(1/2) Police on Mon opens the safety box of the raided illegal Chinese-run karaoke bar which was subject to a pre-dawn crackdown by 100 special taskforce police last week and found 120 baht cash and no drugs. #Thailand#WhatsHappeningInThailand#KE
EXCLUSIVE—Drug
smuggling fake PhD former cabinet minister Tamanat Prompow flew from
Bangkok to Dubai today on Emirates flight EK375. Here’s a photo of him
in the Emirates lounge at Suvarnabhumi. The reason for his trip is
unknown but we know who lives in Dubai…
With a sluggish economy and a high crime rate, it will be easy to mobilize against Brazil's newly elected president
Of:
Cas Mudde
Published: Today 11.40
This is a cultural article that is part of Aftonbladet's opinion journalism.
Lula da Silva celebrated victory in the Brazilian election last night. Photo: Andre Penner / AP
CULTURE
For those who found the first round of the Brazilian presidential election to be an excruciating nail-biter, the second round was even worse.
Of course Lula da Silva won, but only by a margin of barely two percentage points.
Although there are clear signs of attempts to keep down turnout, for example by the traffic police setting up roadblocks in states where Lula has support, the fact remains: Brazil is both a divided and radicalized country.
Far-right President Jair Bolsonaro will continue to be a destabilizing force in Brazil's politics and social life, not least as several of his allies won the elections in important states. Lula will therefore not only be forced to face the usual foul play of a Congress largely hostile to him and his Workers' Party (PT), but now also Bolsonaro's strongly committed supporters on the streets.
The risk is great that Bolsonaro will not admit the election loss, but will instead try to use the power in the streets to force a new vote count or try to stage a coup d'état in the style of the storming of the Capitol.
He now returns to an energy crisis and a world economy where several important countries are in or close to recession
When Lula now regains the presidency, he has a very difficult task ahead of him. He ran on the equally stated and implied – but unrealistic – promise that the golden years of his previous presidency (2003–2010) would return. But he was then president in another world and in another Brazil. At the time, Lula was able to benefit from high oil and gas prices and a world economy that was generally doing well. He now returns to an energy crisis and a world economy where several important countries are in or close to recession.
In Brazil, public opinion has become more negative towards the Workers' Party, and more right-wing, while Bolsonaro and his supporters have created a counterforce in politics and on the streets. With a sluggish economy and a high crime rate, the far right will be in a perfect position to mobilize against Lula, whose already moderate popularity could drop quickly.
It is not difficult to see the similarities with the United States. Both Trump and Bolsonaro were defeated by centre-left politicians who mainly represented a relatively popular recent past. Both of them would have continued to govern if the corona pandemic had not struck - it is clear that they themselves struggled with the state's measures.
If the US example is anything to go by, Bolsonaroism will survive even if Bolsonaro does not remain its undisputed leader. The radical right movement has never been about the leader. It is about a broad wave of economic but above all culturally conditioned dissatisfaction that exists in all social classes. It is reinforced and organized by a large infrastructure of political and religious organizations and fueled by an amorphous network of media both on and off the Internet.
Lula has not defeated the far right, but he has won some extra time for Brazil (and for the planet).
Cas Mudde is one of the world's leading researchers on political extremism and populism in Europe and the USA. He is currently active at the University of Georgia, USA.
The Brazilians elected their own Donald Trump
Lula da Silva has the radiance of a superstar
Published: Less than 2 hours ago
Aftonbladet's editorial page is independent social democratic.
Lula da Silva addresses his supporters. Photo: Andre Penner / AP
LEADER
Last Thursday, Lula da Silva turned 77. In two months, on January 1, he can again title himself president of Brazil.
The former trade unionist began his victory speech in the industrial city of San Paulo by declaring that his first priority is that no Brazilian should go hungry. Then he went on to talk about stopping the looting of the Amazon rainforest.
The radiation remains
Lula da Silva still seems to have retained his charisma. In the early 2000s, it made him one of the superstars of international politics. He also became a hope for the giant country's many poor and for progressives around the world.
Yesterday, the radiance was enough to defeat the extreme right-wing nationalist Jair Bolsonaro by the smallest possible margin.
