Author: Our Newsroom

ASEAN leaders tell Myanmar coup general to end killings
12May By Our NewsroomNo Comments
Asia, China, Singapore, World

ASEAN leaders tell Myanmar coup general to end killings

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Southeast Asian leaders demanded an immediate end to killings and the release of political detainees in Myanmar in an emergency summit Saturday with its top general and coup leader who, according to Malaysia’s prime minister, did not reject them outright. The leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations also told Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing during the two-hour talks in Jakarta that a dialogue between contending parties in Myanmar should immediately start, with the help of ASEAN envoys. “The situation in Myanmar is unacceptable and should not continue. Violence must be stopped, democracy, stability and peace in Myanmar must be returned immediately,” Indonesian President Joko Widodo said during the meeting. “The interests of the people of Myanmar must always b
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Asean is failing its ‘ultimate test’ in Myanmar
12May By Our NewsroomNo Comments
Asia, Business, Singapore, World

Asean is failing its ‘ultimate test’ in Myanmar

Asean is failing its 'ultimate test' in Myanmar Leaders attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit on the Myanmar crisis in Jakarta in late April. The regional bloc must act more decisively to rein in the junta. (Photo: AFP) It was just a few weeks ago, on 24 April, that Southeast Asian leaders emerged from a special summit on Myanmar hailing a "breakthrough". The military junta had signed up to a "consensus" plan, vowing to end violence against protesters and allowing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to facilitate dialogue. Cautious hopes were raised for an end to the crisis triggered by the Tatmadaw's (Myanmar military) coup. Since then, security forces have instead continued launching crackdowns, resulting in the deaths of many people, arrested...
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India, US to pursue actions to collaborate on climate crisis, 2030 agenda for green technologies
10Apr By Our NewsroomNo Comments
World

India, US to pursue actions to collaborate on climate crisis, 2030 agenda for green technologies

The United States and India have affirmed their shared desire” to combat climate change and will pursue actions to collaborate on a 2030 agenda for clean and green technologies in the service of the planet.This comes after the US Special Presidential Envoy for climate John Kerry and Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed US-India cooperation on addressing the climate crisis.Both leaders discussed US-India cooperation on addressing the climate crisis and raising global ambition heading into President Biden’s Leaders Summit on Climate April 22-23, the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change later this year, and beyond, the US State Department said.According to a readout from the US Department of State, Kerry and Prime Minister Modi
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India crucial partner both in Indo-Pacific, world at large: Netherlands PM
10Apr By Our NewsroomNo Comments
World

India crucial partner both in Indo-Pacific, world at large: Netherlands PM

Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte has lauded India’s Vaccine Maitri programme and said that India is a crucial partner both in the Indo-Pacific region and in the world at large.“For EU, like the Netherlands, India is a crucial partner both in the region and in the world at large. Take for example United Nations. The Netherlands welcomes India’s commitment to COVAX as an essential partner in terms of accessing vaccine for low and middle-income countries. And we applaud India for its Vaccine Maitri programme,” Rutte said at a virtual summit with Indian Prime Minister Modi.Supporting India’s bid for a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council, Rutte said: “You and I, we both support UN reform, which includes making the UN Security Council more representative. In our view, Indi
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UK unveils package to support Hong Kong families escaping Beijing’s draconian law
8Apr By Our NewsroomNo Comments
Business, China, World

UK unveils package to support Hong Kong families escaping Beijing’s draconian law

For the people who are escaping Hong Kong due to China’s draconian National security law, the UK government has announced a 43 million pound (USD 59.6 million) package with an aim to support British National (Overseas) families that settle in the country, funding local councils nationwide to help the new arrivals from Hong Kong with housing, education and employment.The scheme, announced on Thursday, comes after UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke to four Hong Kong families that moved to the country on a special visa for those with BN(O) status last month.Under the new programme, 30.7 million British Pounds will go to councils across England, to provide help for the arrivals, covering English language and housing support for those in need. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will delive
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Myanmar ambassador ‘locked out’ of London embassy
8Apr By Our NewsroomNo Comments
World

