Peru's divisive ex-president Fujimori freed after 16 years in prison for human rights abuses - CNA

LIMA: To his supporters, former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori saved Peru from terrorism and economic collapse, while his critics see him as an authoritarian who committed atrocities and abused democracy during his decade-long rule in the 1990s, during which his government battled the Shining Path guerrillas.

The son of Japanese immigrants, Fujimori was sentenced to 25 years in 2009 for massacres in 1991 and 1992 that saw 25 people, including a child, gunned down by a clandestine military squad.

On Wednesday (Dec 6), following the restoration of a 2017 Christmas Eve pardon, he was released from prison, despite criticisms from victims' families and a regional human rights court.

Fujimori's doctors and relatives say the 85-year-old suffered from stomach ulcers, weight loss, hypertension and tongue cancer.

"Please don't kill me. If I go back to prison my heart won't take it, it's too weak to go through the same thing again. Don't sentence me to death," Fujimori said in October 2018, months before he returned to prison after the initial pardon.

The release of Fujimori, who spent his time incarcerated gardening and painting, leaves two former presidents in prison: Alejandro Toledo, under investigation for corruption, and Pedro Castillo, who illegally tried to dissolve Congress a year ago.

Fujimori won a shock victory over Nobel Prize-winning writer Mario Vargas Llosa in 1990, and five years later won reelection over former United Nations secretary-general Javier Perez de Cuellar.

Two years later, he sent tanks onto the streets and shuttered Congress, claiming that lawmakers were blocking his stabilisation efforts, and in 1997 Fujimori won acclaim for the rescue of 71 hostages held in Lima for more than 100 days.

He was removed by Congress in 2000 after a video was released showing his intelligence chief bribing a legislator, and went into self-imposed exile in Japan until 2005, when he flew to Chile and was later extradited to Peru.

Fujimori has four children, including Keiko Fujimori, who lost to Castillo in her third run for the presidency.

Fujimori's daughter has faced legal troubles of her own, with a court ruling last week that she stand trial for alleged money laundering.

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2023-12-07 00:45:29Z
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EU tells China 'differences' must be addressed - CNA

The bloc says it hopes the meetings will provide a chance to discuss areas of common interest.

In his opening remarks, President Xi told his European visitors they must "jointly respond to global challenges".

Thursday's talks are set to address more touchy topics too, from human rights and Beijing's continued ties with Russia despite its war in Ukraine to the yawning EU-China trade gap.

Von der Leyen warned this week that the bloc would "not tolerate" that imbalance indefinitely.

"We have tools to protect our market," she told AFP.

Beijing hit back on Wednesday, saying the bloc's efforts to curb exports of sensitive tech to China while balancing trade didn't "make sense".

European officials have said repeatedly this year they aim to "derisk" their economic ties to China after the war in Ukraine exposed the continent's energy dependence on Russia.

"ZERO TRUST"

Beijing's goal this week will be to "hinder or delay derisking at a minimum cost", Grzegorz Stec, an analyst at China-focused think tank MERICS, told a media briefing Wednesday.

Beijing will attempt to "project the image of a responsible global actor and to reassure European actors about the direction of the Chinese economy", Stec said.

But on the eve of the summit, news broke that Italy had withdrawn from China's vast Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has long been opposed to Italy's participation in an initiative viewed by many as an attempt by Beijing to buy political influence - and whose economic benefits to Rome were limited.

Also on the agenda at the summit will be the fighting between Israel and Hamas - as well as Russia's war in Ukraine.

China, which has not condemned Moscow's February 2022 invasion of its neighbour, welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin to Beijing in October, with Xi hailing their "deep friendship".

Such camaraderie is unlikely in Thursday's talks with EU leaders, who one analyst said had "zero trust" in Beijing.

"Both sides are unlikely to get what they want from the other side," Nicholas Bequelin, a senior fellow at Yale's Paul Tsai China Center, told AFP.

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2023-12-07 07:39:11Z
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EU to issue firm words at China summit with limited expectations - CNA

BRUSSELS: Top EU officials will raise an array of concerns from Russia's invasion of Ukraine to trade irritants in a summit with Chinese leaders on Thursday (Dec 7) that is expected to be long on firm words, but short on outcomes.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in the morning and Premier Li Qiang in the afternoon on their one-day visit to Beijing.