World leaders have been quick to congratulate Brazil's newly elected president. The truth is that hardly anyone thinks that right-wing extremism, populism and polarization are what the world needs today.
Ironic accusations
In a country where politics is characterized by systematic abuse of power and bribery, it is an irony that the very leader who does not come from the network of the powerful has been accused of corruption. Lula led the country between 2003 and 2010.
In 2017, he was convicted of dishonest business and was imprisoned for 580 days before the conviction was overturned.
"They tried to bury me alive, but here I am," Lula told his supporters last night.
He also promised to be a president for the whole country and a leadership that unites. We know from closer quarters than South America that it can be easier said than done. Lula da Silva must also be pitted against a Congress where Bolsonaro's supporters still have the majority.
Following in Trump's footsteps
And as if that were not enough, his opponent in the election following the pattern of Donald Trump has done his best to spread doubts about the validity of the election. Yesterday, Bolsonaro chose silence and did not admit defeat.
Brazil faces enormous challenges. Enormous poverty, gigantic class gaps and a climate disaster that may very soon have passed the point where the trend can be reversed. In addition, division, polarization and political impotence.
The fact that the Brazilian voters yesterday chose Lula da Silva still shows that hope is alive.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine 80 percent of Kyiv without water
Of:
Anna Sjogren
Published: Today 10.17
Updated: Less than 3 hours ago
NEWS
Russian forces have carried out massive bomb attacks against several
Ukrainian cities during Monday morning.
Electricity, mobile networks and parts of the railway have been knocked
out.
- One area in Kyiv is without electricity and some areas are without
water after Russian attacks, says mayor Vitaly Klitschko.
The attacks were carried out at seven in the morning.
According to the Ukrainian defense, Russia has fired over 50 rockets at
Ukraine - of which 44 were shot down.
In the capital Kyiv, more than ten explosions were heard according to
Reuters, and in pictures on social media, columns of smoke can be seen
rising into the sky.
Electricity and mobile networks have been knocked out and 80 percent of
the city lacks water, according to mayor Vitaly Klitschko. 350,000
households are without power.
Residents are encouraged to store drinking water.
- To be safe, we ask you to stock up on water from the nearest pump or
shop, says Klitschko in local media.
The subway has stopped working
Reports of explosions also come from Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Vinnytsia,
Poltava, Odessa, Kirovohrad and Zaporizhzhya.
Critical infrastructure has been hit in several places. Parts of the
country's railways have lost their electricity as a result of the
attacks, according to the country's railway company.
Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Teherov says parts of the subway stopped working
after the power went out, AP reports
In Zaporizhzhya, where a power plant was hit, authorities are warning of
power outages after the attacks.
Residential buildings met
In Vinnytsia, a shot down rocket hit residential buildings, but no
people were reported to have been injured.
There are also reports of attacks on civilian targets. In the city of
Nikopol, several buildings have been hit, including a 30-storey building
and a 31-year-old woman has died in the attacks.
A rocket fell in the Moldovan countryside, near the Ukrainian border
after being shot down by Ukrainian air defenses. No one was injured, but
several houses had windows damaged.
This is the second time in a few weeks that Russia has carried out
large-scale rocket attacks on Ukrainian cities. The earlier attack came
after a bomb attack on the bridge connecting Russian-annexed Crimea with
Russia.
Vitaly Klitschko, Mayor. Photo: Efrem Lukatsky / AP
The images are said to show a rocket attack at the power plant outside
Zaporizhzhya. Photo: https://twitter.com/odessatypical
This is how the disaster happened in Seoul: People pushed from two sides
This is what we know about the tragedy
Of:
Anna Sjogren
Published: Less than 2 hours ago
Updated: Less than 1 hour ago
NEWS
The Halloween celebration in Seoul turned into a terrible tragedy with over 150 dead.
According to witnesses, the narrow, sloping alley was filled from wall to wall with people trying to get in from two directions.
This is what we know about what happened.
Photo: Grafik Aftonbladet/Map
Seoul
Metropolitan Government
1.Many of the victims were trapped in the narrow, hilly alley next to
the Hamilton Hotel.
