Alarm over fate of major Gaza hospital after Israeli raid - CNA

"PATTERN OF ATTACKS"

Doctors Without Borders said its medics had been forced to flee and leave patients behind, with one employee unaccounted for and another detained by Israeli forces.

Roughly 130 hostages are still believed to be in Gaza after Hamas's Oct 7 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Dozens of the estimated 250 hostages seized during the attack were freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners during a week-long truce in November. Israel says 30 of those still in Gaza are presumed dead.

At least 28,775 people, mostly women and children, have been killed in Israel's assault on Gaza, according to the health ministry.

Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas militants of using hospitals for military purposes, something Hamas denies.

The UN Human Rights Office said Israel's raid on the Nasser Hospital appeared to be "part of a pattern of attacks by Israeli forces striking essential life-saving civilian infrastructure in Gaza, especially hospitals".

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2024-02-16 21:22:00Z
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Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny dies in prison - CNA

MOSCOW: Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died on Friday (Feb 16) in the Arctic prison colony where he was serving a 19-year-term, Russia's federal penitentiary service said.

Western governments immediately attacked the Kremlin over the death of the most outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin.

Navalny lost consciousness after a walk and could not be revived by medics, the prison service said.

"Navalny felt bad after a walk, almost immediately losing consciousness. Medical staff arrived immediately and an ambulance team was called," it said.

"Resuscitation measures were carried out which did not yield positive results. Paramedics confirmed the death of the convict. The causes of death are being established."

Navalny did not appear to have any health complaints when speaking by video link to a court on Thursday, state media reported.

He did not complain about his health and "spoke actively, presenting arguments in defence of his position", a regional court from the city of Vladimir, to the east of Moscow, told the RIA news agency.

The 47-year-old was Russia's most prominent opposition leader and won a huge following with his criticism of corruption in Vladimir Putin's Russia.

Russia's Investigative Committee said it had opened an investigation into the death.

Navalny's press secretary Kira Yarmysh said his team had not been informed of his death. "Alexei's lawyer is now flying to Kharp," where his prison colony is, she said in a post on social media.

Citing his spokesman, Russian news agencies reported that Putin had been informed of Navalny's death.

Western governments and Russian opposition figures on Friday said the Kremlin was responsible for his death.

France's foreign minister said Navalny had paid with his life for resisting oppression.

Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that it was "obvious" that Navalny was killed by Putin's regime. 

"Obviously he was killed by Putin. Like thousands of others who have been tortured," said Zelenskyy, adding that this demonstrates why Putin must be made to "lose everything and held accountable for his actions".

The United States said that the death, if confirmed, would be a "terrible tragedy". 

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan added the Kremlin's "long and sordid" history of harming its opponents "raises real and obvious questions about what happened here."

US President Joe Biden made no immediate statement on the reports of Navalny's death.

British foreign minister David Cameron said that Putin should be accountable for the death of Navalny.

"Navalny fought bravely against corruption. Putin’s Russia fabricated charges against him, poisoned him, sent him to an arctic penal colony & now he has tragically died," Cameron wrote on X.

"Putin should be accountable for what has happened - no one should doubt the dreadful nature of his regime."

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2024-02-16 14:07:54Z
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Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny dead, says prison service - The Straits Times

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny rose to prominence by voicing allegations of vast corruption. PHOTO: AFP

MOSCOW – Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died on Feb 16 after collapsing and losing consciousness at the penal colony north of the Arctic Circle where he was serving a long jail term, the Russian prison service said.

He was 47.

Navalny, by far Russia’s most famous opposition leader, rose to prominence more than a decade ago by lampooning the elite class around Russian President Vladimir Putin and voicing allegations of corruption on a vast scale.

The Federal Penitentiary Service of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District said in a statement that Navalny “felt unwell” after a walk at the penal colony in Kharp, about 1,900km north-east of Moscow.

Navalny, the prison service said, had lost consciousness almost immediately.

“The medical staff of the institution arrived immediately, and an ambulance team was called,” the prison service added.

“All necessary resuscitation measures were carried out, which did not yield positive results. Doctors of the ambulance stated the death of the convict.”

“The causes of death are being established.”

Mr Putin has been told about Navalny’s death, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Mr Putin, who is running for re-election in a month, was shown on a television clip visiting a factory in the Urals.

Supporters of Navalny said they could not confirm he was dead, but that if he was, then they believed he had been killed.

“Russian authorities publish a confession that they killed Alexei Navalny in prison,” Navalny aide Leonid Volkov wrote on social media. “We do not have any way to confirm it or to prove this isn’t true.”

Condemnation quickly poured in from Western governments.

