for having “used chemical or biological weapons in violation of international law,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.

The new sanctions were to take effect following a 15-day Congressional notification period, she said.

Another senior State Department official told reporters that the administration decided to impose a “presumption of denial” for the sale to Russia of “national security sensitive” US technologies that require federal government approval.

Such technologies have often been used in items including electronic devices as well as calibration equipment. The exports were previously allowed on a case-by-case basis.

The move could cut off hundreds of millions of dollars worth of exports to Russia, said the official, who requested anonymity in order to speak about the sanctions.

House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Ed Royce, who had pushed months ago for Trump to take action over Russia’s use of banned weapons, applauded the move as “key to increasing pressure on Russia.”

“Vladimir Putin must know that we will not tolerate his deadly acts, or his ongoing attacks on our democratic process,” Royce said.

Sanctions waivers are in place for certain key sectors, including space flight activities and commercial aviation safety, the official said.

The action follows the US Treasury’s imposition of sanctions in March against 19 Russian citizens and five entities for interfering in the 2016 US election — the toughest steps against Moscow since President Donald Trump took office.

Also in March, Washington ordered the expulsion of 60 Russian diplomats, and the closure of Russia’s consulate general in Seattle.

Moscow ordered 60 American diplomats expelled in a tit-for-tat response.

Sergei and Yulia Skripal were found unconscious on a bench in Salisbury, England, on March 4, having been poisoned by Novichok, a military-grade nerve agent developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

They were critically ill, but survived after spending weeks in the hospital.

Russia has strongly denied playing a role in the attack.

On June 30, a British couple were poisoned by Novichok in a nearby town — 44-year-old mother-of-three Dawn Sturgess subsequently died.

London and its allies have accused Moscow of trying to kill the Skripals and says the two cases are likely linked.

Tougher sanctions loom

The new announcement could bolster Trump’s claim that his administration is taking a tough stance on Moscow, even as he denounces special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe as a “witch hunt” that ought to be halted immediately.

Trump caught flak from Democrats and Republicans alike for what many saw as his unsettling embrace of Putin last month at their Helsinki summit, when Trump appeared to disavow his own intelligence agencies’ assessment on Moscow’s election interference.

The new US sanctions come amid increasing frustration with Trump’s handling of Russia, and how he apparently needed congressional prodding to impose the new penalties.

The sanctions are mandated under the Chemical and Biological Weapons and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991, which says the US president shall tighten the penalties within 90 days unless Moscow provides “reliable assurances” that it no longer engages in such activities, and allows on-site inspections by United Nations observers.

The second round of sanctions could cut far deeper, including blocking all American bank loans to Russian entities, an outright ban on US exports to Russia, and suspension of diplomatic relations.

The announcement in Washington was likely to intensify troubles for the ruble, which took a hit Wednesday along with the stock market over rumors of separate new tough US sanctions over election meddling.

But the Russian finance ministry, quoted by Ria-Novosti news agency, sought to allay fears, saying the measures ultimately might not be put in place, though it acknowledged that markets were “once again under pressure.”

The latest mixed messages over Russia involve a letter from Trump that Republican US Senator Rand Paul delivered to Putin during a visit to Moscow this week.

Paul said the letter “emphasized the importance of further engagement in various areas including countering terrorism, enhancing legislative dialogue and resuming cultural exchanges.”

The White House said Trump provided “a letter of introduction” at Paul’s request, and that the president “mentioned topics of interest that Senator Paul wanted to discuss with President Putin.”

“On 14 June, UNHCR and UNDP submitted travel authorisation requests for international staff to be based in Maungdaw and to start their work in the northern part of Rakhine State, and are waiting for a response from the government [of Myanmar] to these requests,” said UNHCR, UN Refugee Agency, and UN Development Programme in a joint statement yesterday.

