DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ France's Macron accuses Russia of 'predatory' influence in Africa
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

PARIS, Nov 20 (Reuters) - President Emmanuel Macron accused Russia of feeding anti-French propaganda in Africa to serve "predatory" ambitions in troubled African nations, where France has suffered military setbacks and a wider loss of influence over recent years. "This perception is fed by others, it's a political project," Macron told TV5 Monde in an interview. France, the former colonial power in most of Western and central Africa, has longstanding military ties across Francophone Africa and French troops were stationed in Mali for a decade as part of a counter-terrorism operation. It has also been jockeying for influence with Russia in recent years, with the deployment of private military contractor Wagner Group in several countries, including in the Central African Republic (CAR) and in Mali. "It's done with the complicity of a Russian military junta," he said.

☆ Myanmar junta says was no bargaining with other countries before freeing foreigners
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Nov 18 (Reuters) - Myanmar's ruling military on Friday said it did not engage in political bargaining with other countries before releasing four foreign prisoners among nearly 6,000 in an amnesty this week. Junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun was speaking at a regular briefing, a day after Australian economist Sean Turnell, former British ambassador Vicky Bowman, Japanese filmmaker Toru Kubota and U.S. citizen Kyaw Htay Oo were released. Reporting by Reuters staff; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Kanupriya KapoorOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Former U.K. Ambassador Among Thousands to Be Freed From Myanmar Prison
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Feliz Solomon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Vicky Bowman was arrested along with her husband in August on allegations that she violated immigration law. SINGAPORE—Myanmar’s military junta said it will free thousands of prisoners in a mass amnesty, including several foreign nationals whose governments had lobbied for their release. Junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun said on Thursday that the amnesty showed “respect for humanitarian and diplomatic relations” on the country’s National Victory Day, a holiday celebrating its independence from British colonial rule. Among those freed were former British Ambassador Vicky Bowman, Australian economist Sean Turnell , U.S. citizen Kyaw Htay Oo and Japanese filmmaker Toru Kubota, he said.

☆ Myanmar releases foreigners including Australian economist from prison - media
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 17 (Reuters) - Myanmar's military leaders have released Sean Turnell, an Australian economist and former adviser to democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, and 6,000 others from prison under an amnesty, Myanmar media reported on Thursday. Irrawaddy News and BBC Burmese reported Vicky Bowman, a former British envoy and Toru Kubota, a Japanese filmmaker, were also among those released. Myanmar has been in the political turmoil since the military staged coup last year by arresting civilian leaders including Aung San Suu Kyi in the early morning raids on Feb. 1, 2021. Myanmar Now, an independent news outlet, cited the military council as saying the pardons were granted because it was Myanmar National Day. Reporting by Reuters staff; Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Lincoln FeastOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Greeks march to commemorate 1973 student uprising
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] People march during a rally marking the 48th anniversary of the 1973 student uprising against the military dictatorship that was ruling Greece, in Athens, Greece, November 17, 2021. REUTERS/Costas BaltasATHENS, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Thousands of Greeks marched through central Athens on Thursday to mark the anniversary of a violently quashed student uprising in 1973 that helped topple the military junta which then ruled the country. Brief tension broke out between police and protesters before the march reached the heavily guarded parliament on Syntagma square. At the front of the procession, youths held a blood-stained flag that belonged to the students engaged in the 1973 revolt. Earlier, people laid wreaths and carnations at the Athens Polytechnic, site of a bloody clamp-down on Nov. 17 1973 when tanks smashed through the gates to crush the revolt that heralded the end of the junta.

☆ ASEAN summit begins with Myanmar likely to dominate agenda; 'little progress expected'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Cambodian Prime Minister and ASEAN host Hun Sen addressed Friday's opening ceremony with a call for vigilance and wisdom during times of economic and geopolitical turmoil. The junta has blamed a lack of progress on the pandemic and obstruction from armed resistance movements that it calls terrorists. James Crabtree, Executive Director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies-Asia, said ASEAN was struggling to cope with internal divisions over Myanmar and other issues. One Western diplomat who will attend the meeting said that while the bloc may try to make the Myanmar peace plan more action-oriented, "little progress is expected". G20 leaders are meeting in Bali next week and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum will take place in Bangkok after that.

