News Desk

Feb. 7 (Asia Today) — A presiding judge at the Changwon District Court has been summarily indicted on suspicion of violating South Korea’s anti-graft law, prosecutors said Friday, days after he issued acquittals in a high-profile political funding case.

Legal sources said the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office filed a summary indictment against Judge Kim In-taek on Wednesday for alleged violations of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act.

Kim is accused of receiving luxury clothing worth several million won (several thousand dollars) last year from a duty-free shop employee identified only as a team leader surnamed A at HDC Shilla Duty Free. Prosecutors are also examining allegations that the employee covered expenses for an overseas trip taken with Kim.

Under the anti-graft law, public officials including judges who receive valuables exceeding 1 million won (about $681) in a single instance can face up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won (about $20,438).

On Thursday, Kim acquitted political broker Myung Tae-gyun and former People Power Party lawmaker Kim Young-sun of charges related to alleged political funding violations, ruling that money exchanged between them did not constitute political funds, according to the report. In the same case, the court convicted Myung of inducing the concealment of evidence and sentenced him to six months in prison, suspended for one year.

Kim is scheduled to transfer to the Suwon District Court on Feb. 23 under the judiciary’s regular personnel rotation.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260207010002588

Four months into the Gaza “ceasefire”, Palestinians in the devastated territory are coming to terms with the post-war situation.

At this year’s edition of the Al Jazeera Forum in Doha, delegates are focusing on the power shifts created by Israel’s genocide.

A new committee of technocrats is expected to be in charge of Gaza’s governance.

The committee is to be overseen by the newly formed Board of Peace, headed by US President Donald Trump.

What are its chances of success?

Presenter: Sami Zeidan

Guests:
Mustafa Barghouti – general secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative

Abdullah Al Shayji – professor of international relations and political science at Kuwait University

Ziad Majed – professor of Middle Eastern studies at The American University of Paris

MONTANA Brown is facing the wrath of the internet after her comments that food pouches for kids are ‘c**p’ left viewers feeling patronised.

The series three Love Islander, 30, posted a TikTok discussing what supermarkets brand as “healthy snack pouches” for children and how she feels sickened that people would ever actually purchase them.

Speaking candidly to the camera from her car, Montana said: “All the soon-to-be mothers… don’t get into the trap of buying ‘kids’ food.

“Like going to the kids aisle in a shop and seeing all these like ‘kiddylicious wafers’ and ooh a chicken casserole in a little squirty thing.

“I hate them. I really hate them. I think they [shops and brands] want it to be so easy for us.

“They want it to be so convenient for us that we buy them every day and feed them to our kids because it’s healthy and it’s an easy…

“[You think to yourself] you don’t have to MAKE them a chicken casserole.

” But it’s full of c**p.”

The star continued to say that it can be hard to not fall into the trap of feeding ultra-processed food to your family, but parents could instead give their children “a piece of carrot or cucumber”.

She said: “I used to give Jude [her son] pouches back in the day, he used to have pouches very rarely, and when I looked at the ingredients I was like ”oh my gosh I do not want to give him this stuff ever’.

“Miley [her daughter] I would never give her a pouch, and it just annoys me because I think we need to give kids real food. 

“And actually there doesn’t need to be a kids section necessarily, we can just give them a carrot or we can give them cucumber, we can give them an apple, we can give them a pear.

“It just takes a couple more minutes to prepare. It’s just really frustrating.”

Viewers rushed to let Montana know they thought she crossed the line between being informative and rude, leaving parents feeling guilt-tripped for doing their best as well as patronised.

One user said: “Try being a busy mum with a full time job, being out the house 8am-6pm every day (bills to pay).

“We need a bit of convenience at times. Don’t guilt trip those of us who don’t have time to scratch cook nutritiously balance meals 21 times a week.”

A second responded sarcastically with: “Don’t give up breastfeeding until they go to high school, give them avocados and salmon everyday for breakfast otherwise they’ll never survive the real world x”

A third added: “This isn’t it babe. Mum shaming as a Mum herself is crazy.”

Montana and her fiancé professional rugby player Mark O’Connor met in 2021.

They share two children, who were born in 2023 and 2025.

Montana has been open about her difficult journey to motherhood, having experienced a breech as well as a home birth.

With Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim by his side, U.S. President Donald Trump oversees the signing of a ceasefire agreement between Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet on the sidelines of the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in October. Photo Courtesy of The White House | License Photo

Feb. 8 (UPI) — Thailand’s conservative-royalist party won the election Sunday.

The Bhumjaithai party secured 194 House of Representatives spots after 89 percent of the votes had been tallied, The New York Times reported.

“We will accept the decision of the people in giving us the confidence, the trust to the Bhumjaithai party,” said Anutin Charnvirakul, who helms the party, per the outlet.

Charnvirakul had vowed to construct a border wall following a battle with Cambodia over the boundary between countries.

Bhumjaithai has committed to uphold the monarchy status quo.

The more progressive People’s Party earned some 116 seats, while the Pheu Thai party gained 86 spots.

“People’s priorities have shifted from reform to the need for stability,” ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute fellow Tita Sanglee told The New York Times.