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Jailed former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra to be freed on Sunday

Jailed former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra to be freed on Sunday

Despite being granted parole, Thaksin could face further legal troubles over charges for insulting the monarchy in 2015. Thailand’s jailed former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will be freed on Sunday, just six months after returning to the country following more than 14 years in self-imposed exile. Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said Thaksin’s release would be “on the 18th” and handled “according to the rule of law”. Thaksin was granted parole earlier this week but it was not certain until now when he would be freed. Sunday is the first day of his parole eligibility. Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong said earlier this week that Thaksin, 74, would be among 930 prisoners granted early release. Thaksin could still face further legal troubles as public prosecutors are considering charging him for insulting the monarchy during a 2015 media interview. The billionaire who made his fortune in the telecommunications business was jailed for eight years on graft and abuse-of-power charges upon his return to Thailand in August. His sentence was reduced to one year by King Maha Vajiralongkorn and he has served six months in hospital detention due to an undisclosed health condition. His homecoming coincided with his Pheu Thai Party returning to government in alliance with pro-military parties, leading many to conclude that an agreement had been struck to cut his jail time. The rumours grew stronger when he was transferred to a police hospital within hours of being sentenced because of his poor health, and it is not clear that he has spent any time in a prison cell. Local media reported that Thaksin had been suffering from tightness in the chest and high blood pressure when he was admitted to hospital, and his family said he had undergone two operations in the following months. Srettha is from the Pheu Thai Party led by Thaksin’s youngest daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra. It formed a government after last May’s election, where the progressive Move Forward Party won the most votes but was blocked from taking power by still-powerful elements linked to the military and the traditional elite. The former prime minister swept to power in 2001 on a populist platform that appealed to rural Thais who had long been neglected by the country’s ruling elite. He was returned to office in a landslide five years later, but in September 2006, when Thaksin was in New York preparing to address the United Nations, the military seized power in a coup. Before being convicted for abuse of power and going into exile, mostly in Dubai, Thaksin was accused of serious human rights abuses amid a violent conflict in the country’s largely Muslim southern provinces and a “drugs war”, which killed thousands. Adblock test (Why?)

Japan successfully launches H3 rocket after back-to-back failures

Japan successfully launches H3 rocket after back-to-back failures

The H3 flagship rocket is designed to replace the H-IIA after more than two decades in service. Japan has successfully launched its next-generation rocket into orbit, the country’s space agency has announced, after two failed attempts cast a pall over Tokyo’s space ambitions. The H3 had a “successful liftoff” at 9:22 am Tokyo time (12:22 am GMT) on Saturday and entered its planned orbit carrying a dummy satellite and two functioning microsatellites, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said in a live broadcast. Employees at the JAXA command centre cheered and hugged each other during the broadcast as the rocket reached its trajectory and released its first payload. The H3’s microsatellites are expected to assist with disaster prevention efforts and monitor the operation conditions of factories. JAXA is scheduled to hold a press conference on the launch later on Saturday. The H3, billed as Japan’s flexible and cost-effective flagship rocket, was designed to replace the H-IIA, which has been in service since 2001. The H3, which was developed with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, is designed to carry a 6.5 metric tonne payload into space for as little as five billion yen ($33m) per launch, about half the cost of its predecessor. JAXA hopes that the H3’s lower costs and greater payload capacity will attract global clients for missions, such as delivering supplies to the International Space Station and supporting the US-led Artemis moon exploration programme. Tokyo has said it intends to launch about 20 satellites and probes with H3 rockets by 2030. The H3’s successful launch follows back-to-back failures last year, including a botched launch in March that ended with ground control utilising the rocket’s self-destruct function shortly after blast-off after the second-stage engine failed to ignite. JAXA identified three possible electrical faults in a subsequent review of the launch, but could not determine the direct cause of the failure, which caused significant delays to its space plans. Japan last month successfully landed its unmanned probe SLIM on the moon, becoming the fifth country to place a craft on the lunar surface. Adblock test (Why?)

Old ways survive in Bali despite mass tourism, but for how long?

Old ways survive in Bali despite mass tourism, but for how long?

