Holly Bowles sixth to die of suspected methanol poisoning in Laos
Beaumaris Football ClubA second American girl has passed away from suspected alcohol poisoning, bringing the total number of international tourists who have passed away in Laos to six.
The home of Holly Bowles, 19, said they were “heartbroken” to confirm her death, more than a month after she fell ill in the tourist town of Vang Vieng.
Her companion Bianca Jones, even 19, and English lawyer Simone White, 28, from south-east London, were confirmed to had died on Thursday.
An unknown US gentleman and two Swedish women, aged 19 and 20, are also among the victims of the suspected poison, believed to be connected to illegal booze.
Holly’s family said in a statement to the media on Friday that she had “brought so much joy and happiness to so many folks” as relaxation.
When she became ill, they continued, claiming that she had been living “her best existence traveling through South East Asia, meeting new people, and having outstanding experiences.”
The horrible crossing of Holly Bowles may be heartbreaking for all Australians, according to Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong. Her family and friends are in my heart of hearts.
Holly and Bianca were taken to hospital on Wednesday, 13 November, after they failed to check out of their dormitory in the tiny, creek town of Vang Vieng, about two hours north of the money Vientiane.
Getty ImagesAccording to reports and testimony from witnesses, the tourists may have ingested alcohol, a fatal substance frequently found in illegal liquor.
The Nana Backpacker Hostel, where the American youngsters were staying, claimed to provide free shots to around 100 guests the night before.
The hostel’s manager told news agency Associated Press that no other guests had become unwell.
The hostel’s supervisor has since been taken into custody for questioning by the police.
Another American woman is reportedly in a hospital after being treated for the event, which is also reported to have resulted in another American woman being treated.
Authorities in both New Zealand and the Netherlands both claimed to be keeping an eye on national-related incidents.
Vang Vieng, is a hotspot for tourists travelling across south-east Asia. It’s house to the Banana Pancake Trail- a famous traveling road extending Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
What ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu does and doesn’t mean – Asia Times
The International Criminal Court ( ICC ) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader, Mohammed Deif. The court claims that since Hamas ‘ October 7 attack on Israel, both sides have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Israel has claimed Deif was killed in an airstrike in July despite the release of a permit for him. Hamas has not, however, confirmed or refuted this assertion. If they were ever to become judged at the ICC, a judgment is probable.
Netanyahu faces serious charges from the judge. The three-judge board universally said that he and Gallant are” co-perpetrators for committing the war murder of hunger as a method of war, and the crimes against humanity of death, persecution, and another cruel works”.
The judges even “found fair grounds for believing that they are criminally responsible” for the war crime of intentionally attacking the population. The International Court of Justice‘s investigation, which determined that it is “plausible” that Israel has committed a crime against the Gaza Genocide Convention, supports the allegations.
If arrested, Netanyahu would go through a trial, and he could therefore be acquitted, or convicted. In the latter event, Netanyahu may join the ranks of officials considered perpetrators of crimes against humanity, such as Charles Taylor of Liberia, Hissène Habré of Chad, Saddam Hussein of Iraq, Augusto Pinochet of Chile, Slobodan Milosevic of Serbia, Radovan Karadžić of Serbia, Idi Amin of Uganda, Pol Pot of Cambodia, Joseph Stalin of the former Soviet Union, Mao Zedong of China, and Adolf Hitler of Germany.
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Subsequent steps
The execution of the arrest permits depends on the actions of ICC member state. And this is by no means a foregone conclusion. Russia’s leader, Vladimir Putin, has been wanted by , the jury since 2023 , for his role in directing attacks on civilians in Ukraine and the unlawful imprisonment of Russian children.
Putin was recently in Mongolia, a position that is a member of the ICC, after the Mongolian government assured him that he would be healthy. However, he was unable to go to South Africa when the BRICS financial bloc’s leaders, Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, convened in Johannesburg in 2023.
This was due to the practice in South Africa of past Syrian leader, Omar Al-Bashir. Bashir, for whom the ICC granted arrest warrants in 2009 and 2010 for supposedly directing a campaign of mass killing, rape and pillage against citizens in Darfur, traveled to South Africa in 2015 to enter an African Union conference. But because he was afraid of being arrested, he had to abandon immediately.
South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal ruled in 2016 that the government’s failing to assault him was unconstitutional. And South Africa was penalized by the ICC for” terrible failure” to arrest Bashir the next year. He was even able to travel freely to other ICC part states, including Chad, Kenya and Jordan.
In a military coup in 2019, Bashir was put in jail. He has been subject to an investigation for his role in the revolt that brought him to strength and has been found guilty of corruption in Sudan.
