Mongolia has officially commenced the export of live sheep to Uzbekistan, marking a significant step in agricultural trade between the two nations, local media reported on Wednesday, citing the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry.

The initiative stems from an agreement made during Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh's state visit to Uzbekistan in June, the ministry said in a statement.

During the visit, the two countries' leaders pledged to enhance cooperation in agricultural trade, specifically in the supply of wool, cashmere, leather, meat, and meat products from Mongolia to Uzbekistan and, through Uzbekistan, to other Central Asian markets.

As part of this agreement, Mongolia committed to exporting 100,000 live livestock to Uzbekistan, according to the ministry, news agency reported.

A passenger plane operated by Azerbaijan Airlines from Baku to Grozny crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau on Wednesday, Kazakhstan's Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES) said.

The Embraer 190 aircraft with flight number J2-8243 crashed near Aktau Airport. The ministry reported 28 survivors in the incident, with rescue operations ongoing.

There were 67 people on board, including 62 passengers and five crew members, Azerbaijan Airlines said on X.

According to Kazakh media reports, the passengers on board included 37 citizens from Azerbaijan, 16 from Russia, six from Kazakhstan, and three from Kyrgyzstan.

The initial cause of the tragedy appears to be a bird strike, news agency reported.

Israel's air defence systems on Wednesday intercepted a missile fired from Yemen, the Israeli military said in a statement.

The projectile "was intercepted before crossing into Israeli territory," the military said.

Sirens sounded across central Israel "due to the possibility of falling shrapnel from the interception," it added.

Magen David Adom, Israel's emergency service, said that it had treated at least nine people who were injured on their way to shelters.

For the fifth time in a week, millions of Israelis were sent to shelters as Houthi militants in Yemen launched a missile attack, the Israel Defense Forces said in a post on X.

Houthi forces have launched sporadic missile and drone attacks on Israel since October last year, citing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

The Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-People's Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP) has strongly condemned recent comments by US President-elect Donald Trump, who hinted at the possibility of taking control of the Panama Canal.

The Panama Canal is a vital international waterway protected by international law and historic agreements, including the Torrijos-Carter Treaties, the alliance said in an official statement issued in Caracas.

These treaties affirm that the canal is an integral part of Panamanian territory, the statement said.

ALBA-TCP described Trump's remarks as an act of aggression against Panama's sovereignty, warning that such statements represent a threat not only to Panama, but to the broader Latin American and Caribbean region.

China strongly urges the United States to abandon its Cold War mentality and ideological bias, and to refrain from implementing the negative content related to China in the National Defence Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025, a spokesperson from China's top legislature said Wednesday.

Noting that both houses of the US Congress passed the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2025 and President Joe Biden signed it into law, Xu Dong, spokesperson for the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), expressed China's strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the negative content targeting China.

He criticised the NDAA for repeatedly hyping up the "China threat," advocating military support for Taiwan, suppressing China's scientific, technological and economic development, restricting China-US economic, trade and people-to-people exchanges, grossly interfering in China's internal affairs, and undermining China's sovereignty, security, and development interests.

The UN General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime, a landmark global treaty in bolstering international cooperation in the fight against such crimes.

It has been the first international criminal justice treaty negotiated among UN member states in over 20 years.

The legally binding convention acknowledges the significant risks posed by the misuse of information and communications technologies, which enable criminal activities on an unprecedented scale, speed, and scope.

It highlights the adverse impacts such crimes can have on states, enterprises, and the well-being of individuals and society, and focuses on protecting them from offences such as terrorism, human trafficking, drug smuggling and online financial crimes.

The document also recognises the growing impact of cybercrime on victims and prioritises justice, especially for vulnerable groups. It underscores the need for technical assistance, capacity-building and collaboration among states and other stakeholders.

A passenger plane carrying over 100 people crashed near Aktau Airport in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, according to reports from the country's Emergencies Ministry.

Local media outlet Kazpravda.kz reported that the crash caused a fire at the site.

"A total of 52 rescuers from the Kazakh Emergencies Ministry and 11 pieces of equipment arrived at the scene. Upon arrival, they found the plane engulfed in flames. Firefighters are currently working to extinguish the blaze. Preliminary data suggests there are survivors," the Ministry stated.

Initial reports indicate that at least 105 passengers and five crew members were on board. While the exact toll remains unclear, at least 25 survivors have been reported, with 22 hospitalised.

At least 15 people, including women and children, have been killed in Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan, with the death toll expected to rise further, according to local media reports.

The strikes carried out late on Tuesday, targeted multiple areas in the Barmal district of Paktika province, dismantling a Taliban training facility, as reported by Khaama Press.

Seven villages were bombed, including Laman, where five members of a single family lost their lives, and Murg Bazaar village, which was completely destroyed.

The airstrikes have deepened Afghanistan's ongoing humanitarian crisis, causing significant destruction and civilian casualties, further straining relations between the two nations.

Turkish police detained 32 individuals in an operation targeting those allegedly linked to a network accused of orchestrating the 2016 coup attempt.

The operation, coordinated by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in Izmir, involved intelligence and counter-terrorism units across four provinces on Tuesday in Turkey, news agency reported quoting state-run TRT.

A warrant for the arrest of 35 suspects was issued after it was determined that they were active in the current structure of the Gulen movement, which the Turkish government holds responsible for the July 15, 2016 coup attempt.

The investigation also uncovered that these suspects were exploring new methods to reorganise the group and secure financial support.

Turkish police detained 16 suspects on Tuesday in an operation across four provinces for allegedly raising funds for the Islamic State (IS), local media reported.

The operation was part of an investigation conducted by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in the western city of Izmir.

The prosecutors had issued arrest warrants for 23 individuals, it said.

Following the warrants, police units raided 10 businesses across Izmir, Mersin, Adana, and Manisa, detaining 16 suspects, and seizing $4,110, 7,205 euros, 434,650 Turkish liras, 40 grams of gold, and numerous digital materials, it said.