NICOSIA, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Twenty-six countries have requested Cyprus' assistance in repatriating their nationals from both Israel and the Gaza Strip, Konstantinos Letymbiotis, spokesman for the government of Cyprus, said here on Monday.

"We are responding to the best of our abilities," Letymbiotis said.

Earlier on Monday, Cyprus' National Council examined the situation in the region and possible developments that could affect Cyprus.

MOSCOW, October 16. /TASS/: Russian air defense forces shot down two Ukrainian MiG-29 fighters and a Su-25 attack aircraft over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Monday.

"Air defense capabilities shot down two Ukrainian Air Force MiG-29 fighters and a Su-25 attack plane in areas near Arkhangelskoye in the Kherson Region, Dmitrovka and Zvonetskoye in the Dnepropetrovsk Region," the ministry said in a statement.

Tehran, IRNA - Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi stressed that supporting the oppressed people of Palestine is the definitive policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and reminded those who are silent against Israel's crimes must answer for their behavior today before God, their consciences, and the judgment of history.

Addressing the Sunday evening session of the cabinet, President Raisi condemned the terrible crimes committed by the Zionist regime against the oppressed and defenseless people of Gaza.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Malaysia does not agree with Western pressure to condemn Palestinian militant group Hamas, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Monday, amid widespread outrage over this month's deadly attack on southern Israel.

Western and European countries have repeatedly asked Malaysia to condemn Hamas in meetings, Anwar said, without providing details.

"I said that we, as a policy, have a relationship with Hamas from before and this will continue," Anwar told parliament.

WARSAW, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Poland's liberal, pro-EU opposition on Monday looked on track to form the next government after official partial results and exit polls showed the ruling nationalists losing their parliamentary majority in the nation's most pivotal election in decades.

The incumbent Law and Justice (PiS) party has repeatedly clashed with the European Union over the rule of law, media freedom, migration and LGBT rights since it swept to power in 2015. Opposition parties have vowed to mend ties with Brussels and scrap reforms they say have eroded Polish democracy.

TEL AVIV, October 16. /TASS/: Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has expressed a desire to visit Israel amid the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, but the Israeli side has made it clear to Kiev that such a visit would be untimely at the moment, the Israeli news portal Ynet said.

BAGHDAD, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese energy companies have completed the mechanical work for the first associated gas processing plant in the Halfaya oil field, which is located in Iraq's southern province of Maysan.

The plant, expected to be operational in the first half of next year, is part of Iraq's efforts to improve its capacity for processing gas, benefit economically from gas, and reduce carbon emissions.

ABU DHABI, Oct 16 (NNN-Bernama) — Malaysian Foreign Minister Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir on Sunday held a telephone conversation with his counterparts in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Brunei and Turkiye over the latest developments in Gaza and efforts to reduce escalation and protect civilians. 

He also had a conversation with the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres.

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Daniel Noboa has managed to do what his father failed at five times: Get elected as Ecuador’s president.

And he did it Sunday on his first attempt, winning a runoff in a special election against a leftist lawyer on the strength of his resume as a 35-year-old member of Ecuador’s elite, which has meant some schooling in the U.S., some entrepreneurial work, some dabbling in politics.

Now he must meet the universal demand of voters to make the South American country safe again, following a surge in unprecedented violence tied to drug trafficking.

MOSCOW, October 16. /TASS/: Israel will seek to minimize civilian casualties during the ground operation in the Gaza Strip, Israeli Ambassador to Russia Alexander Ben Zvi has told TASS.

"Of course, there is a wish to reduce civilian casualties as much as possible, as much as possible," Ben Zvi said in response to a related question.

He added that the safety of civilians was a factor taken into consideration in planning a ground operation.

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinians in besieged Gaza crowded into hospitals and schools on Monday, seeking shelter and running low on food and water. More than a million people have fled their homes ahead of an expected Israeli ground invasion aimed at destroying Hamas after its fighters rampaged through southern Israel.

MOSCOW, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Russia has adopted temporary restrictive measures against fish and seafood imports from Japan, Russia's agricultural watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor announced Monday.

Rosselkhoznadzor noted that as of Oct. 16, Russia will temporarily ban the import of fish and seafood from Japan.

It said that this decision was taken as a "precautionary measure," adding that the restrictions would stay until Moscow is provided with comprehensive information that confirms the safety of Japanese fish and seafood products.