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☆ East Timor condemns Myanmar's expulsion of top diplomat
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun Acquire Licensing RightsJAKARTA, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Myanmar's military government has ordered East Timor's top diplomat to leave the country, the government of East Timor - a vocal critic of Myanmar's leadership - said in a statement condemning the rare action. Myanmar's government, which assumed power in a coup in 2021, has not made any announcement on the matter and a spokesperson was not immediately available for comment. East Timor politicians have been outspoken critics of Myanmar's military government and President Jose Ramos-Horta has met with a top representative from Myanmar's shadow National Unity Government (NUG), which opposes military rule. The country's charge d'affaires must leave Myanmar by Sept. 1, NUG human rights minister Aung Myo Min said on Facebook. In protest against the 2021 coup, many countries have charges d'affaires in Myanmar instead of ambassadors.

Persons: Pope Francis, Soe Zeya, Myanmar's, Jose Ramos, Aung Myo Min, Christopher Cushing Organizations: San Football, REUTERS, Rights, East, . East, National Unity Government, Facebook, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Myanmar, Yangon, Rights JAKARTA, East Timor's, East Timor, ., . East Timor, Horta

☆ 3 Marines were killed and 20 injured after a US helicopter crashed on a training exercise in northern Australia
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Three marines died when a US military helicopter crashed in northern Australia, reports say. Five others are in a serious condition in hospital after the Boeing MV-22B Osprey crashed. The troops were taking part in Predators Run, a training exercise involving 2,500 personnel. All 20 remaining survivors sustained injuries in the crash, and five are in hospital in a serious condition, the outlets reported. According to a statement seen by the publications, the troops were taking part in a training exercise involving 2,500 personnel from the US, Australia, the Philippines, East Timor and Indonesia.

Organizations: Boeing, Service, US Marines, Guardian, BBC, US Marine Corp Locations: Australia, Wall, Silicon, Philippines, East Timor, Indonesia, Melville, Darwin, Northern

☆ Jack Smith’s Experience in The Hague and the Trump Investigations - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Gary J. Bass | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Although part of Kosovo’s legal system, the institution is headquartered in The Hague and staffed by international judges and personnel — which is how Mr. Smith, a U.S. citizen, wound up serving as its specialist prosecutor. It is always difficult and risky to prosecute national leaders with some popularity among their people. Even so, the Truman administration quietly undercut that pledge of unconditional surrender for Emperor Hirohito, fearing that the Japanese might fight on if he was prosecuted as a war criminal. The Truman administration left the emperor securely in the Imperial Palace while his prime ministers and generals were tried and convicted by an Allied international military tribunal in Tokyo. At an earlier point in his career, from 2008 to 2010, Mr. Smith worked as the investigation coordinator in the prosecutor’s office at the International Criminal Court, the permanent international war crimes tribunal based in The Hague.

Persons: Smith hewed, Smith, Hashim Thaci, Trump, Thaci, Augusto Pinochet’s, Truman, Emperor Hirohito, John Bolton, ”, Mike Pompeo Organizations: United Nations, Kosovo, Chambers, White, Kosovo Liberation Army, Allied, Criminal Court Locations: Nuremberg, Tokyo, Yugoslavia, Rwanda, East Timor, Sierra Leone, Serbia, The Hague, U.S, Kosovo, Chile, Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, Imperial, Afghanistan, Zambia

☆ Chinese military-run hospital ship arrives in Kiribati
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Yew Lun Tian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, July 16 (Reuters) - A Chinese military-run hospital ship has arrived in Kiribati for the first time, as China vies with the United States for influence in the Pacific region. The ship docked at Kiribati on Saturday to start a seven-day visit that includes humanitarian medical assistance, the Chinese defence ministry said on its official WeChat account on Sunday. While medical crew from the ship will see patients at the local hospital and other places, the Chinese commanding officer will meet with Kiribati leaders including the president, health minister, transport minister and police chief. The ship is also due to visit Tonga, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands and East Timor. Reporting by Yew Lun Tian; Editing by Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yew Lun, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Kiribati, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Kiribati, China, United States, Pacific, Taiwan, Tonga, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, East Timor, Australia, New Zealand

☆ Russia is sending 'disposable' soldiers to fight Ukraine high on amphetamines to ensure they "still run at machine guns,' military expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russian soldiers are going into battle high on drugs, according to a recent report. "This is what some institutions do to make sure their soldiers still run at machine guns," Mick Ryan said. Material recovered from the battlefield suggests Russian soldiers are most likely taking the substances in liquid form, the report said. A UK intelligence update in April suggested Russian soldiers are dying in Ukraine as a result of alcoholism. "Sometimes you replace good purpose and good leadership and good team building with drugs," Ryan told Insider.

Persons: Mick Ryan, it's, Ryan, — Organizations: Service, Russia, Royal United Service Institute, Ukrainian, Donetsk People's, Wagner Group, Australian Army, CNN Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Russian, Luhansk, Donetsk, East Timor, Vietnam, Russia

☆ Chinese hospital ship to visit Pacific to boost 'responsible' image
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

"It is to present our image as a responsible big country", navy spokesperson Liu Wensheng said in a statement. China signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands last year and hopes to build similar ties with other Pacific countries. Its foreign minister has said relations with the Solomon Islands can serve as a model. The United States has pledged to triple funding for the region and it opened an embassy in the Solomon Islands in February after a 30-year absence. In May, the U.S. opened an embassy in Tonga and signed a defence pact with Papua New Guinea.

