Malaysia’s domestic soccer league was meant to kick off on Friday with a match between its top two teams that serves both as the Malaysia Charity Shield and the league curtain-raiser.

But after three players were targeted in the last week—one left hospitalized after an acid attack, another in stitches from a violent home robbery, and a third not physically harmed but traumatized after a couple motorcyclists smashed his car with a hammer while he was inside—one of the teams has pulled out, citing criminal incidents and threats.

“Given the uncertainties surrounding the club at present, Selangor FC would like to emphasize that the safety of the team is of utmost importance and we take all forms of violence and threats seriously,” the club said in a statement on Wednesday. The decision came after the club requested, apparently unsuccessfully, that the Football Association of Malaysia and Malaysian Football League postpone the Friday match. Organizers said that they had imposed tighter security, and the rest of the league games this weekend are expected to go on as planned.

Selangor FC’s decision to pull out of the Friday match was supported by Selangor ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, who said via a statement from his royal office that he was disappointed by the Malaysia Football League’s rejection of Selangor FC’s request to postpone the match, emphasizing that “the priority now is the life and safety of players and not the winning of trophies.”

Selangor’s opponent, Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT), which was declared the winner of the match by forfeiture, said in a statement that it was “disappointed” by Selangor FC’s withdrawal and urged it to reconsider, citing concern that the move “could set a precedent of teams pulling out because they feel unsafe.”

Unprecedented attacks

It remains unclear what the motivations behind each of the attacks were or if they were related.

The first incident occurred last Thursday, when Akhyar Rashid, a 25-year-old Malaysian men’s national team player and JDT forward currently on loan to Terengganu FC, suffered minor injuries to his head and legs when his condo in the eastern state of Terengganu was robbed.

The second came on Sunday, when Selangor FC’s Faisal Halim, a 26-year-old winger who also plays for the Malaysia men’s national team and scored the goal of the tournament in the 2023 Asian Cup, was splashed with sulfuric acid at a shopping mall outside the capital Kuala Lumpur. He remains in intensive care with fourth-degree burns, has undergone two surgeries, and will receive a skin graft this week. He’s expected to be out of action for at least six months, as his movement and speech have been affected by the attack. A suspect in his 20s was arrested.

A third incident was reported on Wednesday, when another JDT and national team player, 36-year-old Safiq Rahim, shared on social media that he was threatened late Tuesday night after he left the JDT training grounds in Johor by two assailants who intercepted his car and battered his rear windshield before leaving without harming him. Safiq also shared that he filed a local police report, and the police confirmed to local media that they are investigating the incident.

“I never thought that I would be attacked near the JDT training centre,” Safiq said on social media. “We have to be more careful in such times.”

Hamidin Mohamad Amin, the president of the Football Association of Malaysia, told AFP that attacks on players like the ones over the last week have “never happened in the history of Malaysian football.” He also announced plans to tighten security at the national team’s training sites and advised high-profile athletes to hire personal bodyguards.

Fallout and investigation

Police told reporters that it was too early to tell if the attack on Safiq is related to the previous ones on Faisal and Akhyar and told the public to refrain from speculating.

Still, rumors surrounding the closely timed incidents are rife, fuelled by, according to observers, reticence and opacity from authorities. Some believe that the attacks come from bookies trying to fix matches, while other theories blame fans from rival teams.

“Everything is madness at the moment. Nobody knows what to do and nobody knows what is going to happen next,” an unnamed former international player told the Guardian of the recent attacks.

JDT warned its players on Wednesday to pay more attention to their surroundings and social media activity.

Selangor’s Sultan Sharafuddin also said in another statement that he hoped police investigation would “cover the possibility of involving group activities with malicious intentions or public evasion such as football thugs or hooliganism.”

Malaysia has long grappled with hooliganism in its soccer scene, dominated by hardcore fans loyal to the different state clubs. In November, police arrested over 20 people in what they described as a premeditated brawl between supporters of Selangor and Perak. 