Bali, Indonesia – At dawn, as the first shards of light dance over the rice fields in the seaside village of Seseh on Bali’s west coast, Putu and her husband Made, who like many Indonesians go by one name only, spend an hour reciting prayers and distributing small palm leaf baskets containing offerings to ensure the health of the coming harvest. Later in the day, their 11-year-old daughter will attend a class for “sanghyang dedari”, a sacred trance dance for girls that is designed to counteract negative supernatural forces. Meanwhile, her two older brothers will hone their skills on wooden xylophones and hand drums as part of a traditional “gamelan” orchestra in preparation for a ceremony celebrating the completion of a new Hindu temple, one of more than 10,000 on the island. In the coming weeks, Made and his children will help their neighbours create giant “ogoh-ogoh” dolls, representations of evil mythological creatures fashioned from wood, bamboo, paper and styrofoam, that will be paraded through the streets and set alight the night before Nyepi, the Balinese Hindu new year. Taking place this year on March 11, Nyepi, or the “day of silence”, will see every light on the island turned off, transport come to a halt and the airport close. Everyone, Balinese or not, will stay at home to give evil spirits the impression there is nothing to be found on the island. “Every day I lay offerings, attend a ceremony or go to a temple,” Putu told Al Jazeera. “I do this because I am Hindu, because I believe. My children do the same and when they have children, they will do the same also.” Balinese place small palm leaf baskets containing offerings around their homes, fields, temples and buildings every day [Ian Neubauer/Al Jazeera] The Balinese anomaly Putu’s hopes for the future are shared with the vast majority of Balinese, an island where a hybrid Hindu-Buddhist religion based on ancestor worship and animism dating back to the first century has survived and even thrived in the face of mass tourism. By 1930, tourist numbers reached several hundred per year. Last year, 5.2 million foreigners along with 9.4 million domestic holidaymakers visited Bali, according to government data, and the island is developing at breakneck speed to cater to the demand. The negative effects of such tremendous growth are illustrated in the murals of Balinese artist Slinat, who marries the iconic photographs of Balinese dancers with contemporary emblems like gas masks and dollar bills. “These old photos were the first images used to promote tourism in Bali and convey that it is an exotic place. They kick-started tourism in Bali,” Slinat told Al Jazeera. “But then we had too much tourism and it ruined the exoticness of Bali. So I created this parody to express how much things have changed here since those photos were taken.” Nevertheless, Balinese traditional culture and religion have remained resilient in the face of the tourist onslaught, which is something of an anomaly compared with other tourist hot spots around the world. “When local people entertain tourists, they adapt [to] tourists’ needs, attitudes and values and ultimately start to follow them. By following tourists’ lifestyle, young people bring changes in the material goods,” was the finding of a study on the impact of tourism on culture that was published in 2016 in the Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Sports. The study said the Pokhara-Ghandruk community in Nepal was a textbook example, where “the traditional fashion, behaviour and lifestyle of young Gurungs have been severely affected by tourism … [who] disobey their elders’ Kinship titles”. It said Indonesia was an exception – a country where “to attract distant tourists, children nurture local customs to create a strong and authentic base of cultural components without disrupting ancestors’ values”. There are no flights in or out of Bali’s international airport on Nyepi day and tourists must stay in their hotels [File: Fikri Yusuf/Antara Foto via Reuters] A lecturer in traditional architecture at Warmadewa University in Bali, I Nyoman Gede Maha Putra explains the roots of that approach. “Colonial government policies dating back to the 1930s that promote how the Balinese should be Balinese, including school curriculums, production of traditional foods and beverages and unsparing investments in religious buildings have played a key role in preserving culture and religion on the so-called Island of the Gods,” he said, adding that construction codes formalised in the 1970s that required no new building to be no taller than a coconut tree had helped maintain “a sense of the place” on the island. “Soon, all our young people will start making ogoh-ogoh paper statues for Nyepi. No one will be left out. They will enjoy the process, they will enjoy the parades, and feel proud when the tourists see what they’ve made. And our daily ceremonies will continue because we believe very strongly that our ancestors’ ghosts live around us and our ceremonies are the only way we can communicate with them,” Maha Putra said. A facade Others say it is the adaptability of Balinese culture that has made it resilient. “Balinese culture is not static,” I Ketut Putra Erawan, a lecturer in political science at Bali’s Udayana University,  told Al Jazeera. “Time and time again it has shown it has the power to reinvent itself through the problems and opportunities we face; things like tourism, social media, individualism, capitalism and mass culture. It finds new ways to make itself relevant to young people in new times.” But these new shapes and expressions are not as solid as those of the past, he cautions. “Today we are flooded with so much information and misinformation, and what that tends to do is promote the skin of the culture, the outside element of the culture, things like consumerism and fashion, but not the core of the culture,” Erawan said. “Many people prioritise the wrong things in their cultural expressions. They are much more interested in dressing like Balinese and telling everyone on social

