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☆ Battle for Lashio: Civilians caught in the crossfire as rebels claim major victory over Myanmar’s junta
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Helen Regan | Angus Watson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Displaced people fleeing fighting in Lashio try to cross the flooded road to Taunggyi in Myanmar's northern Shan state on July 9, 2024. For Lashio to fall, “it basically eliminates the junta as an effective organized force from a huge part of the country,” Ruser said. The road on the way was badly damaged,” he said as he traveled to Taunggyi, the Shan state capital some nine hours south of Lashio. People queue for food at a monastery turned temporary shelter for internally displaced people in Lashio, Shan state on November 15, 2023. There were also reports in local media that the junta had ordered its staff to leave Lashio as fighting got closer.

Persons: Khin, ” Khin Swe, ”, “, Lashio “, Zaw Min Tun, Lashio, Stringer, Nathan Ruser, ” Ruser, Swe, Khin Swe, –, Arakan Army –, “ They’re, Miemie Winn Byrd, Daniel K, Inouye, ” Byrd, “ I’m, Min Aung, I’m, they’re Organizations: CNN, Northeastern Military Command, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, Junta, Getty, Analysts, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, “ Artillery, Facebook, Rebels, Three Brotherhood Alliance, People’s Defence Force, National Liberation Army, Arakan Army, US Army, Pacific Center for Security, Brotherhood Alliance Locations: Myanmar, Lashio, Shan, Zaw, Taunggyi, AFP, Zin Ann, Hsipaw, Mandalay, Arakan, Inouye Asia

☆ Business Is Buzzing Again for the Meme Makers of the Left
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-28 | by ( Kevin Roose | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Last Sunday, after President Biden announced he was stepping down from his presidential campaign and endorsing Kamala Harris as his replacement, Democratic meme makers rejoiced. Minutes after the announcement, a group chat called “Rebel Alliance” — made up of left-wing creators who got to know one another during the 2020 campaign — lit up with excited messages. “All the progressive meme warriors are giddy right now,” said John Sellers, a co-founder of The Other 98 Percent, a popular left-wing Facebook page with 7.1 million followers, who participated in the chat. There’s “genuine excitement” about Ms. Harris among liberal creators, he said, “whereas with Biden we were trying to manufacture excitement from vapor.”

Persons: Biden, Kamala Harris, —, ”, John Sellers, There’s, Harris Organizations: Democratic

☆ Myanmar Rebel Group Claims Control of Town Bordering India, Bangladesh
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - An ethnic armed group in the western Myanmar state of Rakhine said it has taken control of a town bordering India and Bangladesh, marking the latest loss for the military government as it battles rebellion in several parts of the country. It is the biggest challenge the junta has faced since it mounted a coup against an elected government in 2021. The fall of Paletwa in the west comes after another rebel group in the Three Brotherhood Alliance took Laukkai town on the in northern Shan State on the border with China. Last week, the junta agreed a ceasefire with that group, the TNLA, for the region bordering China. But on Sunday, the rebel alliance said junta forces are breaching the ceasefire agreement, launching attacks in several townships in Shan State.

Persons: Khine, Kanupriya Kapoor, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Reuters, Arakan Army, Alliance, Reuters Staff Locations: Myanmar, Rakhine, India, Bangladesh, Paletwa, Shan State, China, Kunming

☆ Myanmar military, insurgents battle over port town
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Myanmar military soldiers who have surrendered to the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force ride in the back of a vehicle in Loikaw, Myanmar, in this still image taken from video released November 15, 2023. "In the evening, junta troops came into the town and shot and killed civilians," the alliance said. Three rebel groups, aligned with pro-democracy fighters and a parallel, pro-democracy civilian government, have captured several towns and military posts across the country. Junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun accused the rebel alliance of trying to get China's support for their cause. Junta state media said on Friday it had handed three Chinese nationals accused of running scams over to China, while a fourth suspect shot himself after being captured.

Persons: Zaw Min Tun, Kanupriya Kapoor, Robert Birsel Organizations: Myanmar, Karenni Nationalities Defense Force, REUTERS Acquire, Brotherhood Alliance, Reuters, Arakan Army, AA, Nations, Junta, Thomson Locations: Loikaw, Myanmar, Bengal, Pauktaw, Rakhine State, Myanmar's, Yangon, Shan State, China, Southeast Asia, India

[1/5] U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Indonesian President Joko Widodo for talks on regional security and clean-energy transition, among other things, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., November 13, 2023. Biden greeted Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the White House as the two leaders prepare for a Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco, where Washington hopes to reduce friction with Beijing. But the Biden administration is still concerned about environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards in Indonesia and is examining how such a deal might work. INDONESIA MAKES APPEAL TO U.S. ON GAZAJokowi, as the president is known, is also expected to press Biden on steps to end Israel's war with Hamas. Ceasefire is a must for the sake of humanity," Widodo said in the Oval Office before talks with Biden.