The recent attacks on players have also sparked concern from lawmakers. “No violence in sports!” Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh posted on X in the wake of the acid attack on Faisal, as she urged the police to take action. Karim Hamzah, the youth and sports minister for the state of Sarawak, told reporters on Wednesday that he hoped “authorities will go right to the roots of the problem.”

“If it involves bookies or (betting) syndicates,” Karim said, “it needs to be addressed properly.”

Malaysia plans to gift orangutans to its major buyers of palm oil, a commodity long blamed for destroying habitats of the endangered apes.

The world’s second-biggest palm grower is taking inspiration from China’s “Panda Diplomacy,” and is considering to gift the orange-haired mammals to some of its trading partners, including the European Union, as part of the country’s “strategic diplomatic move.”

Read More: How Pandas Are Becoming a Tool of Chinese Diplomacy

“This will be a manifestation of how Malaysia preserves wildlife and ensures sustainability of our forests, especially within the palm oil plantation landscape,” Johari Abdul Ghani, the Southeast Asian nation’s plantations and commodities minister, said in a post on X. The move will prove to the world that Malaysia is committed to biodiversity conservation, he said.

The idea follows accusations and restrictions by some palm oil importers, such as Europe, that its cultivation destroys rainforests, drives endangered animals toward extinction, and is linked to labor abuse. Environmental groups have stepped up scrutiny of the crop, while the EU is introducing rules to stop products that cause deforestation from being sold in shops.

“Malaysia must not take a defensive stance on palm oil,” Johari said. “Instead, we have to show the world that Malaysia is a producer of sustainable palm oil and is committed to safeguard forests as well as environmental sustainability.”

Indonesia and Malaysia, the world’s top palm oil producers that collectively account for about 85% of global output, have pledged to work together to counter “anti-palm oil campaigns” launched by some western countries. Palm oil is a versatile ingredient found in products such as pizza, instant noodles, and shampoo.

Orangutans are found in the rainforests of the Southeast Asian islands of Borneo and Sumatra, according to the World Wildlife Fund. The great apes are critically endangered — with their population estimated at about 120,000 — and threatened by rapid deforestation mainly due to palm oil and other agriculture plantations, the organization said.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol issued his first apology over his wife receiving a luxury handbag under questionable circumstances, highlighting his efforts to set a new course for his government after a stinging defeat in parliamentary elections.

In his first news conference in about two years, Yoon pledged Thursday to improve livelihoods and create a new ministry to boost the country’s birthrate, which is ranked lowest in the world and threatens long-term economic prospects.

He also laid out priorities for his remaining time in office, which include taming inflation, boosting growth led by the private sector and raising the basic pension for senior citizens to 400,000 won ($292) a month. Shares of South Korean companies related to baby products and services soared on Yoon’s plans to increase the birthrate.

Read More: Why Experts Say South Korea Shouldn’t Just Throw Cash at Its Low Birth Rate Problem

The president has little room to maneuver for the remainder of his single, five-year term after the election last month in which the opposition bloc led by the progressive Democratic Party increased its majority in parliament.

“For the next three years, we will listen closely to the voice of the people and work to improve their livelihoods,” Yoon said. His government, which backs business-friendly policies, has fallen short in some areas but added there are “green lights” ahead for the economy, the president said. 

Last month, the central bank held its key rate at 3.5% for a 10th consecutive time, pledging to keep its focus on fighting inflation. The economy grew more than twice as fast as expected in the first quarter largely thanks to export growth and a rebound in construction investment.

The president sought to further boost ties with the U.S. and Japan, which have been a trademark of his tenure. He said this would help in ensuring security in the region to counter threats from the likes of North Korea and expand economic opportunities.

Read More: The U.S. Is Beefing Up Alliances Across Asia—But Don’t Expect an ‘Asian NATO’ Anytime Soon

Yoon pledged to overhaul his administration after the election defeat and work with parliament to advance structural reform for the labor, education, pension and medical systems. But one of his most pressing tasks might be trying to thwart plans from the Democratic Party for probes that could embarrass his government—including one concerning the first lady.