How Putin and Friends Stalled Climate Progress A handful of powerful world leaders rallied around Russia and undercut global cooperation. Mr. Putin has gained from this as the increasingly autocratic Mr. Xi finds common cause with the Kremlin. “Much depends on whether authoritarian leaders perceive climate action to be in their self-interest.”Though their actions help Mr. Putin, their track records on climate are mixed. Mr. Xi called Mr. Putin his “best friend.”He was returning the favor from a year earlier, when Mr. Putin hosted Mr. Xi at the Grand Kremlin Palace and awarded him one of Russia’s highest medals for foreign dignitaries. At a news conference with Mr. Putin, Mr. Bolsonaro thanked his “dear friend,” saying that Mr. Putin had offered him support when other world leaders were criticizing his Amazon policy.

Retno Marsudi, foreign minister of Indonesia, which is due to chair the regional bloc next year, told Reuters that blame for a lack of progress lies with the junta. The Myanmar junta did not respond to requests for comment. Retno also said her Southeast Asian counterparts are coming up with fresh recommendations for the implementation of the peace plan ahead of the ASEAN leaders' summit next week. "We facilitate the national dialogue that will take Myanmar out of the political crisis. The bloc has barred Myanmar's generals from attending high-level meetings and the junta has not allowed non-political representatives to participate.

☆ Aung San Suu Kyi’s Life in Myanmar Prison: No Visitors, Calls or News
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( Feliz Solomon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

For 21 months, Aung San Suu Kyi, one of the world’s most well-known and polarizing pro-democracy figures, has been locked away by an authoritarian junta in Myanmar. No one can visit her. She can’t receive phone calls, letters or anything printed on paper, according to a person with knowledge of her situation. Increasingly, it looks like Ms. Suu Kyi is serving a life sentence.

☆ Telenor to provide support for customers of former Myanmar unit
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

OSLO, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Norway's Telenor (TEL.OL) said on Friday it is exploring ways to provide support to Myanmar telecom users facing digital security risks after its exit from the Southeast Asian nation this year. Following a military coup in Myanmar in 2021, Telenor announced the sale of its business there to avoid European Union sanctions after pressure from the junta to activate intercept surveillance technology. Telenor completed the exit despite criticism from employees in Myanmar as well as from activists who said the handover could put the data of 18 million people within reach of the ruling military. "Following the completion of the independent digital risk study, Telenor has committed to support the implementation of the follow up actions recommended by it," the company said in a statement. Reporting by Terje Solsvik and Gwladys Fouche; Editing by Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ SE Asian ministers discuss Myanmar crisis, without any Myanmar representative
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JAKARTA, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian foreign ministers began meeting in Jakarta on Thursday to discuss how to kick-start a stalled peace process in military-ruled Myanmar, where dozens have been killed in recent weeks as violence escalated. The meeting at the secretariat of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the Indonesian capital will not be attended by any representatives from Myanmar. Myanmar had been invited to send a non-political representative to the meeting in Indonesia, but the junta did not agree, according to the host government. There was also interest among some ASEAN members to seek quiet negotiations with the junta, the source said. Reporting by Poppy McPherson in Bankok and Stanley Widianto in Jakarta Writing by Ed Davies Editing by Simon Cameron-MooreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/3] Cambodia's Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn speaks during a meeting with Southeast Asian foreign ministers at the secretariat of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Jakarta, Indonesia, October 27, 2022. Galih Pradipta/Pool via REUTERSJAKARTA, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Myanmar's military government warned on Thursday that any pressure from its Southeast Asian neighbours to put a time frame on a peace plan would create "negative implications". No Myanmar representatives were present at the special meeting of the group's foreign ministers to discuss the stalled peace plan. Late on Thursday, Myanmar's military-appointed foreign ministry released a statement blaming armed resistance movements for violence and saying pressure to set a time frame will create more negative implications than positive ones. And Indonesia has mentioned that this request needs to be delivered to Tatmadaw (Myanmar's military) immediately," said Retno.