Myanmar ambassador ‘locked out’ of London embassy

Myanmar’s ambassador to London Kyaw Zwar Minn has been locked out of the country’s embassy – apparently by his deputy, who was reported to have taken charge on behalf of the military.Ambassador Kyaw Zwar Minn said he tried to gain access to the embassy on Wednesday for several hours but was unable to enter.He also said that several of his staff were still inside the building, and were not being allowed out. Phone calls made to the embassy went unanswered and emails bounced back.Since a military coup in February, Myanmar’s army has launched a crackdown on pro-democracy protesters and has been accused of hundreds of extrajudicial executions.London ambassador Kyaw Zwar Minn has broken ranks with the ruling junta in recent weeks and issued a statement last month calling for the release of deta
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Compulsory Arabic can lead to more conflicts in Pakistan
1Mar By Our NewsroomNo Comments
Asia, Conflict, World

Compulsory Arabic can lead to more conflicts in Pakistan

The Imran Khan government’s decision to make Arabic compulsory subject in primary schools is yet another step in Pakistan’s march towards becoming a theological Sunni state, contrary to what its founding father, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, had envisioned. Jinnah’s Pakistan was for all hues of Muslims and minorities who had the courage to adopt the land of their birth as their nation. But that is not the Pakistan what the mullahs and military wanted—they wanted a Sunni state where other sects and religion had no place. The process of making this happen began within years of Jinnah’s demise. First the Ahmadis and then the Bengali speaking Muslims from east Pakistan became the `other`. The state actively discouraged and marginalised countless dialects in a bid to create a uniform linguistic i
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NOW MYANMAR FACES CHINESE BORDER ENCROACHMENT
2Jan By Our NewsroomNo Comments
Asia, Business, China, Conflict, World

NOW MYANMAR FACES CHINESE BORDER ENCROACHMENT

It is now known that Chinese authorities constructed fences during November, 2020 near the China-Myanmar border in Laukkai Township in the Kokang Self Administered Zone in northern Shan State of Myanmar. The construction was carried out by China near border post BP-125 and between posts BP-121 and BP-122.  While the Myanmar military objected to this development, the Chinese went ahead with the works on the pretext of a crackdown on illegal border crossings from Myanmar in the wake of the rapid rise in Covid-19 cases. In fact, Major General Zaw Min Tun sent a protest letter to his Chinese counterpart quoting the 1961 treaty on the China-Myanmar boundary. The treaty, as such prohibits building any structure within ten meters of the demarcation line on either side. On sensing the objection f
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400 years on, Mayflower’s legacy includes pride, prejudice
16Nov By Our NewsroomNo Comments
World

400 years on, Mayflower’s legacy includes pride, prejudice

PLYMOUTH, Mass. - Four centuries after white Europeans stepped off the Mayflower and onto America’s shores, some descendants of the colonists are wrestling with the complicated legacy of their ancestors amid a global racial reckoning. There is immense pride among those who can trace their families back to the passengers who boarded the ship in Plymouth, England, in 1620 to flee religious persecution and realize a better life. Yet for some, the devastating impact that the Pilgrims’ landing in New England had on Native Americans weighs heavily in this moment of unrest over systemic racism. In interviews with The Associated Press, Americans and Britons who can trace their ancestry either to the Pilgrims or the indigenous people who helped them survive talked openly about the need in 2020 to
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Archbishop performs exorcism to cleanse protest site
16Nov By Our NewsroomNo Comments
World

Archbishop performs exorcism to cleanse protest site

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. - The archbishop of San Francisco performed a short exorcism ceremony Saturday outside a Catholic church where protesters had earlier toppled a statue of Father Junipero Serra, saying the ceremony was intended to drive out evil and defend the image of Serra. Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone performed the ritual before some 150 supporters before holding a special Mass inside St. Raphael Catholic Church and an expected march to a Planned Parenthood clinic, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Serra was an 18th-century Spanish missionary priest and the father of the California mission system. The Franciscan priest has long been praised by the church for bringing Roman Catholicism to what is now the western United States, but critics highlight a darker side to his legacy. ...
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