2.Several victims were found here.
3.Here, several victims were found on the street.
4.Here, several victims were found on the street.
5.Subway rise where people continued to pour into the area.
On Saturday, people begin to gather in the entertainment district of
Itaewon in the South Korean capital. Party-hungry Seoulites stream from
the subway station to celebrate the first big Halloween celebration
since the covid restrictions were lifted.
Many are young and dressed up to celebrate Halloween.
According to the police, over 100,000 have gathered in the area: in
bars, restaurants and out on the streets. Already at eight o'clock it is
packed in the narrow alleys of the entertainment district.
- I have never seen such crowds in my life before, says Ulas Cetinkaya,
who runs a kebab restaurant in the area, to the NY Times.
Lots of people gather in the Itaewon entertainment district, many
dressed up to celebrate Halloween. Photo: LINDA @DABAKLUSA / Reuters
The chaos starts in the alley
According to local media reports, the chaos breaks out in a narrow,
sloping alley to one side of the Hamilton Hotel.
It is said to occur when people try to get to a bar where a celebrity is
rumored to have been spotted.
People head towards the bar and it gets more and more crowded in the
alley as people press in from two sides. According to witnesses, the
alley is filled from wall to wall as people continue to make their way
there.
"Incited each other"
Seon Yeo-jeong, a South Korean YouTuber, says people were heckling each
other in the crowd. “Come on, press! We are stronger! I will win!”
Witnesses describe how the crowd begins to swing back and forth and that
people end up falling over each other. According to Reuters, some are
trying to climb onto house facades to escape the increased pressure.
"People kept pushing down a sloping alley and people started screaming
and falling like dominoes," writes a witness according to the Yonhap
news agency.
The congestion in the district before the chaos broke out. Photo:
YONHAP/Reuters
First alarm
At 10:30 p.m. local time, the first alarm comes to the authorities:
people are being buried in the crowds. Films from the scene of the
accident show rescue workers struggling to free people stuck in the
alley.
At the same time, people continue to flock to the entertainment
district. Authorities send out a text message to residents urging
everyone to leave the area.
Emergency personnel on site on Itaewon street, outside the hotel.
At the
top left of the picture you can see the subway entrance where people
continue to come to the area. Photo: Lee Jin-man / AP
According to witnesses, the congestion makes it difficult for emergency
personnel to reach the victims. At the same time, the music pumps out
from the nightclubs.
- People must be told how bad it was and how little help was available.
No one paid attention to what happened, an Australian man whose
23-year-old friend was injured and is now missing told Yonhap.
People are treated for cardiac arrest and other injuries. Photo: Lee
Jin-man / AP
Hundreds of rescue workers, firefighters and police are working at the
scene. Photo: Lee Jin-man / AP / TT
3,580
are reported missing
According to early reports, around 50 people are being treated for
cardiac arrest. Others are bleeding from the head or have suffered from a
lack of oxygen, says a nurse who takes care of the injured.
But the dead and injured will be many more.
During Sunday morning, the streets in the entertainment district are
empty, the police have closed the streets to traffic.
Authorities have set up a line where people can call to report their
missing relatives. During Sunday, 3,580 people were reported missing.
Photo: Lee Jin-man / AP / TT
Media gathering at the alley, the day after the disaster. Photo: Victor Lindbom
The
death toll on Sunday morning is up to 153 people and 82 people are
injured. 10 people who lack identity documents have not yet been
identified. The majority of the dead are women. Most of the victims are
young people in their 20s, the youngest 16.
A
man who lost his daughter in the disaster criticizes the authorities.
He believes that it was known that extremely many people would gather in
the area during the evening.
"I don't think there was any preparation for this, which led to a
disaster," he told Reuters.
The hilly alley beside the Hamilton Hotel the day after the tragedy.
Photo: Lee Jin-man / AP
Memorials
will be set up in central Seoul and in Itaewon, and the president has
declared a national period of mourning until November 5.
The entire district of Yongsan has been declared a disaster area.
-
This is really tragic. A tragedy and disaster that should not have
happened took place in the heart of Seoul last night, Yoon Suk-yeol said
in a statement.
T