☆ Explainer: Why is ASEAN holding a special meeting on Myanmar?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Martin Petty | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

In August it cited "notable progress" on the peace plan, without providing specifics, but said its commitment would be determined by developments on the ground. It has accused its opponents of trying to sabotage the ASEAN plan and has justified military offensives as necessary to secure the country and enable political talks. Instead of advocating for the five-point ASEAN plan, the generals have instead been pushing a five-step roadmap of their own towards a new election, with few similarities. Suspending Myanmar as an ASEAN member would be extremely unlikely, as would any trade sanctions, and the junta has demonstrated it will not respond to threats. ASEAN has so far opted to bar the generals from key summits and invited non-political representatives instead, which the junta has declined.

☆ As with Ukraine, a coalition should pressure Myanmar's junta, U.N. expert says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

UNITED NATIONS, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Russian weapons being used in Ukraine are also killing people in Myanmar, an independent U.N. expert said on Wednesday, urging countries to form a coalition - just as they have on Moscow over Ukraine - to target and pressure Myanmar's military junta. "The international community should be coordinating their efforts to target them, and then work together to implement these measures," Andrews told reporters in New York. And they come from the very same source - they come from Russia," Andrews said. You have been appointed the Special Rapporteur on Myanmar, so deal with Myanmar instead of Ukraine," Kuzmin told the committee. "I'd frankly be surprised if they're alive right now," Andrews told reporters.

☆ ASEAN chair alarmed over escalating Myanmar violence
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 26 (Reuters) - The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is gravely concerned about an escalation of violence in Myanmar and is calling for restraint and an immediate cessation of fighting, the bloc's chair Cambodia said. "We are deeply saddened by the growing casualties, and the immense suffering that ordinary people in Myanmar have endured," said the statement. "We, therefore, strongly urge utmost restraint and immediate cessation to violence," said the statement, which called for all parties to pursue dialogue. ASEAN is leading diplomatic efforts to bring peace to Myanmar but the junta has done little to implement the "consensus", which committed to an immediate halt to violence and the start of dialogue towards a peace agreement. A group of 457 Myanmar civil society organisations have called in an open letter for ASEAN leaders to scrap the peace plan it agreed with the military and instead work with civilian leaders and a shadow government.

☆ Malaysia's deportation of Myanmar refugees violates international law - UN
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The deportations, which included former navy officers seeking asylum, expose those sent away to danger and are a violation of the international law on non-refoulement, according to UNHCR, referring to a law that protects refugees or asylum seekers from being deported. "In the last two months alone, hundreds of Myanmar nationals are reported to have been sent back against their will by the authorities," UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo told a Geneva press briefing. The latest incident involving an asylum seeker being sent back to conflict-torn Myanmar occurred on Oct. 21, Mantoo added, despite intervention by the UNHCR with authorities. Myanmar's embassy in Malaysia previously said in a post on Facebook that 150 Myanmar nationals were deported by plane on Oct. 6 in cooperation with Malaysian immigration authorities. So far, more than 150,000 refugees and asylum seekers, including many ethnic Rohingya Muslims, have fled to neighbouring Malaysia.

CNN —Dozens of people have been killed in military airstrikes that hit a celebratory event in Myanmar’s mountainous Kachin state on Sunday, according to local news outlets and international organizations. Reuters and local news outlet The Irrawaddy reported at least 50 people were killed. CNN cannot independently verify the number of reported deaths and has reached out to the military for comment. Kachin Alliance, a Kachin community organization based in Washington, DC, said Kachin artists, local elders, and KIO leaders were among those killed. The attack on Sunday drew international condemnation, with the United Nations saying it was concerned over reports of more than 100 civilians impacted.

☆ Air strike during Myanmar concert kills at least 50 - media, opposition
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Myanmar has been gripped by fighting since the army overthrew an elected government early last year. Resistance movements, some armed, have emerged across the country, which the military has countered with lethal force. Since the coup, open conflict has resumed between the Myanmar army and bitter rival the KIA, which has been fighting on and off for six decades for greater autonomy for the Kachin people. The U.N. in Myanmar said it was deeply concerned and saddened by reports of the attack. Foreign ministers of the Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN are due to meet later this week to discuss the Myanmar crisis, its chair Cambodia said on Sunday.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Malaysia deported 150 Myanmar nationals this month, including former navy officers seeking asylum, and plans to send back more despite the risk of arrest they face at home, four sources familiar with the matter said. The two were deported from Malaysia for failing to hold valid documents to reside in the country, the sources said. Myanmar's embassy in Malaysia said in a post on Facebook that 150 Myanmar nationals were deported by plane on Oct. 6 in cooperation with Malaysian immigration authorities. The agency did not comment on dangers faced by Myanmar nationals deported back home. Despite such criticism, Malaysia is planning to deport more Myanmar nationals, according to community leaders who said they were briefed by authorities on planned deportations.