The Democratic Party has sought legislation to start an investigation of Yoon’s wife, Kim Keon Hee, after a secretly recorded video surfaced several months ago that purportedly showed her receiving a Dior handbag. Yoon and his wife have denied any wrongdoing, and the president has said the bag was part of a “political maneuver.”

“I apologize for causing concern to the public due to my wife’s unwise behavior,” Yoon said at the news conference.

Read More: South Korea’s ‘Dior Bag Scandal,’ Explained

On Tuesday, Yoon appointed a former prosecutor as the new senior secretary to the president for civil affairs, a post he had previously removed, citing excessive power it could wield on government agencies, including the prosecutors’ office. Yoon has said the move was aimed at better listening to public opinion but the opposition criticized the appointment as an attempt to control prosecutors.

Yoon took power after winning by a razor thin margin and has since seen his support fall to among the lowest for any South Korean president, reaching 23% in a weekly Gallup Korea tracking poll after the April election.

The election result derailed Yoon’s plan to push through initiatives to benefit investors such as scuttling a capital gains tax, and it may have doomed his flagship policy of boosting stock valuations via the “Corporate Value-Up” program.

Policies being pushed by the Democratic Party include a 13 trillion won plan to extend cash handouts to households as a way to boost flagging consumer demand. Yoon has rejected the idea, saying it would spur inflation and strain the budget.

At the news conference, Yoon pledged support for companies that power the export-driven economy, especially the makers of semiconductors. He also called for opposition parties’ cooperation to abolish the upcoming financial income tax, saying it would cause a huge amount of money to flow out of the stock market.

The president’s main foreign policy initiatives include closer security cooperation with the U.S. and Japan, and taking a tough line with North Korea. Even though the Democratic Party has favored rapprochement with Pyongyang and improving relations with Beijing, it has little power in parliament to set a foreign policy agenda.

Yoon will face a test on the diplomatic front later this month when Seoul is set to host the first three-way summit since 2019 of figures from China, Japan and South Korea. There is also speculation he could have formal discussions in July with U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to build on their security cooperation.

“We must not miss this opportunity to revitalize the economy and open new avenues for diplomacy,” Yoon said. 

U.S. President Joe Biden said he would halt additional shipments of offensive weapons to Israel if the country launched a ground invasion of Rafah, decrying the potential loss of civilian life as “just wrong.”

“We’re going to continue to make sure Israel is secure in terms of Iron Dome and their ability to respond to attacks that came out of the Middle East recently,” Biden said in an interview Wednesday with CNN, referring to air-defense weaponry. “But it’s, it’s just wrong. We’re not going to—we’re not going to supply the weapons and artillery shells.”

The remarks came after the U.S. paused delivery of about 3,500 bombs to Israel—including 2,000-pound (900-kilogram) explosives that could cause massive damage in the densely packed southern Gaza city of Rafah—amid mounting frustration over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s conduct of the war in Gaza. The move marked the Biden administration’s most serious signal of displeasure over the conduct of the ongoing war against Hamas.

“Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers,” Biden said.

Netanyahu hasn’t publicly responded but Israeli officials made clear their displeasure. Itamar Ben Gvir, the national security minister, used a heart emoji to describe what Hamas would think of Biden’s decision.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Rafah must be attacked and “the sooner the better.”

“We simply have no choice as this war is an existential one and anything other than complete victory will put the existence of the Jewish state in danger,” he said.

Read More: The Coming Showdown Over Rafah

Earlier Wednesday, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the U.S. is reviewing “other potential weapon systems.” A congressional aide and an administration official, who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations, said another pending arms sale has been under review for months—a potential $260 million sale between Boeing Co. and Israel for as many as 6,500 tail-kits to convert unguided bombs into GPS-guided Joint Direct Attack Munitions.

Yet even as tension mounts, Biden administration officials and former officials said the moves had a clearly defined goal: exert as much pressure as possible on Israel to scale back or abandon an invasion of Rafah while being careful not to make a total break with Netanyahu’s government.