The ICC, which already has a poor track record of trials, is damaged if offenders are not arrested. For instance, after former president of Ivory Coast, Laurent Gbagb, was charged next acquitted. However, it also negates a sizable option for major crime victims to obtain justice.
Serious political implications
Netanyahu’s chances of appearing at the Hague are slim. He is the first president of a European nation to be accused of being indicted by the ICC. But the social implications of the arrest warrants for Netanyahu are, at any rate, serious.
Netanyahu was aware that he would be held accountable for his social choices by the ICC, which is why he opposed the ICC’s membership in 2015.
In reality, Netanyahu could gain even more of his own country’s validity than he has now lost with some organizations. Israeli civil society organizations are carefully following the ICC’s activities.
B’Tselem, a Jerusalem-based non-profit firm that documents human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territories, has said that the ICC action and ICJ rulings “are a chance for us, Israelis, to understand that … upholding a regime of supremacy, violence and oppression always involves crimes and serious violation of human rights”.
In addition, he will have a limited range of travel options and be viewed as a pariah in many of the 124 ICC says. Most rulers of Western nations, including Germany, would agree on this position. In May, a government spokesman suggested that if permits were issued, Germany would jail Netanyahu.
The EU’s current global human rights restrictions program, which allows targeted sanctions against foreigners who are deemed to be responsible for flagrant human rights violations, is unlikely to be used by the EU.
This is because uniformity across the alliance is required, and some states such as Austria, Czechia, Hungary and Germany may become reluctant to agree to this. Perhaps the French foreign ministry director said:” It’s a place that is officially complex”. There will be pressure on the institutions of all Union nations to operate against Netanyahu because the EU is a strong supporter of the ICC.
Netanyahu is not the only one with regard to this decision’s social relevance. Since October 7, pro-Palestinian protests have occurred at more than 500 US institutions. And the UK has now joined most EU states in supporting Netanyahu’s imprisonment.
Due to its lack of support for international laws, the US is currently largely isolated among the West. On the other hand, the ICC is becoming more and more prominent as it seeks to bring about global justice for patients.
Catherine Gegout is associate professor in foreign relationships, University of Nottingham
The Conversation has republished this essay under a Creative Commons license. Read the original content.
Ex-DBS employee jailed for accessing customer data, passing details to moneylender and bookie
A former DBS contract worker was jailed on Friday ( Nov 22 ) for allegedly unauthorized access to the bank’s customer information.
On five events, Huang Pin Wen, 27, made an illegal lender or bookmakers request to do so. Other times, he did so to” show off” to others that he could get the information, the prosecutor said.
Huang faced 122 fees. He pleaded innocent to 13 crimes, with the remaining taken into consideration for punishment.
Huang’s employment opportunity covered the POSB Everyday credit cards. His responsibilities included checking if customers ‘ spending allowed them to receive subsidies and verifying when DBS buyers purchased the card.
To do this, he was issued a computer and granted entry to DBS ‘ customer relationship management structure, which held user data.
He was educated on the Personal Data Protection Act and the confidentiality of bank customer information, and he was aware of the limitations on accessing or disclosing consumer data for non-work-related purposes.
A buyer who provided screenshots of a conversation with an improper moneylender, Kenneth Tan, was the subject of a court hearing in February 2021.
In the talk dated Dec 7, 2020, Tan claimed it had cost S$ 450 to give a DBS personnel to perform a search on the consumer, who owed Tan income. Huang had allegedly accessed the company’s data that day, according to DBS.
DBS suspended Huang and started examinations, which revealed that Huang had accessed the information of 78 banks customers without power from Apr 7, 2020, to Feb 15, 2021.
When DBS questioned Huang about this, he denied any wrongdoing. In March of that year, the banks reported him to the authorities and fired him from his position.
According to Deputy Public Prosecutor Eunice Chew, Huang began illegally accessing client information on his computer when he began working from home at the” loop breaker” period of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He accessed his son’s friend’s data out of curiosity, and after boasting to his son’s companion that he could.
In order to perform a trick on a friend’s sister and mother, he even accessed their information.
Similar incidents, according to the prosecutor, were “less malignant” than the ones where Huang retrieved information from Tan and a bookmaker who had been a member of their illegal football team.
Through this common companion, Huang and Tan first connected with one another in the months of August and September of this year. At a meeting, Tan complained that he was unable to retrieve money from some consumers.
Huang informed Tan that he was employed by DBS and may assist in the investigation of owed income donors.