☆ Mali threatens to defend against French sovereignty violations
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Its relations with Mali have soured since an August 2020 coup and it is withdrawing troops sent in 2013 to help fight the insurgency. France's representative denied the "defamatory" accusations, defended its intervention in Mali as fully transparent and said the country had never violated any airspace. Other European countries have ended their military involvement in Mali this year, often citing the junta's collaboration with Russian fighters. Islamist militants have since advanced further into eastern Mali, seizing territory and killing hundreds of civilians as thousands more fled. Mali has faced instability since 2012, when Islamist militants hijacked a Tuareg rebellion in the north.

☆ Fact Check-Digitally altered image of Lauren Boebert standing alongside man with bundle of cash
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

An image has been shared online purporting to show Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert with her hand placed under the belt of a supporter, who is standing with a bundle of cash, is digitally altered. Examples of the altered image can be found (here), (here), (here), (here), (here) and (here). The photograph was digitally altered. The description of the image uploaded by Boebert says the original photograph was taken in La Junta, Colorado. Reuters previously addressed a digitally altered image of Boebert appearing to wear a cap with a price tag printed across it that was also created by the same user (here).

☆ Toyota Starts Plant in Junta-Led Myanmar Making 1 to 2 Cars a Day
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( River Davis | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A Toyota Hilux moving down a production line in South Africa; the car maker said in 2019 it planned to build around 2,500 of the pickup trucks in Myanmar annually. TOKYO— Toyota Motor Corp. said it has begun producing cars at a new plant in Myanmar that had been on hold after the country’s military seized power in a coup last year. Toyota began assembling one or two cars a day at its plant in Yangon last month, a spokeswoman for the Japanese auto maker said Wednesday. She said Toyota wanted to contribute to the industrial development of Myanmar and the livelihood of local employees and their families.

☆ Toyota Starts Plant in Junta-Led Myanmar Over a Year After Coup
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( River Davis | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

TOKYO— Toyota Motor said it has begun producing cars at a new plant in Myanmar that had been on hold after the country’s military seized power in a coup last year. Toyota began assembling one or two cars a day at its plant in Yangon last month, a spokeswoman for the Japanese auto maker said Wednesday. She said Toyota wanted to contribute to the industrial development of Myanmar and the livelihood of local employees and their families.

☆ Myanmar court jails Suu Kyi for three years for graft - source
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 12 (Reuters) - A court in military-ruled Myanmar on Wednesday sentenced deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi to three years in prison on charges of accepting a bribe, a source with knowledge of the matter said. Suu Kyi has called the accusations against her absurd and denied any wrongdoing. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe latest charges were related to allegations Suu Kyi accepted bribes from a businessman, said the source, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue. Suu Kyi received three-year jail sentences on two charges, to be served concurrently. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Reuters Staff; Writing by Ed Davies; Editing by Clarence Fernandez, Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Burkina Faso coup: ECOWAS mediator 'satisfied' after meeting new military leader
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-05 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The mediator sent to Burkina Faso by West Africa’s main political and economic bloc ECOWAS, Mahamadou Issoufou, on Tuesday said he was satisfied by a meeting with the country’s new military leader Ibrahim Traore. Issoufou added that the 15-member bloc would continue accompanying Burkina Faso’s transition to constitutional rule after the country was hit by its second military takeover this year. “I can assure you that ECOWAS will remain with the people of Burkina Faso … and the difficult challenge they face,” he added. Burkina Faso’s government released a statement saying the meeting took place but provided no further comments. ECOWAS is struggling to facilitate a return to constitutional order in Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea, and Mali, all of which have seen coups since 2020.

Search resuls for: "Junta"

25 mentions found