The administration also wants to preserve space for negotiators who have convened in Cairo this week to keep striving for a cease-fire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas. Officials in those talks include Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns, who is trying to bring home a deal whose prospects have whipsawed between hopeful and grim.

Read More: Hamas Leader Says Israel Killing His Family Won’t Affect Ceasefire Negotiations

“The pause in arms shipments should not be read as a major break in the relationship,” said Mara Rudman, who held senior Middle East diplomatic roles in the Obama and Clinton administrations and is now a professor at the University of Virginia. “Consider it as an element in the mix at a key inflection point—maximizing efforts to reach a cease-fire that brings out hostages, brings in humanitarian relief and starts to build a pathway to greater sanity all around.”

It all comes at a critical juncture in the seven-month old conflict. Biden is facing domestic pressure for a solution with U.S. elections just six months away. At the same time, Israel has begun strikes in Rafah that could either pressure Hamas leaders into signing a cease-fire deal or scuttle the negotiations entirely.

Biden’s decision on the arms supplies marks one of the most significant moments of discord between Israel and its most important ally since Hamas’s Oct. 7 assault, which started the war. Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the U.S., killed 1,200 people and abducted about 250 when its fighters stormed into southern Israel from Gaza.

The U.S. has stepped up its criticism of Israel in recent months, saying it’s not doing enough to protect civilians and allow aid into the besieged Palestinian territory, parts of which the United Nations says are on the verge of famine. “There have been far too many casualties in this battle space,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in congressional testimony Wednesday. Israel’s bombardment and ground offensive in Gaza have killed almost 35,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Biden’s decision was immediately assailed by the Israelis, who privately expressed deep frustration to the U.S. and warned that it could jeopardize the negotiations at a crucial moment, according to a person briefed on the discussions. The Israelis also told U.S. officials that pressure should be put on Hamas, not on Israel, said the person, who also asked not to be named to speak freely about private discussions.

It was also assailed by Republican lawmakers in Washington, who accused the administration of sending the wrong message to Hamas and other Iran-backed militant groups such as Hezbollah.

The pauses “call into question your pledge that your commitment to Israel’s security will remain ironclad,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a joint letter to Biden Wednesday. “Daylight between the United States and Israel at this dangerous time risks emboldening Israel’s enemies and undermining the trust that other allies and partners have in the United States.”

While the administration has warned against a large-scale Israeli move on Rafah, where there are intact battalions of Hamas fighters, U.S. officials have signaled they would accept a more surgical, targeted campaign. Biden told CNN that Israel’s actions in Rafah—including air strikes near border areas—had not yet crossed the line.

“They haven’t gone into the population centers. What they did is right on the border. And it’s causing problems with, right now, in terms of—with Egypt, which I’ve worked very hard to make sure we have a relationship and help,” he said.

Biden told Netanyahu last month, following the killing of World Central Kitchen aid workers in an Israeli strike, that ongoing U.S. support for the war would depend on new steps to protect civilians.

Read More: The U.S.-Israel Spat Over Rafah Is a Distraction

“I’ve made it clear to Bibi and the war cabinet: They’re not going to get our support, if in fact they go on these population centers,” Biden said Wednesday, referencing the Israeli prime minister’s nickname.

The U.S. also stopped far short of halting all military aid to Israel. The U.S. recently signed a foreign-aid package that contains billions of dollars of fresh assistance for Israel. The paused bomb shipment isn’t connected to those funds, Austin said. Arms transfers that are under review were drawn from previously appropriated money, and the White House is committed to ensuring Israel gets all the new national security aid, he said.

While the administration’s actions this week might represent the toughest U.S. stance on Israel’s behavior so far, it’s still been handled in a way that shows both sides want to keep the relationship on solid ground, according to Gerald Feierstein, a veteran U.S. diplomat who’s now a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute.

At the same time, he said, other developments could further strain the U.S.-Israel relationship, including a government memorandum due this week that outlines whether the U.S. believes Israel violated international humanitarian law in Gaza.