Biggest takeaways after wild 2-day hearing on Fani Willis affair: ‘What’s done is done’

Biggest takeaways after wild 2-day hearing on Fani Willis affair: ‘What’s done is done’

The second and final day of a court hearing of evidence in allegations that Georgia prosecutor Fani Wills had an “improper” affair with her colleague has concluded, but the judge will still review testimony in a closed-door meeting.  After a bombshell admission by the defense’s key witness, Terrence Bradley, who avoided answering certain questions citing attorney client privilege, Judge Scott McAfee said he would hold an “in-camera” meeting with Bradley to determine if his privilege assertions are accurate. Bradley is the former law firm partner to Nathan Wade, who is accused of having an affair that financially benefitted Willis after she hired him to help prosecute the election interference case against former president Donald Trump.  Bradley had refused to answer some of the questions asked by defense counsel about what he knew about Wade and Wills’ relationship and when he knew, citing attorney client privilege. Bradley, for a brief time, was Wade’s lawyer during his divorce, which was finalized in 2023.  5 EXPLOSIVE MOMENTS FROM FANI WILLIS’ HEATED TESTIMONY IN TRUMP FULTON COUNTY CASE: ‘IF THIS HAPPENS AGAIN …’ But Bradley admitted that a large reason he left the law firm was because an employee at the firm accused him of sexual assault, though he denied the allegation. He also indirectly admitted that he paid the employee who accused him. This is significant because earlier in his testimony Bradley testified that the reason he left the firm was related to Wade’s divorce proceedings, and therefore covered by attorney client privilege. Judge Scott McAfee said that Bradley’s admission re-opens questions about what Bradley refused to answer about what he knew about Wade and Fani Willis’ romantic relationship and when he knew. Bradley refused to answer citing attorney client privilege. “Mr. Bradley previously testified that the reason he left the firm was totally and completely covered by privilege. When asked by the state, he went into a factual scenario that, to my mind, I don’t see how it relates to privilege at all. And so now I’m left wondering if Mr. Bradley has been properly interpreting privilege this entire time,” the judge said. Earlier on Friday, Willis’ father, John C. Floyd III, took the stand and confirmed what Willis testified to on Thursday – that her father taught her to keep large amounts of cash on hand at all times. He also said he did not meet Wade until 2023, and that he was unaware his daughter had a romantic relationship with Wade until about seven weeks ago, when allegations of Wills’ impropriety were first made in court filings.  During their romantic relationship, which ended roughly the summer of last year, Wade and Willis vacationed to wine country in California, the Caribbean, among other destinations.  Michael Roman, a GOP political operative and co-defendant in the Trump case, first alleged that Willis had a conflict of interest in the case because she financially benefitted from hiring her lover. Four co-defendants have made similar accusations.  FULTON COUNTY DA FANI WILLIS ACCUSED OF LYING ABOUT TIMING OF AFFAIR WITH TRUMP PROSECUTOR The crux of the defense’s case is whether they can prove with a money trail that Willis has a conflict of interest in the case against Trump and should be disqualified.  Willis testified Thursday that she reimbursed Wade for her share of vacation expenses in cash, but both she and Wade testified there were no receipts for those transactions. The defense, led by Ashleigh Merchant, are also trying to prove that Willis and Wade were romantically involved prior to Wade’s employment at the DA’s office. Both Willis and Wade insisted that their relationship started in 2022, after Wade was hired. But they contradict testimony from Robin Yeartie, a former “good friend” of Willis and past employee at the DA’s office.  GEORGIA DA FANI WILLIS WILL NOT TESTIFY FOR SECOND DAY ON ‘IMPROPER’ AFFAIR WITH NATHAN WADE Yeartie said she had “no doubt” the Willis and Wade’s relationship started in 2019, after the two met at a conference.  Yeartie testified to observing Willis and Wade “hugging” and “kissing” and showing “affection” prior to November 2021, and that she had no doubt that the two were in a “romantic” relationship starting in 2019, to when she and Willis last spoke in 2022.  Willis dismissed Yeartie’s testimony and said she no longer considers Yeartie to be a friend.  The highlight of the two-day proceeding was Willis’ own – an unexpected – testimony on Thursday, described by one expert as “belligerent.” She verbally sparred with lawyers for hours, at one point, prompting the judge to threaten to strike her testimony. She also raised eyebrows for appearing to be wearing her dress backwards. She did not return to the witness stand on Friday.  Judge McAfee said earlier in the week that it’s “clear that disqualification can occur if evidence is produced demonstrating an actual conflict or the appearance of one.” Judge McAfee said he would hold a summation hearing of all the evidence presented in the next week or two. Allyn Stockton Jr., lawyer for co-defendant Rudy Giuliani told Fox News  following the hearing, “I don’t think anything has been earth shattering today, what’s done is done.”  When asked if the hearing would make a difference for his client, he replied, “As it relates to my client, what’s going on relates to all of it, about the integrity of the process itself.” “The judge is sharper than I am, I have no idea where he’ll come down on this,” he said. 