Tan contacted Huang via common friend on October 16, 2020, asking for assistance in obtaining a debtor’s tackle and bank account information.
Huang emailed their mutual friend who forwarded the photos to Tan after looking up their client profile on his cellphone.
Tan then gave the woman’s address to debt lovers, who went to the house to demand payment.
Within a month, Tan passed Huang S$ 100 to thank him for the details. For this, Huang was given a S$ 100 charges that he paid after his conviction on Friday.
Huang remained with Tan for three more times in this capacity. Additionally, he assisted their mutual friend, the unlawful bookmakers, in obtaining a bank customer’s account details.
With this knowledge, the bookmakers knew that the buyer had money in his bank accounts, and he asked people to demand payment.
Ms Chew, the counsel, sought a prison term of eight weeks and seven months to 10 weeks and two days for Huang.
She said Huang had abused his status as a DBS staff and was “extremely frequent” in his crimes, which were very difficult to detect.
Mumtaj Banu, the defense attorney, requested the prosecution’s most extreme statement possible.
She said Huang committed the crimes “out of folly” and to please people, and did not use the customer information for individual gain.
Additionally, Ms. Banu claimed that Huang only benefited from the$ 100 that would be exchanged for money.
In imprisonment, District Judge Ow Yong Tuck Leong said that Huang’s steps had damaged Singapore’s status as an internationally respected financial center.
Tan also admitted guilt in 2023 and was imprisoned for three months for gratifying Huang with$ 100.
What you need to know about Adani’s US bribery indictment
Property ROUT AND FALLOUT Adani Group’s debt and equity have been jolted by the US accusation. Following the news, Adani Group ties dropped for a minute period. The companies ‘ stock prices stabilized on Friday, one day after almost US$ 27 billion was taken from those shares ‘ combined marketContinue Reading
US anti-personnel mines to Ukraine both desperate and depressing – Asia Times
In the last week of his president, Joe Biden, has agreed to give Ukraine a deeper hand in shaping the land warfare against the Russians.
He gave the Ukrainian military the go-ahead to launch long-range ATACMS weapons against targets in Russia on October 17, prompting the British to do the same. Moscow has issued a harsh reminder after Ukraine used both places ‘ weapons in assaults on Russian soil.
The Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, eventually signed off on modifications to Russia’s nuclear philosophy, which makes it easier for Russia to establish a second attack.
However, there has been controversy over Biden’s decision to send anti-personnel mines ( APLs ) to Ukraine to help it defend itself from the persistent Russian offensive. These landmines are  , reported to be “non-persistent” , , meaning they can be set to be active for a limited amount of time and deactivated once their batteries fail.
However, the Ottawa Convention, which prohibits the use, stockpiling, or transfer of anti-personnel mining, has been condemned by international humanitarian agencies in a time when using them is taboo ( but not the US or Russia ).
Other than being permanent APLs, no further information has been released regarding what kinds of munitions the US has promised to Ukraine. The US has several APL and non-persistent landmine systems as well as mixed APL and anti-tank ( AT ) systems.
Dedicated APL systems are pursuit-denial munitions and area-denial artillery munitions ( Adam ). As an example of a mixed AT and APL system, the M87 ( Volcano ) is a mine-laying system that uses prepackaged mine canisters, which can contain multiple APL or AT mines, or both, which are dispersed over a wide area when ejected from the canister. This method is also employed by various militaries that have not yet ratified the Ottawa Convention.
The Adam technique is most likely to contain the US’s mine. As Russian troops are forced again, this would allow for fast deployment in the face of quickly advanceing Russian forces and for military remote deployments. They can also be remotely ejected to aid in the war, similar to the Volcano system.
Numerous charitable organizations have condemned the US for this coverage change. The US has been trying to control the use of mines in other countries ‘ defenses, despite not being bound by the Ottawa Convention.
And today, numerous administrations and charitable organizations are taking on the challenge of removing mines from the planet. But, according to new NATO estimates, there are still at least 110 million mines littering 70 countries.
The US’s commitment to provide Ukraine with APLs raises the possibility of lifting the ban on landmine deployment in conflict areas.
Landmines will only be used in non-residential locations and on war’s frontlines, according to Ukraine. However, the problem is not as much with the real weapons program in Ukraine: the mine are non-persistent and will not leave a lasting risk. The issue is that this appears to be a quite open display of genuine warcraft.
One of the most intensely mined nations in the world is now Ukraine, which is for noting. To slow down the progress of Russian forces, Russian troops have used 13 different types of munitions. Following the 2014 conquest of Crimea and a number of locations, Russian mines were first used in the west of Ukraine.