The UN agencies said effective access requires being able to consult, freely and independently and on a day-do-day basis, with communities in Rakhine about their needs. It also necessitates a predictable, flexible and simplified procedure to approve travel authorisations within a reasonable period of time for UNHCR and UNDP staff to go to the areas where these communities reside.

“These are basic criteria for enabling us to carry out our work in the areas of Rakhine State covered by the MoU,” said the UN, urging Myanmar authorities to make tangible progress to improve conditions in Rakhine.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh has accused Myanmar of failing to tackle the concerns of over 1 million Rohingyas, including the 300,000 who fled earlier violence, and urged the UN Security Council to take action to ensure their safe return to Myanmar, reports AP.

Over 720,000 Rohingyas fled a military campaign in Rakhine since late August last year that has been defined by the UN as ethnic cleansing. Myanmar military is accused of killing, raping, looting and burning Rohingya houses in Myanmar.

Myanmar inked a bilateral repatriation deal with Bangladesh in November last year. On June 6 this year, it signed a tripartite MoU with UNHCR and UNDP on Rohingya repatriation.

The MoU with the UN agencies is considered a first step towards making conducive conditions for Rohingya repatriation in Rakhine.

The UN agencies said Myanmar government has taken some encouraging steps since the MoU was signed, including formation of a tripartite Technical Working Group to support the implementation of the MoU; enabling an important visit by senior UNHCR and UNDP officials to the northern part of Rakhine in early July; and facilitating an initial joint field visit to Rakhine by the Technical Working Group mid-July.

“However, substantial progress is urgently needed in three key areas covered by the MoU: granting effective access in Rakhine State; ensuring freedom of movement for all communities; and addressing the root causes of the crisis,” the statement said.

The remaining communities in the northern Rakhine continue to live in fear of one another. All communities have been affected by the violence, but the remaining Rohingya communities are affected most of all, the statement added.

“In particular, local orders severely restrict their freedom of movement. These restrictions prevent Rohingya communities from being able to work, go to school, and access healthcare. They also prevent them from being able to interact with friends, family, and other communities in Rakhine State,” the statement mentioned.

The root causes need to be addressed by implementing the recommendations of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, including a clear, voluntary and equal pathway to citizenship for all eligible individuals, the UN agencies said.

In another development, Bangladesh’s UN Ambassador Masud Bin Momen in a letter to the UN Security Council circulated Tuesday said while Bangladesh continues to engage with Myanmar “in good faith” on arrangements to return the Rohingyas, “we regret that the necessary conditions for safe and sustainable return do not exist in Myanmar,” AP added.

“Nor has Myanmar taken any demonstrable effort to address the concerns of the Rohingyas and the international community,” Momen said, calling upon the Security Council to adopt a resolution and take “concerted and determined action to address the Rohingya crisis”.

The landmark land border crossing agreement between India and Myanmar came into effect on Wednesday with the simultaneous opening of international entry-exit checkpoints between the two countries, giving a major boost to India’s ‘Act East Policy’.

“August 8 is an important date in the history of Myanmar. Today, it will also become an important date in the history of India-Myanmar bilateral relations. This morning, international entry-exit checkpoints have been opened simultaneously on the Tamu- Moreh Border between Manipur and Sagaing Division and the Rihkhawdar-Zokhawthar border between Mizoram and Chin State,” said Indian Ambassador to Myanmar Vikram Misri.

“People will now be able to cross the land border between India and Myanmar holding passports and visas and will be able to travel for tourism, business and education purposes. This will bring our two peoples and two countries closer together and connect our North-East much more strongly with Myanmar as well as the broader ASEAN region. This indeed is Act East (Policy) in action,” he added.

The move comes after India and Myanmar jointly carried out a routine survey following several media reports claiming that unrest erupted in some areas in Moreh sub-division of Manipur over the rumours of alleged shifting of an India-Myanmar border pillar into the Indian Territory.

During the survey, work on the construction of subsidiary pillars between already settled main boundary pillars 81 and 82 along the zero line was agreed and settled international boundary was also undertaken.