“We still see the administration not being willing to risk an open break or an open confrontation with the Israelis,” he said. “A lot of it just depends on how things play out in Rafah and whether it gets worse.”

(LOS ANGELES) — The former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has agreed to plead guilty to bank and tax fraud in a sports betting case in which prosecutors allege he stole nearly $17 million from the Japanese baseball player to pay off debts, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.

The scandal surrounding Ippei Mizuhara shocked baseball fans from the U.S. to Japan when the news broke in March.

Mizuhara will plead guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of subscribing to a false tax return, the U.S. Justice Department announced. The bank fraud charge carries a maximum of 30 years in federal prison, and the false tax return charge carries a sentence of up to three years in federal prison.

The plea agreement says Mizuhara will be required to pay Ohtani restitution that could total nearly $17 million, as well as more than $1 million to the IRS. Those amounts could change prior to sentencing.

Mizuhara will enter his guilty plea in the coming weeks and is set to be arraigned May 14, prosecutors said.

“The extent of this defendant’s deception and theft is massive,” United States Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement. “He took advantage of his position of trust to take advantage of Mr. Ohtani and fuel a dangerous gambling habit.”

Mizuhara exploited his personal and professional relationship with Ohtani to plunder millions from the two-way player’s account for years, at times impersonating Ohtani to bankers, prosecutors said. Mizuhara’s winning bets totaled over $142 million, which he deposited in his own bank account and not Ohtani’s. But his losing bets were around $183 million, a net loss of nearly $41 million. He did not wager on baseball.

Mizuhara helped Ohtani open a bank account in 2018 and began stealing money from that account in 2021, according to the plea agreement. At one point, Mizuhara charged the security protocols, email and phone number associated with it so that calls came directly to him, not Ohtani, when the back was trying to verify wire transfers. Mizuhara impersonated Ohtani to the bank about 24 times, according to the agreement.

Mizuhara also admitted to falsifying his 2022 tax returns by underreporting his income by more than $4 million.

Mizuhara’s attorney, Michael G. Freedman, did not comment on the deal Wednesday.

There was no evidence that Ohtani was involved in or aware of Mizuhara’s gambling, and the player is cooperating with investigators, authorities said.

The Los Angeles Times and ESPN broke the news of the prosecution in late March, prompting the Dodgers to fire the interpreter and MLB to open its own investigation.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he had no comment on the plea deal Wednesday, adding, “I just hope it is more closure on the situation.”

MLB rules prohibit players and team employees from wagering on baseball, even legally. MLB also bans betting on other sports with illegal or offshore bookmakers.

Mizuhara has been free on an unsecured $25,000 bond, colloquially known as a signature bond, meaning he did not have to put up any cash or collateral to be freed. If he violates the bond conditions — which include a requirement to undergo gambling addiction treatment — he will be on the hook for $25,000.

Ohtani has sought to focus on the field as the case winds through the courts. Hours after his ex-interpreter first appeared in court in April, he hit his 175th home run in MLB, tying Hideki Matsui for the most by a Japan-born player, during the Dodgers’ 8-7 loss to the San Diego Padres in 11 innings.

(DALLAS) — A thick atmosphere has been detected around a planet that’s twice as big as Earth in a nearby solar system, researchers reported Wednesday.

The so-called super Earth — known as 55 Cancri e — is among the few rocky planets outside our solar system with a significant atmosphere, wrapped a blanket of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. The exact amounts are unclear. Earth’s atmosphere is a blend of nitrogen, oxygen, argon and other gases.

“It’s probably the firmest evidence yet that this planet has an atmosphere,” said Ian Crossfield, an astronomer at the University of Kansas who studies exoplanets and was not involved with the research.

The research was published in the journal Nature.

Super Earth refers to a planet’s size — bigger than Earth but smaller than Neptune. The boiling temperatures on this planet — which can reach as hot as 4,200 degrees Fahrenheit (2,300 degrees Celsius) – mean that it is unlikely to host life.

Instead, scientists say the discovery is a promising sign that other such rocky planets with thick atmospheres could exist that may be more hospitable.