“Dreadful news about Alexei Navalny... If the report about his death in Russian prison is true, it represents another terrible crime by Putin’s regime,” Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said on X.

“The ruthlessness against Navalny shows again why it is necessary to continue to fight against authoritarianism.”

In the United States, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Washington is actively seeking confirmation of Navalny’s death.

“If it’s confirmed, it is a terrible tragedy,” Mr Sullivan told National Public Radio in an interview.

More On This Topic

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Death in jail

Mr Navalny’s lawyer was on his way to the “Polar Wolf” prison in Kharp where Mr Navalny died. Russian state television showed a press conference by the central bank.

Russian newspaper editor and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov told Reuters on Feb 16 that Mr Navalny’s death was “murder”, and said that he believed harsh treatment had led to his demise.

“My sincere belief is that it was the conditions of detention that led to Navalny’s death ... His sentence was supplemented by murder,” Mr Muratov said, offering condolences to his family.

Mr Navalny earned admiration from Russia’s disparate opposition for voluntarily returning to Russia in 2021 from Germany, where he had been treated for what Western laboratory tests showed was an attempt to poison him with a nerve agent.

Mr Navalny said at the time that he was poisoned in Siberia in August 2020.

The Kremlin denied trying to kill him and said there was no evidence he was poisoned with a nerve agent.

In an interview in Moscow in 2011, Mr Navalny was asked by Reuters if he was afraid of challenging Mr Putin’s system.

“That’s the difference between me and you: you are afraid and I am not afraid,” he said. “I realise there is danger, but why should I be afraid?” REUTERS

More On This Topic

Russian election candidate calls Ukraine war a ‘big mistake’ by Putin

The West may have to reckon with Putin as President till 2036

• Russia
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2024-02-16 11:28:14Z
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School principal in Japan fired for coffee theft, denied retirement pay - The Star Online

TOKYO: Despite paying only for a regular-sized coffee, a principal at a junior high school in Japan helped himself to a large cup at a convenience store self-service machine.

He was caught in Takasago, a city about a seven-hour drive from Tokyo, after a worker saw him pressing the button for a large cup on Dec 21. He was dismissed from his job and had his teaching licence revoked, reported Japanese daily Asahi Shimbun on Feb 16.

He did not receive his retirement pay either, believed to be about 20 million yen (S$180,000 - RM639,000).

At an interview by prefectural board officials, the principal, 59, said he had acted on impulse and was “truly sorry” for his misconduct, the report said.

A regular-sized coffee at the store costs 110 yen and the larger option costs 180 yen.

He admitted that he had up-sized his coffee without paying three times before at the same store, and four times at another store. In total, he underpaid an amount of 490 yen.

Prosecutors decided not to indict him after receiving files on the suspected theft from the police, but acknowledged that he committed theft.

Critics have questioned the board’s decision on his punishment, which was announced on Jan 30, calling it a “death sentence” for an offence which caused little monetary loss.

Dismissal is the most severe measure used to discipline a public servant, followed by suspension from work, a pay cut and reprimand.

A board official told Asahi Shimbun that they “concluded that dismissal is appropriate for a repeated offence” after reviewing previous cases and their disciplinary actions.

Japan Women’s University professor Takashi Sakata said the punishment is “disproportionately severe” as the losses he caused were small.

The loss of his teaching licence and retirement pay have a significantly larger impact than the losses the principal was responsible for, said Mr Sakata, who added that the board should have handled the matter cautiously.

In a similar incident in another prefecture, a municipal employee was dismissed after dispensing a cup of coffee worth 200 yen at a convenience store after paying for a coffee worth 100 yen. - The Straits Times/ANN

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2024-02-16 07:43:00Z
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Taiwanese Influencers Sentenced To 2 Years' Jail In Cambodia For Faking Assault In The Country - 8 Days

To what lengths will influencers go to gain attention?

For Taiwanese influencer Wan An Xiao Ji it's to fake an assault in a scam park in Cambodia on Facebook Live.

For the uninitiated, a scam park, or fraud factory, is where criminal syndicates gather to carry out human trafficking activities.

In his stream, Wan An Xiao Ji claimed that was attacked by a security guard in a building in Cambodia. He was then abruptly disconnected from the stream only to be seen running for his life and screaming for help when he had connection again. 

Wan An Xiao Ji was later exposed for staging the entire event, and he and his counterpart Ah Nao were later arrested by the Cambodian police. 

In a video now going viral online, Wan An Xiao Ji was seen going on his knees and apologising to the Cambodian police.

"I'm really regretful about this incident and hope the Cambodian government would give me another chance," he pleaded while giving a 90-degree bow.