The World Bank estimated last year that US$ 37.4 billion would be spent on demining Ukraine. However, the global community has not responded to the US’s use of mines in Ukraine. This is mainly due to the US’s effective diplomatic support for limiting their use in contemporary conflicts.
Other than to defend South Korea, the Obama management put limits on the use of APLs in 2014, which included a ban on using them. Donald Trump rescinded these in 2020. The Biden administration announced in 2022 that limits on APLs would be lifted in order to take the United States in line with the Ottowa Convention anywhere in the world besides the Korean Peninsula.
Russian benefit
APLs are no longer a suitable and possibly useful tool for Ukraine to use, despite the charitable objections to them. The current state of the war makes them a suitable and potentially useful one at this point.
The attacking troops have been instructed to leave their vehicles and move forward because of Ukraine’s productive use of drones to attack Russian armoured vehicles, which transport troops and supplies to moving front lines.
Traditional anti-tank bombs are less efficient on troops moving on foot, and men in groups are much more able to stay hidden from Ukrainian aircraft personnel. Additionally, AT landmines lose their ability to obstruct them into Russian fire lines as more Russian troops march on foot.
Therefore, Ukraine has requested these mine in response to the rising infantry’s desire to halt what has turned out to be an unstoppable Russian progress.
Soviet progress is gaining momentum. The battle to keep and acquire territory is likely to get worse because both Ukraine and Russia are aware that there will come a point when there will be peace and land.
Professor of International Security at the University of Bath, David J. Galbreath
The Conversation has republished this essay under a Creative Commons license. Read the original content.
Russia gave North Korea anti-air missiles in exchange for troops: Seoul security chief
According to researchers, Pyongyang might be reorienting its foreign policy by using Ukraine. By sending soldiers, North Korea is positioning itself within the Russian combat business as a supplier of weapons, defense support and labour- probably bypassing its standard ally, neighbour and main trading partner, China, according to analysts. AccordingContinue Reading
More rain pounding southern provinces
Officials in southern provinces are still on the lookout for flood.
PUBLISHED: 22 Nov 2024 at 15: 34
Thailand’s southwestern area is experiencing heavier rainfall until at least Saturday, after a downpour that left the province’s Phatthalung province municipality under on Friday morning.
The Gulf of Thailand regions along the coast, including Chumphon and Narathiwat, and Prachuap Khiri Khan, are experiencing more rainfall until Saturday, or perhaps more, according to a report from the Meteorological Department on Friday.
Ranong, Phangnga, Phuket, Krabi, Trang and Satun regions on the Andaman beach will also be impacted by the weather, the agency added.
Officials have been keeping an eye on flooding in areas along the coast after they’ve already experienced large downpours since Tuesday.
The most rain fell in Phatthalung on Thursday, according to the Hazard Prevention and Mitigation Department. Some places in the towns of Muang, Kongra, and Sri Nakarin were submerged in rain, causing traffic jams in the morning.
Taiwan’s president to visit Pacific allies, no details on US transits
Taiwan’s president Lai Ching-te will travel to the Pacific with three of Taipei’s remaining diplomatic allies starting at the end of the month, his office announced on Friday ( Nov 22 ), but the government forewarned information on US transit stops. Taiwan’s presidents generally enrage Beijing by making what areContinue Reading
Russia needs a peace deal before it runs out of soldiers – Asia Times
For Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump’s win could n’t come soon enough. Putin may agree to a package in which Ukraine maintains its neutrality and abandons any programs to ally itself with NATO or the EU while gaining important place in Ukraine ( about the size of the US state of Virginia ).
Though Ukraine is experiencing conflict stress, but is Russia. The Kremlin is still battling to find soldiers for the fight, despite Russia‘s continued progress in the Ukrainian Donetsk place. This is confirmed by the recent discovery that North Vietnamese soldiers were engaged in combat in Ukraine.
A peace deal would be in Moscow’s passions as much as Kyiv’s as Russia continues to escalate the conflict, with reports from Ukraine suggesting Moscow had fired its first intercontinental ballistic missile of the conflict.
According to Western analyses, around 115, 000 to 160, 000 Russian forces have died, 90 % of the staff it had at the beginning of the war. While another 500, 000 have been injured. To mitigate these costs, Russia has been recruiting 20, 000 new men a month.
Even during the days of peace, recruiting troops into Russia’s army has never been that simple. More experienced military frequently bully and haze recruits, so many young Russian men avoid enlisting in the military. As a result, this is done. Known as dedovshchina, Russian abuse, hazing and beating of troops has been a significant game in the Russian government since the ending of the 17th centuries.
