Source: Evening Standard
Security & Justice
Israel Army Says Hit Over 100 'Terror Targets' in Lebanon in Past Day
The Israeli military on Wednesday said it struck more than 100 "terror targets" in Lebanon over the past day and had "eliminated" two Hezbollah commanders at the weekend.
Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Israeli Strikes Kill Four Lebanese Soldiers in Two Days, Army Reports
Israeli Strikes Kill Four Lebanese Soldiers in Two Days, Army Reports
Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Opinion
Flying Above the Bombs, a Lebanese Airline Becomes an Unlikely National Hero
It used to be like almost any other national carrier, fielding gripes about flight delays, ticket prices and bad food.
Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Berri's Exclusive Control Over Ceasefire Talks: A Threat to National Interests?
As U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein continues his shuttle diplomacy between Tel Aviv and Beirut, aiming to broker a ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel, Lebanese political sources are increasingly calling for transparency in the negotiations. With the possibility of a ceasefire agreement looming, many are demanding that the Lebanese public be made aware of the terms being discussed behind closed doors, especially given the high stakes for Lebanon’s future and security.
Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Sports
Alcaraz Beats Rublev to Open ATP Finals Account
Carlos Alcaraz opened his account at the ATP Finals on Wednesday with an entertaining 6-3, 7-6 (10/8) win over Andrey Rublev which boosted his hopes of reaching the semifinals.
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
Ecuador's Angulo, 22, Dies a Month After Car Crash
Ecuador international Marco Angulo has died at the age of 22 just over a month after being seriously injured in a car crash, his club has announced.
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
Sunday 18 February 2024 14:57:01
Russia Claims Alexei Navalny Died Of 'Sudden Death Syndrome' As Mother Searches For Body
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died from a heart attack at a Siberian penal colony where temperatures plummet to -30C, it is claimed.
Investigators told his mother Lyudmila Navalnaya her 47-year-old son had died from sudden arrhythmic death syndrome, though this cause of death has not been independently verified.
Anti-corruption campaigner Mr Navalny had been transferred to the jail in December, four months after a court sentenced him to 19 years on trumped-up "extremism" and "corruption" charges.
On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the Munich Security Conference Vladimir Putin was a "thug" and it was "absurd" to call him the "legitimate head of a Russian state". And he added: "Putin kills whoever he wants, be it an opposition leader or anyone who seems like a target. He maintains power through corruption and violence."
And Marina Litvinenko, whose husband, the defector Alexander Litvinenko, was poisoned in London with radioactive isotope polonium 210 by Russian agents, said: "This is not just another death. We know about the first Ukraine war in 2014, we know about the Skripal poisonings in Salisbury when a British citizen was killed, then Alexei Navalny was poisoned in 2020 and arrested in 2021, and now you have full war in Ukraine.
"And this is all connected - there is one man at the heart of all of this who is responsible.
"Putin's regime will collapse sooner than people expect, and we will know the truth behind Navalny's death and that of my husband." But Putin expert Keir Giles, author of Russia's War on Everybody, urged people to manage expectations.
He said: "We cannot even know how many Russians were in sympathy with Navalny. What we do know is that it doesn't make any difference. Russia has a repressive capacity system to make sure there cannot be anything stronger than an irritating response to Navalny's death."
He said any order given by Moscow showed Russia was "back in its historical comfort zone of murdering opponents at home and abroad without qualms and without a care for international condemnation". But he said other factors could have played a part in Mr Navalny's death.
"The assumption by so many is the Russian system is smooth and efficient, and only works on the orders issued from the very top carried out promptly and without fail. It is not the case. It is hostage to misunderstanding and Russian chaos.
"A number of things could have led to Navalny's death without it necessarily involving a direct order." As tragic as Mr Navalny's death is, said Mr Giles, it did not represent the end of the last hope of opposition.
"It is simply not true Navalny was the only show in town.There are plenty of others in jail who are in as much danger."
These include journalist and opposition activistVladimir Kara-Murza, 42.
Mr Giles added: "Kara-Murza was poisoned, went back to Russia because he doesn't feel he was doing any good outside, is imprisoned and is in great danger."
Others at risk could include activist and member of the anti-Putinist punk rock group Pussy Riot, Maria Alyokhina, 35.
She fled Russia after being ordered to spend 21 days in a penal colony.