There will be no joint statement from Thursday's talks, EU officials said, and they do not expect concrete outcomes from the first in-person EU-China summit since 2019.

"There's not a single outstanding deliverable that will be crowning the summit," said one EU official

By contrast, Xi's meeting with US President Joe Biden in California in November did produce agreements, although simmering differences remained, particularly over Taiwan.

The European Union will also have questions about Chinese intentions towards Taiwan, but its focus will be on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The European Union wants Beijing to use its influence on Russia to stop the war, will stress the need to respect sanctions on Russia and will raise the issue of growing arms supply from North Korea to Russia.

The bloc is also concerned about what it considers "imbalanced" economic relations, saying its near €400 billion trade deficit with China reflects restrictions on EU businesses.

China will be expected to ask about an EU anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese electric vehicles and about the EU's "de-risking" policy to reduce its reliance on Chinese imports, particularly of critical raw materials.

EU officials say the two sides could cooperate more on action to combat climate change and to promote biodiversity.

They also point to a series of dialogues set up on macro-economics and trade. These include the EU's planned CO2 emissions import tariff and the circular economy, a possible increase in the number of food products whose names would be protected - such as only applying the term "feta" to a specific Greek cheese.

"These are not per se major summit deliverables ... but in certain areas, there are mutual interests and we can make a difference by working technically and practically together," an EU official said.

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2023-12-06 21:06:17Z
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Yellen says US would be 'responsible for Ukraine's defeat' if aid fails in Congress - CNA

MEXICO CITY: Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Tuesday (Dec 5) that the United States would be "responsible for Ukraine's defeat" if Congress fails to approve the Biden administration's latest multi-billion-dollar funding request for the war-torn country.

Yellen told reporters on a trip to Mexico City that the funding - particularly for Ukraine's general government budget support - was "utterly essential" and a pre-condition to keep International Monetary Fund support flowing to Ukraine.

"I've talked to members of Congress, my colleagues have. I think they understand this, that this is a dire situation and we can hold ourselves responsible for Ukraine's defeat if we don't manage to get this funding to Ukraine that's needed, and I'm including direct budget support here because that's utterly essential," Yellen said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's chief of staff said that postponement of the US aid created a "big risk" that Ukraine would lose its nearly two-year-old war against Russia's invasion.

Zelenskyy later cancelled plans to address Congress to appeal directly for US aid as Congress wrangled over Republican demands to tie the aid to a revamp of US immigration and border policies. US lawmakers have been debating a supplemental spending package of over US$100 billion that would include aid to Ukraine and Israel, as well as border funding.

Yellen said the US funding for Ukraine was also essential for US allies in Europe that were providing more generous aid to help Ukraine prevail in its struggle against Russian aggression.

"Ukraine is just running out of money," Yellen said. "They’re spending more than every penny they're taking in, in tax revenue, on military salaries and defence, and they wouldn’t have any schools or hospital or first responders if not for the money we’re sending to them to support them."

The US aid to Russia has come with "very strong controls to guard against any misuse of the funds, any corruption," Yellen said, adding that the government budget support was being channelled through the World Bank, which has strong anti-corruption safeguards to ensure the money goes to intended uses.

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2023-12-06 04:43:44Z
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Tourists on gondola fall into Venice waters after ignoring warning to stay still - AsiaOne

Several Asian tourists in Venice found themselves in troubled waters after their gondola overturned and capsized along the Rio de la Verona River on Sunday (Dec 3) afternoon.

As the boat neared a low-height bridge, the gondolier had informed passengers to stay seated to maintain a low centre of gravity while passing through, reported 8world.

Despite the gondolier's shouts for them to obey his instructions, however, the tourists paid no heed to his warnings and continued moving about in the vessel to take photographs, according to Italian news agency ANSA.

The unbalanced boat then turned turtle, throwing everyone on board into the water.

Videos of the incident circulating online showed five tourists clinging to the overturned gondola and another vessel as the gondolier worked to rescue the frightened passengers. 

According to ANSA, the group comprised six tourists, with the gondolier managing to bring one of them to shore before diving back in to rescue the others.

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@ienaridens69/video/7308401469579939104[/embed]

One panicked woman can be heard screaming in fear and attempting to climb onto the nearby gondola, as other Chinese-speaking passengers tried to calm her down.

The tourists were eventually rescued and no injuries were reported, ANSA stated.