The Soviet Union’s dissolution led to the expose of the terrible circumstances in the military, which were documented by the Russian advertising. Many Russians may even recall how badly behaved conscripts were when they were sent off to fight in Chechnya in the middle of the 1990s.
The typical Russian general’s safety and well-being are not the subjects of the Russian government’s concern. This despair to prevent being drafted into an active war becomes even more severe during times of peace, which is unpopular.
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The army is also seen as a big trap to get the bad and impoverished. The graves of Russian soldiers are left out, and the bodies of some of them are maybe not identified. They are considered meat for the grinder.
Most of the volunteers have come from Far East states with significant indigenous groups such as Bashkortostan, Chechnya, the Republic of Sakha ( Yakutzia ) and Dagestan— or as far from Moscow as feasible.
However, a more intense Russian state is now facing yet young gentlemen in Moscow. Russians have eluded the land because hundreds of thousands of them have eluded it, prompting the government to pass a tougher draft legislation to detain troops.
Review notices are today delivered online rather than by mail as the new law was implemented on November 1st of this year. Those who are called up are quickly prohibited from leaving the country and face severe penalties if they attempt to do so once the notice arrives in a Russian man’s electronic box.
This means that whenever a Russian man contacts the government to pay taxes, renew a passport, get a driver’s license, or get some other government service, the Russian government will quickly issue them a draft card. It’s even easier to avoid the draft if you have an online presence in Russia, such as a bank account, loan, or car loan.
Russian people have used all manner of methods to avoid being drafted since the start of the conflict, including fabricating medical records, breaking their own vertebrae, and pretending to be drug users.
Moving to other countries or purchasing real estate in someone else’s brand was a frequent practice, but these days things are getting more difficult. Even though some of the people I spoke with for this article had no resided in Moscow since 2006, they were still drafted. The Russian government has used its extensive search for trainees to pursue Russian nationals who reside worldwide.
Russia has even somewhat drafted prisoners, which include assassins and paedophiles. This has caused Russia’s jail people to drop.
However, Putin is out of people. The Ministry of Defense has increased pay to double the bonus for those serving in , November of last year, to attract more recruits. This makes it more beneficial than civilian jobs.
Another option is to rely on the North Korean government, but North Korean troops lack experience in combat, employ various military strategies, and are rarely Russian, making coordination for certain combat operations more challenging.
Soviet troops have remarked that they are unsure of their fate. Putin may attempt to pressure Belarus into offering support, even though this would be widely unpopular because Russian soldiers are well-versed in Belarusian strategies and operations.
Putin is demonstrating that regular warfare strategies are no longer sufficient in another sign of weakness. In response to a Russian assault using US-made ATACMS weapons in the northern Bryansk region of Russia, Putin threatened on November 19 that nuclear arms might be used.
There is no need to reduce the boundary for nuclear use when normal warfare strategies are effective.
Obviously, the conflict is never going especially well for Ukraine either. They are dealing with regional losses and their own selection issues. However, it is mistaken to believe that Putin will eventually form a strong place for negotiations. Fortunately for Putin, despite the possibility that he may not have enough gentlemen, a suitable deal may be in order that overlooks this.
Natasha Lindstaedt is professor in the Department of Government, University of Essex
The Conversation has republished this essay under a Creative Commons license. Read the original content.
Katy Perry wins trademark appeal against designer Katie Perry
After being sued by an American artist who sells clothing under her birth name, Katy Perry, singer has successfully appealed a logo selection over her name.
Three appeals judges on Friday overturned a court decision last year that favoured Katie Taylor over merchandise sold by the pop star during a 2014 tour of Australia.
The courts said Perry had been using her name as a mark five years before Taylor started her business, adding that by that time, Perry had attained an “international popularity” in pleasure.
The judges even cancelled Taylor’s logo subscription on Friday.
Taylor had compared her legal challenge to” David and Goliath.” She told the Sydney Morning Herald after Friday’s decision that she was “devastated” with the situation results.
The decision to use one woman’s name as a trademark in a situation involving two successful ladies who were aware that one existed was “unfortunate” according to the appeals judges.
” Both ladies put blood, sweat and tears into developing their companies”, the magistrates said.
” As the popularity of one grew abroad, the other became conscious of her predecessor and filed a mark application”, they said.
One of Perry’s biggest hits was made reference to in her ruling last year:” This is a tale of two people, two youthful dreams, and one title.”
Perry’s decision comes as she gears up for her first Lifetimes world tour in earlier 2025 to assist her return recording, 143.