The exoplanet 41 light years away is eight times heavier than Earth and circles its star Copernicus so closely that it has permanent day and night sides. A light-year is nearly 6 trillion miles (9.7 trillion kilometers). Its surface is encrusted with magma oceans.

To identify the makeup of its atmosphere, researchers studied Webb Space Telescope observations before and after the planet passed behind its star.

They separated the light emitted from the planet versus its star and used the data to calculate the planet’s temperature. There’s evidence the planet’s heat was being distributed more evenly across its surface – a party trick atmospheres are known for.

Gases from its magma oceans may play a key role in holding its atmosphere steady. Exploring this super Earth may also yield clues to how Earth and Mars might have evolved first with magma oceans that have since cooled, scientists say.

“It’s a rare window,” said Renyu Hu, a planetary scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, who was part of the research. “We can look into this early phase of planet evolution.”

Two singers who performed as part of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden on Tuesday were reprimanded by event organizers for wearing pro-Palestinian symbols.

Opening act performer Eric Saade wore a kaffiyeh—a headscarf that can be a symbol of Palestinian solidarity—on his wrist during the show Tuesday. And Irish contestant Bambie Thug told reporters that same night that contest organizers “ordered” them to change their stage make-up before their semi-final performance because of its pro-Palestine references, according to BBC.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes the international songwriting competition, admonished both performers for donning the attire during what they insist should remain an apolitical event.

An EBU spokesperson tells TIME that Saade didn’t wear a kaffiyeh during his rehearsals, but “put it on without anyone noticing before the live broadcast.”

“We regret that Eric Saade chose to compromise the non-political nature of the event,” the spokesperson says in an emailed statement. “He was aware of the rules that apply when you stand on the Eurovision stage.”

Saade, whose father is of Palestinian origin, is not a contestant this year, but is a former Swedish Eurovision contestant who performed during the show’s opening act Tuesday. “This was just my way of showing a part of my origin,” Saade said in a statement posted to his Instagram story on Wednesday. “I got that keffiyeh from my dad when I was a little boy, to never forget where the family comes from. Back then, I didn’t know it would one day be called a ‘political symbol by EBU. It’s like calling the ‘Swedish Dala horse’ a political symbol… In my eyes, it’s just racism.”

“I just wanted to be inclusive and wear something that is authentic to mebut the EBU seems to think my ethnicity is controversial. It says nothing about me, but everything about them,” he continued.

Read More: Sweden Tightens Security At Eurovision Amid Pro-Palestinian Protests

Bambie Thug, a non-binary artist, initially had the words “Ceasefire” and “Freedom for Palestine” written in an ancient Celtic script known as Ogham on their face and legs as part of their costume make-up, but was told to change the writing before their performance Tuesday, according to The Irish Times.

“It was very important for me because I am pro-justice and pro-peace,” they said during a press conference after the semi-final, as reported by The Irish Times. “Unfortunately I had to change those messages today to ‘Crown the witch’ only, in order from the EBU.”

An EBU spokesperson tells TIME that organizers saw the writing on Bambie Thug’s body during dress rehearsals and that it “contravened Contest rules that are designed to protect the non-political nature of the event.” Organizers discussed it with Bambie Thug, who then agreed to change the text for the live performance, the spokesperson added.

Before the competition, more than 400 Irish artists signed a letter calling for Bambie Thug to boycott Eurovision this year in solidarity with Palestine, according to The Irish Times. The performer responded to the letter via Instagram on March 29, saying that “stepping back now would mean one less pro-Palestinian voice at the contest.” The performer ended up qualifying for the contest’s grand final Tuesday, the first time Ireland has advanced to the final round since 2018.

This year’s competition has generated a lot of controversy related to the war in Gaza. Many activists and viewers have criticized organizers for allowing Israel to participate in the contest, so much so that the official Eurovision website includes a page of Frequently Asked Questions dedicated to addressing this issue. Officials have increased security in Malmo because of the thousands of people expected to protest Israel’s participation in the contest. Pro-Palestinian protests are expected to coincide with the competition’s second semi-final and the grand final Thursday and Saturday, respectively.