ICJ demands implementation of Gaza measures, but no new action on Rafah

ICJ demands implementation of Gaza measures, but no new action on Rafah

Top UN court notes ‘perilous’ situation but rejects South African request to order urgent measure to safeguard civilians. The top United Nations court said that it notes the “perilous” situation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, but has declined South Africa’s request for urgent measures to safeguard Palestinians being threatened by an Israeli ground assault there. “The Court notes that the most recent developments in the Gaza Strip, and in Rafah in particular, ‘would exponentially increase what is already a humanitarian nightmare with untold regional consequences’, as stated by the United Nations Secretary-General,” the International Court of Justice (ICJ) said in a statement on Friday. It said the situation in Rafah “demands immediate and effective implementation of the provisional measures indicated by the Court in its Order of 26 January 2024”, when it ordered Israel to take all steps within its power to ensure genocidal acts are not being committed in its war on Gaza. However, the court “does not demand the indication of additional provisional measures”, its statement added. PRESS RELEASE: the #ICJ issues its decision on South Africa’s request for additional provisional measures in the case of Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (#SouthAfrica v. #Israel) https://t.co/dh9olqXtD9 pic.twitter.com/KLIMOD69uo — CIJ_ICJ (@CIJ_ICJ) February 16, 2024 South Africa said on Tuesday that it had lodged an “urgent request” with the ICJ to consider whether Israel’s military operations targeting Rafah breach provisional orders the court handed down last month in a case alleging genocide. Israel on Thursday called on the court to reject the request, saying: “South Africa’s unjustifiable claims make clear that its request is not driven by any change in circumstances, nor does it have any basis in fact or law.” ‘Serious breach’ of Genocide Convention Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 28,000 Palestinians across the Strip, according to health authorities. The relentless bombardment since October 7 has also displaced most of the population. About 1.4 million people are now sheltering in Rafah, on the border with Egypt, which Israel had initially designated a “safe zone” for civilians. But Israel has been threatening to launch a ground invasion there, a move that the UN and international governments – including Israel’s Western allies – have warned against. South Africa’s urgent request to the court mentioned the hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in Rafah, many of them fleeing “pursuant to Israeli military evacuation orders, from homes and areas that have largely been destroyed by Israel”. They could now be threatened directly, it said. Israel’s unprecedented planned military offensive against Rafah would result in further large-scale killing, harm and destruction “in serious and irreparable breach” of the Genocide Convention and of the ICJ’s ruling at the end of January, the request added. In its statement on Friday, the ICJ said that Israel “remains bound to fully comply with its obligations under the Genocide Convention and with the said Order, including by ensuring the safety and security of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip”. Israel strongly denies committing genocide in Gaza. However, the ICJ last month ruled that it had jurisdiction to hear South Africa’s case against Israel, in which the latter is accused of breaching the Genocide Convention. The court ordered Israel to do all it can to prevent death, destruction and any acts of genocide in Gaza, but the panel of judges stopped short of ordering an end to the military offensive that has laid waste to the Palestinian enclave. Adblock test (Why?)

