World

Myanmar political prisoners not among 1,600 freed in new year amnesty A relative waits in front of the Insein Prison for the release of prisoners in Yangon on Sunday. (AFP photo) Families of detained Myanmar protesters had their hopes dashed Sunday after political prisoners were not included in some 1,600 people released by the junta to mark the Buddhist new year. The neighbouring country has been in turmoil since Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian government was ousted last year in a military coup, which sparked huge protests and a deadly crackdown. State television announced that 1,619 prisoners, including 42 foreigners, had been "pardoned" and will be released to mark the new year -- an annual tradition that last year saw 23,000 prisoners freed. A prisoner released from Yangon's Insein pr...

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Hundreds of protesters, mostly students, took to the streets Thursday in Indonesia’s capital, voicing concern over rumors that the government is considering postponing the 2024 presidential election to allow President Joko Widodo to remain in office beyond the two-term legal limit, calling it a threat to the country’s democracy. The demonstrators also railed against soaring food and oil prices, a controversial job law and the targeting of activists who oppose government policies. Labor unions, farmer organizations and women’s groups also joined the protests, which were reignited following another demonstration on April 11 in front of the Parliament building in Jakarta, where police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowds, and in other cities acros

Australia, Myanmar junta meeting 'unacceptable': HRW Australian ambassador Andrea Faulkner (left) meets with Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing in Naypyidaw on Wednesday. (AFP PHOTO /MYANMAR MILITARY INFORMATION TEAM) Human Rights Watch on Thursday slammed a meeting between Australia's ambassador to Myanmar and the military junta chief, saying it was "lending credibility" to a regime accused of war crimes. Since a military-led coup ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's administration last year, Myanmar has been increasingly isolated internationally -- with foreign governments urging an end to deadly crackdowns on mass democracy protests. Australia's outgoing ambassador Andrea Faulkner met with junta leader Min Aung Hlaing in Naypyidaw on Wednesday, with state-owned media outlet Global New Light ...

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrives in Bangkok on Sunday. He is scheduled to have a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Monday at Government House. (Photo: @MFAThai Twitter account) The official visit by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the first of its kind in nine years, will not only help cement long-term Thai-Japanese relations but also spawn new trade and investment opportunities for both sides, believe some observers. A number of new memorandums of understanding and agreements are expected to be signed by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and his Japanese counterpart at their meeting on Monday. It is hoped that Mr Kishida's visit will boost economic and investment cooperation, said Chaiwat Khamchoo, director of the college of politics and gove...

Several dozen hurt in days of unrest in Sweden The unrest has been sparked by plans by a far-right leader to burn Korans in cities with large Muslim populations STOCKHOLM: Several days of unrest in Sweden, sparked by a far-right group's burning of the Koran, have injured at least 40 people, police said on Monday, calling for more resources to deal with the violence. More Muslim countries meanwhile protested the burning of their religion's holy book. Protests have turned violent in several cities since Thursday, leaving 26 police officers and 14 civilians injured, police said at a press conference on Monday. About 20 police vehicles were burned or damaged. Officials in several Muslim countries condemned the move that sparked the protests: the burning of the holy book by the leader of t...

Beijing closes dozens of subway stations as Covid controls tighten Beijing closed dozens of subway stations to stop Covid spreading BEIJING: Beijing closed dozens of subway stations on Wednesday as Covid restrictions constrict movement around the Chinese capital despite it recording only dozens of cases daily. China has been battling its worst coronavirus flare-up since the early days of the pandemic, with most cases found in the business hub of Shanghai. Scenes of chaos and anger at weeks of stay-at-home orders in Shanghai have alarmed people in the capital who fear their city may be next. On Wednesday Beijing reported just 51 local infections, five of them asymptomatic, while Shanghai reported nearly 5,000 -- part of a downward trend as Shanghai loosens some restrictions. Some Beij...

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Mike Gibbons, a leading Republican Senate candidate from Ohio, said at a media event last fall that middle-class Americans don’t pay “any kind of a fair share” of income taxes. “The top 20% of earners in the United States pay 82% of federal income tax — and, if you do the math, and 45% to 50% don’t pay any income tax, you can see the middle class is not really paying any kind of a fair share, depending on how you want to define it,” Gibbons said. The comments by Gibbons, a millionaire investment banker from Cleveland, were made in a September episode of “The Landscape” podcast by Crain's Cleveland Business. But they could take on new resonance after Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, a potential 2024 presidential candidate, introduced a governing plan in Februar

Angeles Canedo never planned to come to Canada. A former English teacher, Canedo, together with her husband, an engineer, was the owner of a thriving construction company in Mexico. In 2016, as Canedo and her husband were starting to plan their retirement, violence related to the Cartels war touched them personally, and they were forced to flee with their three adult children. Canada would be the place they escaped to. Today, Canedo is one of the first three alumni of Dream Cuisines, a nine-month immersive program which helps refugee women build a food business by providing access to educational workshops, mentorship, and practical supports, such as access to space in a commissary kitchen. Dream Cuisines, which started in 2021 and is currently running its second cohort, is the most recen...

BEIJING (AP) — The death toll jumped Thursday to 26 from the collapse last week of a residential and commercial building in central China, state media reported. Ten other people have been rescued from the wreckage in the city of Changsha, the official Xinhua News Agency said. The 10th survivor, an unidentified woman, was pulled out shortly after midnight on Thursday, nearly six days after the building suddenly caved in on April 29, Xinhua said. Rescue teams with search dogs have been searching through the rubble since then. The woman was conscious and advised rescuers on how to pull her out without causing further injury, Xinhua said. Teams also used hand tools as well as drones and electronic life detectors in the search. At least nine people have been arrested in connection with the

The outcome of the Russian invasion of Ukraine is still uncertain. Yet, one thing is clear: despite the immense weight of President Vladimir Putin’s atrocities, Ukrainian democracy has proven remarkably resilient. Other dictatorships are sure to revisit schemes for invading their democratic neighbours, based on the costs that Russia has paid on the battlefield and to their economy. The invasion has been a reminder of Lord Acton’s dictum that absolute power corrupts absolutely. Corruption of power is not just pocketing state wealth. It is also the corruption of judgment. Those in absolute power are surrounded by those who agree with the dictator’s every utterance, both to advance their own fortunes and to avoid the consequences of disagreement. The value of independent, critical assessment