(BANGKOK) — The prime minister of Thailand, the first country in Asia to legalize cannabis two years ago, said Wednesday that he wants to outlaw the drug again amid concerns that the lack of regulation had made it available to children and increased crimes.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin wrote on the social media platform X that he asked the Health Ministry to amend its list of narcotics to again include cannabis, and issue new rules to allow its use for medical purposes only.

Srettha also ordered local authorities to suppress criminal activities linked to the illegal drug trade and demanded to see progress within 90 days.

After cannabis was decriminalized in 2022, it was initially said that it would be allowed only for medicinal use, but in practice the market was unregulated. It has prompted public backlash and concerns over misuse and crime.

Decriminalization was spearheaded by the Bhumjaithai Party, whose stronghold is in the impoverished northeast where it promised farmers cannabis would be a new cash crop.

In the 2023 elections, all major parties — including Bhumjaithai — promised to restrict cannabis for medical use.

Cannabis advocates and entrepreneurs have opposed a radical rollback, which they claimed would be damaging to the economy. Legal cannabis has fueled Thailand’s tourism and farming sectors and spawned thousands of cannabis retails ranging from shops, trucks to market stalls all over the country.

(NEW YORK) — All dogs coming into the U.S. from other countries must be at least 6 months old and microchipped to help prevent the spread of rabies, according to new government rules published Wednesday.

The new rules require vaccination for dogs that have been in countries where rabies is common. The update applies to dogs brought in by breeders or rescue groups as well as pets traveling with their U.S. owners.

“This new regulation is going to address the current challenges that we’re facing,” said Emily Pieracci, a rabies expert at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who was involved in drafting the updated regulations.

The CDC posted the new rules in the federal register on Wednesday. They take effect Aug. 1 when a temporary 2021 order expires. That order suspended bringing in dogs from more than 100 countries where rabies is still a problem.

The new rules require all dogs entering the U.S. to be at least 6 months, old enough to be vaccinated if required and for the shots to take effect; have a microchip placed under their skin with a code that can be used to verify rabies vaccination; and have completed a new CDC import form.

There may be additional restrictions and requirements based on where the dog was the previous six months, which may include blood testing from CDC-approved labs.

The CDC regulations were last updated in 1956, and a lot has changed, Pieracci said. More people travel internationally with their pets, and more rescue groups and breeders have set up overseas operations to meet the demand for pets, she said. Now, about 1 million dogs enter the U.S. each year.

Dogs were once common carriers of the rabies virus in the U.S. but the type that normally circulates in dogs was eliminated through vaccinations in the 1970s. The virus invades the central nervous system and is usually a fatal disease in animals and humans. It’s most commonly spread through a bite from an infected animal. There is no cure for it once symptoms begin.

Four rabid dogs have been identified entering the U.S. since 2015, and officials worried more might get through. CDC officials also were seeing an increase of incomplete or fraudulent rabies vaccination certificates and more puppies denied entry because they weren’t old enough to be fully vaccinated.

A draft version of the updated regulations last year drew a range of public comments.

Angela Passman, owner of a Dallas company that helps people move their pets internationally, supports the new rules. It can especially tricky for families that buy or adopt a dog while overseas and then try to bring it to the U.S., she said. The update means little change from how things have been handled in recent years, she said.

“It’s more work for the pet owner, but the end result is a good thing,” said Passman, who is a board member for the International Pet and Animal Transportation Association.

But Jennifer Skiff said some of the changes are unwarranted and too costly. She works for Animal Wellness Action, a Washington group focused on preventing animal cruelty that helps organizations import animals. She said those groups work with diplomats and military personnel who have had trouble meeting requirements, and was a reason some owners were forced to leave their dogs behind.

JERUSALEM — The Israeli military said Wednesday that it has reopened its Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza after days of closure, but the U.N. said no humanitarian aid has yet entered and there is no one to receive it on the Palestinian side after workers fled during Israel’s military incursion in the area.