Typhoon Shanshan was expected to move along the Pacific coastline just east of Tokyo Wednesday night through early Thursday, sparking fears the busy morning commute in the capital could be disrupted.

The typhoon was coming “very close to the Pacific coast” of eastern Japan, centring on Tokyo, and was expected to move towards northern provinces from late Wednesday and early Thursday, the meteorological agency said.

“There are also risks that it may make landfall,” it said, warning the storm could dump 350 millimetres (14 inches) of rain on the greater Tokyo region over the 24 hours by Thursday noon.

“Please be fully on alert against mudslides, flooding in low-lying areas, flooding of rivers, violent winds, high waves and high tides,” the agency said in a statement, urging residents to obey any evacuation instructions.

In the Chiba region east of Tokyo, officials issued their lowest-level evacuation warning for some residents and urged others to be on stand-by for evacuation orders.

The local government said Wednesday evening it had not received any reports of injuries or structural damage related to the typhoon.

The slow-moving storm, packing maximum gusts of 180 kilometres per hour (112 mph), was estimated to be 110 kilometres (70 miles) southeast of Katsuura city in Chiba at 1300 GMT, the weather agency said.

With rain and winds expected to intensify through the night, television networks urged Tokyo workers to go home early.

Airlines have cancelled scores of domestic and international flights to and from Tokyo’s Haneda airport and the main Narita Airport east of the capital.

The ANA group scrapped 36 domestic flights as well as international flights from Narita to Shanghai and Hong Kong.

The typhoon is the latest weather front to batter Japan, which has been sweating through a record and deadly heatwave. This followed devastating heavy rain in central and western parts of the country in July.

The record rains caused flooding and landslides that killed more than 200 people and devastated swathes of the country.

The ministry today marked Asean Day by launching a book and photography exhibition “Vivid Asean” at the Asean Central Centre in Rajdamnoen Klang Avenue.

“The book features the diversity of Asean cultures, their similarities and differences,” Culture Minister Vira Rojpojchanara told The Nation, adding that the English version would be launched next year.

“By learning about the history and culture of our neighbouring countries, we will better understand [each other] and live together harmoniously.”

He said Thailand would be seeking the cultural cooperation of Asean members at their meeting in Indonesia in October.

“Next year, Thailand will host a variety of cultural Asean activities with the bigger ones including the Ramayana Festival, Asean films and food festivals,” Vira said.

The 200-page book features 13 chapters on topics ranging from food, architecture, costumes, lifestyle, cultural performances and religions. It concludes by showing how Thailand is a multicultural nation.

National artist and photographer Teerapap Lohitkul, the book’s editor-in-chief, teamed up with SeaWrite Awardee Jeeranan Pitpreecha, photographer Sayan Chuenudomsavad and author Hor Supawut Jantasaro to put together the book, which is illustrated with more than 300 beautiful images of all things Asean. The book is available at the Asean Central Centre and the show runs until August 26.

Stephanie Ray, a 15-year-old girl from the town of Dudley in England, had to bid farewell to her 16-year-old boyfriend Blake Ward who was swept out to sea last week.

He was one of the three teenagers rescued last Tuesday from the waters in Tywyn, Gwynedd in northwest Wales after being swept out by currents during a family trip.

He was flown to a hospital in Liverpool and placed on life support. He died five days later.

As a final goodbye, she climbed onto his hospital bed and lay down next to him as he passed away. Stephanie took to Facebook recently to share the heartbreaking photo.

“Today has been the hardest day for me and it will be a day I will never be able to forget,” Stephanie wrote on Facebook alongside the photo.

“Blake was someone special to me and we had something special and we will always have that,” she wrote.

“I will never forget you Blake. Fly high my baby boy and I’m gonna make you proud. Love you and I always will,” she wrote.