ALSO READ: Holiday tragedy: 1 tourist dies, others injured after 10m-high glass bridge in Indonesia's forest park gives way

lim.kewei@asiaone.com

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2023-12-06 04:41:10Z
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US senators square off at Ukraine briefing after Zelenskyy pulls out - CNA

Congress is more divided over backing for Ukraine than it has been at any time during the nearly two-year conflict, with the country fast exhausting the military aid provided by the United States so far.

Senate Republicans are making their support for extra Ukraine funding contingent on President Joe Biden's Democrats accepting reforms of the asylum system and tightened border security - measures the Democrats have already rejected.

"Republicans are just walking out of the briefing because the people there are not willing to actually discuss what it takes to get a deal done," Romney said.

"EVERYTHING HAS BEEN SAID"

Schumer was quoted by Fox News as saying the briefing had been "immediately hijacked" by Republicans choosing to make a speech on border security rather than asking questions about Ukraine.

One member was "screaming" an admonishment at briefers about not having visited the border, Schumer reportedly said.

The Democrat has teed up a vote Wednesday on clearing the first procedural hurdle for addressing Biden's US$106 billion aid request for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.

But it needs 60 votes in the 100-member Senate, and the 49-strong Republican minority looks likely to defeat the package as it leaves out their immigration reforms.

"The number one most immediate threat to our national security is an open border," Kansas Republican Roger Marshall said outside the briefing room.

"Look, everything has been said about Ukraine that can be said. And what's not being said is what's so critical here."

Even if the two sides manage to hammer out a deal in the Senate, it will be a much tougher sell for the Republican-led House, where conservatives have been more sceptical about funding Ukraine, and just as keen to leverage the issue to secure border reforms.

House Speaker Mike Johnson confirmed publicly for the first time in a letter to the White House on Tuesday that his party will not pass Ukraine aid unless Congress enacts "transformative change to our nation's border security laws".

But Democrats reacted angrily to what they see as an attempt by Republicans to leverage the conflict to secure domestic priorities.

"I have lots of domestic issues I care about too. I'm not holding Ukraine hostage to the resolution of health care or gun violence," Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut told reporters.

"They made a choice to put Ukraine funding in jeopardy and they will all have to live with that choice when Vladimir Putin marches into Kyiv and through into Europe."

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the situation in Ukraine is indeed dire.

"We can hold ourselves responsible for Ukraine's defeat if we don't manage to get this funding to Ukraine," she said Tuesday as she began a three-day trip to Mexico.

"Ukraine is just running out of money," Yellen said.

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2023-12-06 01:34:32Z
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Singaporeans travelling to Malaysia not required to fill in digital arrival card - CNA

Singaporeans travelling to Malaysia are exempt from filling in the country’s digital arrival card, which will be made compulsory for most other foreigners intending to visit the country from Jan 1. 

The Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) will not be required for those who travel to the country frequently, said Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail on Tuesday (Dec 5). 

"This is also to ensure there is no congestion at our international entry points,” he told members of the media at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Besides Singaporeans, the following categories of travellers are also not required to complete the MDAC: Malaysia long-term pass holders, those with Brunei common identification certificates and Brunei Malaysia Frequent Traveller Facility, holders of Thai border passes and Indonesian Cross-Border passes.

The announcement on Tuesday comes days after the country’s Immigration Department said on Facebook that the digital arrival card would be compulsory for all foreign nationals.

This sparked discussion among some travellers, with confusion over whether this would be required of all arrivals, including those driving from Singapore. Some also said it was unclear whether this was compulsory for entry via both manual immigration counters and e-gates. 

At the time, the department’s official website only specified exemptions for permanent residents, Malaysia Automated Clearance System (MACS) holders, and those “transiting or transferring through Singapore without seeking immigration clearance”.

A grace period is currently in effect until Dec 31.

"They can still fill out the digital card once they get here because some visitors only knew about this implementation upon arrival, so flexibility is given,” said Saifuddin. 

From Jan 1, travellers who are required to fill in the form must do so two to three days before arrival, he added. 

"Filling this MDAC is important to ensure that security control is not compromised even though we relax the conditions for the entry of tourists," the minister said. 

The MDAC is one of Malaysia's five initiatives to improve the services of its Immigration Department. It is in line with the implementation of its visa liberalisation plan, which exempts tourists from China and India from Dec 1 from visas for 30 days.

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2023-12-05 11:01:00Z
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