Ukraine signs French security pact after similar agreement with Germany

Ukraine signs French security pact after similar agreement with Germany

Deal with France promises $3.23bn in military aid to Ukraine, while pact with Germany secures $1.22bn support package. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a new long-term security pact with France, hours after securing a similar deal and aid from Germany. France and Ukraine signed a bilateral security agreement seeking to help Kyiv in its war against Russia, the Elysee said on Friday. Signed by Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron, the pact includes pledges from Paris to deliver more arms, train soldiers in Ukraine and send up to three billion euros ($3.23bn) in military aid. The pact is set to run for 10 years and will not only strengthen cooperation in the area of artillery but also help pave the way towards Ukraine’s future integration into the European Union and NATO, Macron and Zelenskyy said. “Our cooperation yields results in the protection of life in Ukraine and our entire Europe,” Zelenskyy said on his social media platforms, shortly before meeting Macron. Париж. Запланована зустріч із Президентом Макроном і важлива угода. Наша співпраця дає результати в захисті життя України та всієї нашої Європи. 🇺🇦🇫🇷 — Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 16, 2024 Earlier on Friday, the German Ministry of Defence announced that a deal had been signed between Zelenskyy and Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The German security pact, which will last for 10 years, commits Germany to supporting Ukraine with military assistance and hitting Russia with sanctions and export controls, and ensuring that Russian assets remain frozen. Berlin also prepared another immediate support package worth 1.13 billion euros ($1.22bn) that is focused on air defence and artillery. “The document’s importance cannot be overestimated. It makes clear that Germany will continue to support an independent Ukraine in its defence against the Russian invasion,” Scholz said. “And if in the future there is another Russian aggression, we have agreed on detailed diplomatic, economic and military support,” he added. Avdiivka Zelenskyy’s visit to France and Germany is part of his mini-European tour where he was attempting to secure much-needed aid for Ukraine as Russia’s war in the country rages on, edging closer to its third year. On Friday, Ukrainian troops were trying to hold back Russian forces closing in on the eastern town of Avdiivka. The Ukrainian army said it was pulling back from a position on the southern outskirts of the front-line city, but that its forces were taking up “new positions”. Avdiivka, which Russia has been trying to capture since October, is a main target for Moscow ahead of the second anniversary of the start of the Ukraine war. To tackle battlefield challenges, Ukraine has been facing a shortage of ammunition stockpiles amid delays in Western military assistance. “We are doing everything we can to ensure that our warriors have enough managerial and technological capabilities to save as many Ukrainian lives as possible,” Zelenskyy said on arriving in Germany. In January, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also signed a security accord with Ukraine. Meanwhile, across the pond in Washington, DC, US President Joe Biden has repeatedly been stressing the importance of sending more aid to Ukraine. On Tuesday, the US Senate passed a $61bn aid bill for Ukraine. But the bill still faces an uncertain fate with several right-wing US Republicans in the House already saying they will block it as the money should be spent on domestic issues. On Friday, Biden highlighted that the reported death of Russian anticorruption activist Alexey Navalny brings new urgency to the need for Congress to approve funds for Ukraine to stave off Moscow’s invasion. “The failure to support Ukraine at this critical moment will never be forgotten,” Biden said. “And the clock is ticking. This has to happen. We have to help now.” Adblock test (Why?)