The raging Mendocino Complex fire comprising twin blazes in the state’s north has now ravaged almost 300,000 acres (120,000 hectares) — approximately the size of sprawling Los Angeles — in less than two weeks, becoming California’s largest wildfire since record-keeping began a century ago.

Some 14,000 firefighters, including reinforcements from as far away as Australia and New Zealand, are combating the firestorm which remains just 34 percent contained.

The River Fire of the Mendocino Complex is 78 percent contained, having burned 48,920 acres. But its partner blaze the Ranch Fire has grown to 243,772 acres and is just 20 percent contained.

“Still a lot of work to do,” said Charlie Blankenheim, a chief of fire fighting operations. “But we have got a plan for all of it, we think that in a day or two we are going to have some success and start to wrap this up.”

Limited access, heavy fuel loads, low fuel moisture and high temperatures were all impeding firefighters’ efforts to rein in the conflagration, the state’s CalFire authority said.

Overall, the Mendocino Complex fire has destroyed at least 143 structures, 75 of them residences. More than 11,000 other structures are threatened, according to CalFire.

The Ranch fire, which poses the biggest challenge, has swept across natural barriers like rivers, and a ditch dug with earth-moving machinery.

Helicopters and airplanes, including two massive DC-10s and a 747 jumbo jet, were supporting firefighters by dousing the flames with water.

Two people have died in that inferno alone, taking to 11 the number of people killed by major fires that are becoming something of a constant in the state.

The Carr Fire to the north has meanwhile engulfed 167,113 acres since igniting July 23, killing seven people so far.

Firefighters have managed to get it 47 percent contained, challenged by varying wind patterns and rough terrain that includes steep drainages. At one point, it even whipped up a tornado of orange flame.

Another major fire, Ferguson, has left two people dead and forced the closure of part of the Yosemite National Park. It is currently only 38 percent contained.

Several thousand people have been evacuated, although some have been given permission in recent days to return home.

The weather forecast for the rest of the week is for more hot, dry weather of the kind that helps fires spread.

The Mendocino Complex is the second fire to break records in California in as many years, following the Thomas Fire in December 2017 that destroyed 281,893 acres.

“This is part of a trend — a new normal — that we got to deal with,” Governor Jerry Brown told journalists of the “horrific” wildfires.

– Climate change effects –

In the state’s south near San Diego, hundreds of personnel were deploying to tackle the fast-moving Holy Fire in the Cleveland National Forest.

After igniting in a relatively small area on Monday afternoon, it mushroomed to 4,000 acres and is spreading, according to the US Forest Service.

Two other national forests in the counties of Los Angeles and Ventura were on high alert because of searing temperatures, strong winds and parched vegetation.

“If fire ignition occurs, conditions are favorable for very rapid fire spread,” the National Weather Service warned in a statement, saying “extreme fire behavior” could “threaten life and property.”

On Monday, the Pentagon said it would send 200 soldiers to assist firefighters in fending off the flames, many of which have encroached on federal lands.

Speaking from his New Jersey golf course, President Donald Trump paid tribute to firefighters and emergency crews.

“It’s been a very tough situation taking place in California for a number of years. And we’re going to have some meetings about it, because there are reasons and there are things you can do to mitigate what’s happening,” he said.

“We’re deeply grateful to our incredible firefighters and first responders. They’re really brave people.”

The shallow 6.9-magnitude quake killed at least 105 people and triggered panic among locals and tourists on Lombok on Sunday, just a week after another tremor surged through the holiday island and killed 17.

Some 236 people have been severely injured in the latest quake, with tens of thousands of homes damaged, and authorities have appealed for more medical personnel and basic supplies.

“The efforts to evacuate people have been intensified but there are still a lot of problems on the ground,” national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said Wednesday.

“The number of victims keep rising. More than 70,000 people have been evacuated and tens of thousands of houses have collapsed.”

There are fears the death toll will rise as workers with heavy machinery claw through the rubble of homes, schools and mosques, with hopes of finding any survivors fading.

