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Myanmar military threatens jail for online ‘likes’ for opponents
World

Myanmar military threatens jail for online ‘likes’ for opponents

Myanmar military threatens jail for online 'likes' for opponents In this file photo taken on May 02, 2021 protesters hold posters in support of the National Unity Government (NUG) during a demonstration against the military coup on "Global Myanmar Spring Revolution Day" in Taunggyi, Shan state. (AFP) Myanmar's ruling junta on Tuesday warned the public against showing moral support for a "terrorist" resistance movement, threatening jail terms of up to 10 years just for liking or sharing its content on social media. Myanmar has been plagued by violence since the military seized power early last year, with clashes on multiple fronts between junta forces and militias allied with a shadow government and pro-democracy groups. The junta's information minister and spokesperson Zaw Min Tin said...
Time for tourism rejig
World

Time for tourism rejig

Time for tourism rejig A Tuk-tuk driver waits for customers along the popular Yaowarat street in the Chinatown area of Bangkok. (Photo: AFP) Hoping to give tourism a boost in the post-pandemic era on Oct 1, the government has revised its visa rules, extending the validity of certain visas to entice foreign tourists to travel to the kingdom. But the move, while noteworthy, still falls short of the mark. According to government spokeswoman Traisulee Traisornkul, the rules set to take effect on Oct 1 will allow passport holders who are eligible for a visa upon arrival to stay for up to 30 days instead of 15 at present. At the same time, visa-free stays for people from countries that have bilateral agreements with Thailand will be extended from 30 to 45 days. The changes, well received by ...
Philippine activists vow to ‘never forget’ Marcos era abuses
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Philippine activists vow to ‘never forget’ Marcos era abuses

Philippine activists vow to 'never forget' Marcos era abuses Activists raise placards during a demonstration commemorating the 50th anniversary of the declaration of martial law at the Commission on Human Rights grounds in Quezon City, suburban Manila on Wednesday. (AFP photo) Philippine activists vowed Wednesday to "never forget" the human rights abuses under former dictator Ferdinand Marcos as they marked 50 years since his imposition of martial law. Amnesty International estimates thousands of people were killed and tens of thousands tortured and imprisoned after Marcos imposed martial law on September 21, 1972, unleashing security forces on rivals, critics and dissidents. Marcos's son is now the president of the Philippines, and campaigners have urged him to recognise his family's ...
Time to improve migrants’ housing
World

Time to improve migrants’ housing

Time to improve migrants' housing A photograph taken on June 27 shows migrant workers' accommodation near Talat Bang Chaloeng market in Samut Prakan's Bang Phli district. Wichan Charoenkiatpakul 'It has been raining heavily and my house is now flooded," said a migrant worker who has been living in one of the largest construction workers' campsites on the east coast of Thailand for half a decade. "There are so many mosquitoes outside. I have to take my child inside before 4pm. "He can't play outside because it is too dangerous for him," said another migrant worker from Cambodia, voicing concerns about the mud, nails and broken pieces of wood around her accommodation. "It's hot in the summer here because the roof is made from corrugated steel sheets. But we have no choice -- we were mad...
Super Typhoon Noru barrels towards Philippines
World

Super Typhoon Noru barrels towards Philippines

Super Typhoon Noru barrels towards Philippines Members of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office prepare rubber boats and life vests ahead of Super Typhoon Noru making landfall, at their headquarters in Quezon City, suburban Manila, on Sunday. (AFP photo) A super typhoon barrelled towards the Philippines Sunday and was on track to slam into the heavily populated main island of Luzon, forcing the evacuations of coastal communities, authorities said. The typhoon gained strength as it approached the Philippines, forcing thousands of people from their homes in coastal communities on the main island of Luzon and the cancellation of dozens of flights. Typhoon Noru strengthened with maximum sustained winds of 195 kph (121 mph) and gusts of up to 240 kph (149 mph), the state weather...
EXPLAINER: What’s behind strained China-Japan relations
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EXPLAINER: What’s behind strained China-Japan relations

TOKYO (AP) — Japan and China on Thursday mark the 50th anniversary of the 1972 normalization of their ties, but there isn’t much of a celebratory mood. Improved ties between Asia’s two biggest economies are considered vital to the region’s stability and prosperity, but they remain at odds over disputed East China Sea islands and China’s growing military and economic assertiveness in the region. Here are the key issues in the often strained relations between these powerhouse neighbors: ___ TERRITORIAL DISPUTES A huge source of contention is an uninhabited group of Tokyo-controlled, Beijing-claimed East China Sea islands called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. Japan insists that the islands, which once hosted a Japanese seafood factory, are part of its territory, both historically a
Crowds gather as UK queen’s coffin to go on display in London
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Crowds gather as UK queen’s coffin to go on display in London

Crowds gather as UK queen's coffin to go on display in London Queen Elizabeth II's coffin was brought back to London from Scotland on Tuesday. LONDON: King Charles III leads a procession of the coffin of his mother Queen Elizabeth II through London on Wednesday before hundreds of thousands of people pay their final respects. Six days after her death in Scotland, Queen Elizabeth's body will be borne on a horse-drawn gun carriage from her Buckingham Palace home to Westminster Hall where she will remain for four days until her funeral Monday. The king and other senior royals are expected to walk in silence behind the hearse as it winds through the capital's streets and then hold a vigil upon its arrival at the cavernous 12th-century hall in the Westminster parliament complex. The public ...
Pope, opening Kazakh visit, blasts ‘senseless’ Ukraine war
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Pope, opening Kazakh visit, blasts ‘senseless’ Ukraine war

NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan (AP) — Pope Francis begged for an end to Russia’s “senseless and tragic war” in Ukraine as he arrived Tuesday in the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan to join faith leaders from around the world in praying for peace. Francis flew to the Kazakh capital of Nur-Sultan to meet with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev for an official state visit portion of his three-day trip. On Wednesday and Thursday, he participates in a government-sponsored triennial interfaith meeting, which is gathering more than 100 delegations of Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Shinto and other faith groups from 50 countries. The 85-year-old Francis made the trip despite what appeared to be an aggravation of the strained knee ligaments that have greatly reduced his mobility all year. Francis
Serbian police ban EuroPride march, citing security concerns
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Serbian police ban EuroPride march, citing security concerns

BELGRE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia’s police on Tuesday banned a Pride march planned amid pan-European LGBTQ events being held this week in Belgrade, citing a risk of clashes with far-right anti-gay activists. Organizers vowed to appeal the ban. Pro-Serbian Orthodox Church conservative groups, who have been marching unhindered for weeks on the Serbian capital’s streets to protest the LGBTQ events, had scheduled a new demonstration for Sept. 17 — the day of the Pride parade. Police also banned that anti-gay protest. “After the security assessment, it was determined that there is a high risk the safety of participants in both (marches) on the announced routes will be endangered, as well as the safety of other citizens,” police said in a statement. Serbia’s populist president had earlier warned t
Human rights and terrorism in South Asia: Expert discussion
World

Human rights and terrorism in South Asia: Expert discussion

The event was organized by the European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS) Fazal Khan, a human rights activist and member of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) spoke with a reference to his son, who was killed alongside 146 others during the Peshawar school attack in 2014. He noted in a statement that “it is natural that such a devastating terrorist attack would have devastating effects of the families involved” and that the attack, perpetrated by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), had been facilitated by Pakistani security agencies. The evidence of this involvement, however, has been ignored until now. The families affected by the attack have sought justice within Pakistan’s judicial system, including through the filing of motions to the Pakistan High Court and the Sup