He continued: "I want to clarify that Cambodia and Preah Sihanouk are not as scary as what people are saying. There are no cases of scams, drug trafficking or kidnapping here. I want to emphasise that Cambodia is a beautiful country that is great for tourism. With regard to my fabricated video, it was entirely scripted by me and I'm very sorry."

Today (Feb 16), the Cambodia Preah Sihanouk Subordinate Court Judge announced that Wan An Xiao Ji and Ah Nao have been sentenced to two years' jail. 

They also must pay a KHR$4mil (S$1336) fine each for inciting social unrest. 

The two can only leave Cambodia and return to Taiwan after serving their sentence. 

In their statement, the Cambodian government said: "We think this is a very serious issue. If we forgive them, there will be other people coming over to fabricate stories to defame Cambodia."

During the press conference, the police also showed the clothes, army uniform, fake guns, masks and fake blood that were used in Wan An Xiao Ji's live stream.

They also said that the pair's sole purpose of going to Cambodia was to shoot the video. 

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2024-02-16 07:13:00Z
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A controversial former general is set to become Indonesia's new president. How did Prabowo Subianto pull it off? - CNA

The former general was discharged from the military in August 1998 for his role in the kidnapping but was never brought to trial. The dismissal occurred just months after Suharto’s reign ended in May of that year, following widespread student protests at the height of the Asian Financial Crisis.

But 52 per cent of Indonesia’s eligible voters are under 40 years of age, meaning they were not yet born or too young to understand much about the human rights abuse allegations pitted against Mr Prabowo.

“Prabowo’s human rights record is only discussed by his rivals, activists, academics and those who have a university education,” Mr Burhanuddin Muhtadi, a visiting fellow at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute’s Indonesia Studies Programme and executive director of think tank Indikator Politik, told CNA.

According to a 2022 study by the Indonesian Population and Civil Registration office, only 6.41 per cent of Indonesia’s 275 million population had a university diploma. The same study also states that 35 per cent of Indonesians or 95 million people never finished elementary school.

In the 27 years since the kidnappings took place, previous governments have been unable or appeared reluctant to bring Mr Prabowo to face justice.

Mr Djayadi Hanan, executive director of think tank, Indonesian Survey Institute said the impunity Mr Prabowo seems to enjoy has made many Indonesians suspicious of the credibility of these accusations.

“The same generals who court-martialed and sacked Prabowo were in his campaign team. So for many Indonesians the allegations against Prabowo are political,” Mr Djayadi told CNA.

POLITICAL MAKEOVER 

This is Mr Prabowo’s third time vying for the top job in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy. 

In the 2014 and 2019 elections, he positioned himself as a stern and decisive military man, a sharp contrast to the casual man of the people image of his then-rival, Mr Joko Widodo. Mr Prabowo lost both elections to Jokowi, as the current outgoing president is popularly known.

This time around, Mr Prabowo’s campaign team positioned the former general as an adorable grandpa, softening his image through the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to generate a digital persona which made Mr Prabowo appear youthful and childlike.

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2024-02-16 02:57:00Z
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Indonesia's tight legislative election sees PDI-P with a slight lead; potentially problematic for Prabowo's camp - CNA

HORSE-TRADING A FORM OF POLITICAL CURRENCY

Mr Nicky noted that the different scenarios depend on what Mr Prabowo - as the likely presidential winner - has to offer the other parties. These may include offering them a seat as a minister in his Cabinet, considered to be the norm in Indonesia. 

In claiming victory on Wednesday night, Mr Prabowo told his supporters at the Istora Senayan stadium in Jakarta to wait for the official tally by the KPU. 

Political lecturer from the University of Indonesia Aditya Perdana believes there is little value for political parties to be in the opposition. 

Given that political parties in Indonesia tend not to work based on ideologies but rather on benefits, Mr Aditya said that he thinks some parties would rather join forces with Mr Prabowo and his coalition, even if they campaigned for different things and ideologies during the election. 

“It will be more promising and beneficial for parties to join the government than to be an opposition. 

“It will be easier for them to maintain their constituents and voters if they are in power. So it will be just pragmatic,” said Mr Aditya. 

He also highlighted that Indonesia will hold local elections in November, where voters will choose governors and other local leaders. 

Thus, political parties would consider this before making the next move. 

Mr Aditya surmised that, ultimately Mr Prabowo is not in a rush to form a coalition in the parliament, and any party can join later on. 

The newly elected members of parliaments will only be inaugurated on Oct 1, while the president and vice-president will be sworn in on Oct 20. 

“In Indonesian politics, anything can happen. Because here, everyone tries to accommodate the needs of others.

“They are not very ideological,” said Mr Aditya. 

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2024-02-15 22:00:00Z
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