Persons: Joe Biden, Joko Widodo, Leah Millis, Joe Biden's, Xi Jinping, Biden, Xi, Widodo, Jokowi, Trevor Hunnicutt, Steve Holland, Michael Perry, Grant McCool Organizations: White, REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Economic Cooperation, Biden, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, United States, Indonesia, Asia, San Francisco, Washington, Beijing, United, INDONESIA, GAZA, Gaza, Israel, Southeast Asia, China, Jakarta, Myanmar

Myanmar's junta leader General Min Aung Hlaing, who ousted the elected government in a coup on February 1, 2021, presides over an army parade on Armed Forces Day in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, March 27, 2021. "This is the weakest the Tatmadaw has been since the coup," the diplomat said, referring to Myanmar's military and asking not to be named. Maung Saungkha, leader of the Bamar People's Liberation Army, which contributed troops to the offensive, told Reuters the rebel alliance had spent more than a year preparing to take on the better-armed military. CHINA'S SHADOWSo far, rebel troops have faced unexpectedly weak opposition from the military, according to analysts and resistance leaders who spoke to local media. In a statement announcing the operation, the alliance said they intended to remove those enclaves, which they said were protected by the junta.

Persons: General Min Aung Hlaing, Stringer, Maung Saungkha, Nobel, Aung, Suu Kyi, Min Aung, Richard Horsey, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Armed Forces, REUTERS, Junta, United States Institute of Peace, United Nations, Liberation Army, Reuters, National Unity Government, Arakan Army, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, National Liberation Army, Crisis, Thomson Locations: Naypyitaw, Myanmar, BANGKOK, China, Myanmar's, Shan, Beijing, Suu, Sagaing, Arakan

☆ Mali's Tuareg Rebels Claim Capture of More Military Bases
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

BAMAKO (Reuters) - Fresh fighting broke out between Mali's army and northern Tuareg rebels on Sunday, with the rebels claiming to have taken control of two army bases in the central town of Lere. Last week, CMA, formed by semi-nomadic Tuareg people, said it had attacked four army positions around the town of Bourem and made away with vehicles, weapons and ammunition. "CMA took control of the two camps in Lere," said CMA spokesman Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane. A Tuareg uprising in 2012 was taken over by Islamist groups that continue to attack civilians and the army. But tensions have resurfaced since the military consolidated power in two coups in 2020 and 2021, teamed up with Russian military contractor Wagner Group, and kicked out French forces and U.N. peacekeepers.

Persons: Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, Wagner, Tiemoko Diallo, Edward McAllister, Sandra Maler Organizations: United Nations, CMA, Wagner Group Locations: BAMAKO, Lere, West, Bourem

☆ Mali's Tuareg rebels claim capture of more military bases
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BAMAKO, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Fresh fighting broke out between Mali's army and northern Tuareg rebels on Sunday, with the rebels claiming to have taken control of two army bases in the central town of Lere. Last week, CMA, formed by semi-nomadic Tuareg people, said it had attacked four army positions around the town of Bourem and made away with vehicles, weapons and ammunition. "CMA took control of the two camps in Lere," said CMA spokesman Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane. A Tuareg uprising in 2012 was taken over by Islamist groups that continue to attack civilians and the army. But tensions have resurfaced since the military consolidated power in two coups in 2020 and 2021, teamed up with Russian military contractor Wagner Group, and kicked out French forces and U.N. peacekeepers.