The Kerem Shalom crossing between Gaza and Israel was closed over the weekend after a Hamas rocket attack killed four Israeli soldiers nearby, and on Tuesday, an Israeli tank brigade seized the nearby Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, forcing its closure. The two facilities are the main terminals for entry of food, medicine and other supplies essential for the survival of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million Palestinians.

The Israeli foray did not appear to be the start of the full-scale invasion of the city of Rafah that Israel has repeatedly promised. But aid officials warn that the prolonged closure of the two crossings could cause the collapse of aid operations, worsening the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where the U.N. says a “full-blown famine” is already underway in the north.

The United States paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on Rafah, in a further widening of divisions between the two close allies.

The U.S. says it is concerned over the fate of around 1.3 million Palestinians crammed into Rafah, most of whom fled fighting elsewhere. Israel says Rafah is Hamas’ last stronghold and that a wider offensive there is needed to dismantle the group’s military and governing capabilities.

The U.S., Egypt and Qatar are meanwhile ramping up efforts to close the gaps in a possible agreement for at least a temporary cease-fire and the release of some of the scores of Israeli hostages still held by Hamas. Israel has linked the threatened Rafah operation to the fate of those negotiations. CIA chief William Burns, who has been shuttling around the region for talks on the cease-fire deal, met Wednesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a U.S. official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door negotiations.

With the seizure of Rafah, Israel now controls all of Gaza’s crossings for the first time since it withdrew troops and settlers from the territory nearly two decades ago, though it has maintained a blockade with Egypt’s cooperation for most of that time. The Rafah crossing has been a vital conduit for humanitarian aid since the start of the war and is the only place where people can enter and exit. Kerem Shalom is Gaza’s main cargo terminal.

Associated Press journalists heard sporadic explosions and gunfire in the area of the Rafah crossing overnight, including two large blasts early Wednesday. The Israeli military reported six launches from Rafah toward the Kerem Shalom crossing on Tuesday.

COGAT, the Israeli military body in charge of Palestinian civilian affairs, said the Kerem Shalom crossing reopened early Wednesday. But Juliette Touma, the director of communications for UNRWA, said no aid had entered as of midday Wednesday and that the U.N. agency had been forced to ration fuel, which is imported through Rafah.

Gaza’s Health Ministry meanwhile said at least 46 patients and wounded people who had been scheduled to leave Tuesday for medical treatment have been left stranded.

U.N. agencies and aid groups have ramped up humanitarian assistance in recent weeks as Israel has lifted some restrictions and opened an additional crossing in the north under pressure from the United States, its closest ally.

But aid workers say the closure of Rafah, which is the only gateway for the entry of fuel for trucks and generators, could have severe repercussions, and the U.N. says northern Gaza is already in a state of “full-blown famine.”

COGAT said 60 aid trucks entered through the northern crossing on Tuesday. Some 500 trucks entered Gaza every day before the war.

The war began when Hamas militants breached Israel’s defenses on Oct. 7 and swept through nearby army bases and farming communities, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting another 250. Hamas is still believed to be holding around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others after most of the rest were released during a November cease-fire.

The war has killed over 34,800 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials, and has driven some 80% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million Palestinians from their homes. Israel’s military campaign has been one of the deadliest and most destructive in recent history, reducing large parts of Gaza to rubble.

Biden has repeatedly warned Netanyahu against launching an invasion of Rafah. But Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners have threatened to bring down his government if he calls off an offensive or makes too many concessions in the cease-fire talks.

The U.S. has historically provided Israel enormous amounts of military aid, which has only accelerated since the start of the war.

The paused shipment was supposed to consist of 1,800 2,000-pound (900-kilogram) bombs and 1,700 smaller ones, with the U.S. concern focused on how the larger bombs could be used in a dense urban setting, a U.S. official said Tuesday on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter. The official said no final decision had been made yet on proceeding with the shipment.

— Magdy reported from Cairo and Lidman from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press journalists Aamer Madhani and Zeke Miller in Washington contributed.