Muhammad Zainul Majdi, the governor of West Nusa Tenggara province which covers Lombok, said there was a dire need for medical staff, food and medicine in the worst-hit areas.

Hundreds of bloodied and bandaged victims have been treated outside damaged hospitals in the main city of Mataram and other badly affected areas.

“We have limited human resources. Some paramedics have to be at the shelters, some need to be mobile,” Majdi told AFP.

“The scale of this quake is massive for us here in West Nusa Tenggara, this is our first experience.”

‘Destruction almost 100 percent’

Across much of the island, once-bustling villages have been turned into virtual ghost towns.

“In some villages we visited the destruction was almost 100 percent, all houses collapsed, roads are cracked and bridges were broken,” said Arifin Muhammad Hadi, a spokesman for the Indonesian Red Cross.

Makeshift encampments have popped up on the side of roads and rice fields, with many farmers reluctant to move far from their damaged homes and leave precious livestock behind.

“It’s typical of earthquake victims in Indonesia, they want to stay close to their livelihood, they can’t bring their livestock to the shelters,” Hadi said.

Local authorities, international relief groups and the central government have begun organising aid, but shattered roads have slowed efforts to reach survivors in the mountainous north and east of Lombok, which was hardest hit.

The Indonesian military said that three Hercules transporter planes packed with much-needed food, medication, blankets, tents and water tanks have now arrived in Lombok.

Tourists flee

The tremor struck as evening prayers were being said across the Muslim-majority island and there are fears that one collapsed mosque in north Lombok had been filled with worshippers.

Crews using heavy equipment resumed the search Wednesday for survivors in the mosque, now reduced to pile of concrete and metal bars, with its towering green dome folded in on itself.

Rescuers have found three bodies and also managed to pull one man alive from the twisted wreckage.

“We estimate there are still more victims because we found many sandals in front of the mosque,” Nugroho said Tuesday.

Among other major buildings to collapse were a health clinic, government offices and other public facilities, he added.

Meanwhile, the evacuation of tourists from the Gili Islands, three tiny, coral-fringed tropical islands off the northwest coast of Lombok has finished, officials said.

“Most foreign tourists have been evacuated,” Yusuf Latif, national search and rescue team spokesman, told AFP.

Lombok airport’s general manager said airlines had laid on extra flights and his staff had been providing blankets and snacks.

GTI is a subsidiary of state-owned constriction company PT Wijayaa Karya (Wika).

“For the time being, we focus to meet the need of companies and individuals, who have made orders to our products. We will expand our factory so that we can fulfill more demand from the people,” GTI CEO Harun Sjech said on Tuesday, during Research, Technology and Higher Education Minister Mohamad Nasir’s visit to the factory.

Harun said that the Gesits electric motorcycles used 89 percent local components, with the 11 percent using imported components.

“There are local businesses that could produce the [imported] components, but we must wait a year for the parts to meet the needs of mass production,” Harun said in a press release The Jakarta Post received on Wednesday.

Wika president director Tumiyana said GTI had set its initial annual production at 50,000 motorcycles. “We will gradually increase our capacity to 100,000 motorcycles annually,” he added.

Meanwhile, technology minister Nasir said that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo was upbeat about launching the Gesits electric motorcycles, adding that the State Palace had already ordered 50 motorcycles.

“The President wants to try the Gesits before the motorcycles are distributed commercially,” Nasir said on the sidelines of his factory visit.

The charges were read out in Malay and Najib said “faham” (understood) after the charges were read out by a court interpreter. No plea was recorded.

Sessions Court judge Azura Alwi allowed an application by the prosecution to transfer the Amla cases to the High Court.

The former prime minister was accused of receiving RM27mil, RM5mil and RM10mil – which were obtained from illegal activities through Real Time Electronic Transfer of Funds and Securities (Rentas) into his bank account in three separate transactions.