Persons: Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, Wagner, Tiemoko Diallo, Edward McAllister, Sandra Maler Organizations: United Nations, CMA, Wagner Group, Thomson Locations: BAMAKO, Lere, West, Bourem

☆ Long-lost 'Star Wars' X-wing model up for auction with $400,000 starting price
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A long-lost model of an X-wing fighter used in the original 1977 “Star Wars” movie is up for auction, with a starting price of $400,000. Used in the filming of the final battle in “Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope” as the Rebel Alliance fight the Empire above the Death Star, the model “represents the pinnacle of Star Wars artifacts to ever reach the market,” Dallas-based auction house Heritage Auctions said. Long known as “the missing X-wing,” it was discovered by a team of visual effects experts, including Gene Kozicki (“Face/Off” and “Flight of the Phoenix”), as they helped Jein’s family sift through his collection, Kozicki told the Hollywood Reporter. “This model has not been displayed or modified since it left ILM (visual effects company Industrial Light & Magic),” Kozicki said. “(Steven Spielberg’s) ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ and ‘Star Wars’ were being made at roughly the same time, and with an overlapping group of people,” Kozicki said.

Persons: ”, Greg Jein, Long, Gene Kozicki, Kozicki, ” Kozicki, Oscar, George Lucas, Jein, “, Steven Spielberg’s, Steven Spielberg Organizations: CNN, “ Star, Rebel Alliance, Heritage, “, Hollywood, ILM, Maltese Falcon, Industrial, Hollywood Reporter, ‘ Locations: ” Dallas

☆ Long-lost ‘Star Wars’ X-wing model fetches over $3.1 million at auction
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Editor’s Note: This article was updated with the final sale price and other details following the auction’s conclusion. CNN —A long-lost model of an X-wing fighter used in the original 1977 “Star Wars” movie sold at auction for over $3.13 million on Sunday. Used in the filming of the final battle in “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” as the Rebel Alliance fight the Empire above the Death Star, the model represented “the pinnacle of Star Wars artifacts to ever reach the market,” Dallas-based auction house Heritage Auctions said ahead of the sale. “This model has not been displayed or modified since it left ILM (visual effects company Industrial Light & Magic),” Kozicki said. “(Steven Spielberg’s) ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ and ‘Star Wars’ were being made at roughly the same time, and with an overlapping group of people,” Kozicki said.

Persons: ”, Greg Jein, ” Long, Gene Kozicki, Kozicki, ” Kozicki, Oscar, George Lucas, Jein, “, Steven Spielberg’s, Steven Spielberg Organizations: CNN, “ Star, Rebel Alliance, Heritage, “, Hollywood, ILM, Maltese Falcon, Industrial, Hollywood Reporter, ‘ Locations: ” Dallas

And it has also helped to placate Tuareg-led rebels in northern Mali who halted their separatist uprising with the 2015 Algiers Accord. Mali, Russia and Wagner deny wrongdoing in Moura or targeting civilians anywhere in Mali. RESTRICTIONSMINUSMA launched in 2013 after the separatist rebels and al Qaeda-linked insurgents occupied northern Mali. Bamako and the Kremlin say Russian troops, not Wagner mercenaries, are present in Mali but only to train the army and supply equipment. As a result, MINUSMA has struggled to counter a tide of anti-U.N. posts online, losing the battle for public opinion in Mali.

Persons: Wagner, Ahmedou Ould, Abdallah, MINUSMA, General Antonio Guterres, Abdoulaye Diop, U.N, Fatoumata Sinkoun Kaba, Souleymane Dembelé, Ulf Laessing, Konrad Adenauer, Ould Mohamed Ramdane, Ramdane, Yvan Guichaoua, Friedrich, Ebert, Edward McAllister, David Lewis, Tiemoko Diallo, Daniel Flynn Organizations: Wagner Group, Islamic, CMA, Malian Foreign, Security, Reuters, El, Kremlin, French, Department of Peace, UN, U.S, Thomson Locations: DAKAR, NAIROBI, Russian, West Africa, Gao, Timbuktu, Mali, Algiers, Bamako, Islamic State, al Qaeda, Mauritanian, Sahel, Moura, Russia, U.N, Burkina Faso, Niger, Central African Republic, United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, France, Egypt, Brussels, U.S, Dakar, Nairobi

☆ 'Star Wars' actor Mark Hamill is helping donate drones to defend the skies over Ukraine against 'the evil empire'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Mark Hamill told Bloomberg he's helped send 500 drones to Ukraine through the country's United24 initiative. The "Army of Drones" program is collecting drone donations to "constantly monitor the front line." Hamill urged "everyone to come together and help Ukraine stand up in this war with the evil empire," Deadline reported. Other ambassadors of the "Army of Drones" program include Barbra Streisand, Liev Schreiber, Imagine Dragons, and Balenciaga creative director Demna, Deadline reported. Representatives for the "Army of Drones" program and Hamill did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

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