Persons: Liu Wensheng, Solomon, Albee Zhang, Ryan Woo, Robert Birsel Organizations: United, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Kiribati, Tonga, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, East Timor, United States, Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, U.S, Papua New Guinea

☆ East Timor heads to the polls in parliamentary election
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] East Timor's then-Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri stands during his swearing-in ceremony in Dili, East Timor, September 15, 2017. REUTERS/Lirio Da FonsecaJAKARTA, May 21 (Reuters) - East Timorese voters headed to the polls on Sunday in a parliamentary election that analysts said would likely see two resistance-era figures battle to be prime minister. Sunday's poll is the country's fifth parliamentary election since East Timor gained full independence in 2002 following decades-long occupation by Indonesia. East Timor has in recent years grappled with diversifying its oil- and gas-dependent economy. Leach said the victory of Jose Ramos Horta in last year's presidential election was seen as paving a way for CNRT's return to power.

☆ Myanmar conflict centre stage as Southeast Asian leaders hold summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Kate Lamb | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Will ASEAN only be silent or will ASEAN be able to become the driver or peace or growth? The prime minister of East Timor, a former Portuguese colony bordering Indonesia that is seeking ASEAN membership, stressed the need to restore order in Myanmar. "We also have the obligation to push ASEAN and the international community to create peace in Myanmar," Taur Matan Ruak said. Indonesia has also been quietly engaging Myanmar's military, its shadow government and armed ethnic groups to try to kick-start peace talks. But some have called on ASEAN to take a harder line with Myanmar's junta.

From the 15th to the 19th century, 6 million Africans were kidnapped and forcibly transported across the Atlantic by Portuguese vessels and sold into slavery, primarily to Brazil. But so far Portugal has rarely commented on its past and little is taught about its role in slavery in schools. Reparations and public policies to fight inequalities caused by Portugal's past were essential, Cardoso said. "We continue to suffer in Brazil the effects of a legacy of slavery," Almeida said in a statement. Europe's top human rights group previously said Portugal had do more to confront its colonial past and role in the transatlantic slave trade in order to help fight racism and discrimination today.

☆ How to see the Lyrids April meteor shower
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Taylor Nicioli | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —After no major annual meteor showers for months, the Lyrids are here to end the drought. Known as one of the oldest-recorded meteor showers, the Lyrids are expected to produce 10 to 15 meteors per hour for three nights centered around its peak of 9:06 p.m. Lyrids’ history dates back centuriesThe Lyrids were first recorded in 687 BC, according to NASA, making this meteor shower to be one of the oldest recorded. “Only in the 19th century was when we kind of understood that they actually came from space.”Every meteor shower has a parent comet from which comes the debris that makes up the shower. For those in Africa, Asia and Australia, a penumbral lunar eclipse will occur on May 5, and on October 28, a partial lunar eclipse will be viewable in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, parts of North America and much of South America.

☆ How to view the rare hybrid eclipse
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Taylor Nicioli | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —A hybrid solar eclipse — the first of its kind in nearly 10 years — is on the way. The hybrid eclipse will begin at 10:37 p.m. What makes a hybrid eclipse uniqueOtherwise known as an annular-total eclipse, a hybrid eclipse is a function of Earth’s curvature and the event’s path. During full eclipse, at the very middle of the eclipse path, the antumbral shadow will create an annular eclipse for some and the umbral shadow will create a total eclipse for others. If you live in North, Central or South America, an annular solar eclipse will take place on October 14.

☆ How to watch today's hybrid solar eclipse — the rarest type of eclipse — even if you don't live near Australia where it's happening
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Chris Panella | Jessica Orwig | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A rare hybrid solar eclipse will occur over the South Pacific today and won't happen again until 2031. Hybrid solar eclipses are the rarest type of eclipse and look different depending on your location. During a hybrid eclipse observers can see both a total and annular eclipse. kdshutterman / Getty ImagesA hybrid solar eclipse is a rare type of eclipse that changes depending on where you're watching it. The last time a hybrid solar eclipse occured was 2013 over some regions in the northern Atlantic Ocean and Africa.

☆ Exodus of healthcare workers from poor countries worsening, WHO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Baz RatnerGENEVA, March 14 (Reuters) - Poorer countries are increasingly losing healthcare workers to wealthier ones as the latter seek to shore up their own staff losses from the COVID-19 pandemic, sometimes through active recruitment, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday. "Health workers are the backbone of every health system, and yet 55 countries with some of the world's most fragile health systems do not have enough and many are losing their health workers to international migration," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director-general. He was referring to a new WHO list of vulnerable countries which has added eight extra states since it was last published in 2020. Some 115,000 healthcare workers died from COVID around the world during the pandemic but many more left their professions due to burnout and depression, he said. Asked which countries were attracting more workers, he said wealthy OECD countries and Gulf states but added that competition between African countries had also intensified.

☆ ASEAN chair Indonesia to intensify talks on code for South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Willy KurniawanJAKARTA, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Indonesia plans to intensify talks with China and other Southeast Asian countries to finalise a code of conduct (COC) for the disputed South China Sea, its foreign minister said on Saturday, amid escalating tensions in the strategic waterway. Indonesia is preparing to host a round of negotiations on the COC this year, the first taking place in March, the foreign minister said. China claims jurisdiction over almost the entire South China Sea based on its U-shaped "nine-dash line", a boundary found to have no legal basis by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague in 2016. ASEAN members the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei all have overlapping claims with China in the strategic waterway. Separately, ASEAN members wrapped up talks having only reiterated support for the bloc's five-point peace plan on Myanmar which includes the cessation of conflict in the conflict-torn nation and the start of dialogue.

☆ Exclusive: WHO investigating links between cough syrup deaths, considers advice for parents
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Jennifer Rigby | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The deaths of children from acute kidney injury began in July 2022 in Gambia, followed by cases in Indonesia and Uzbekistan. The WHO has said the deaths are linked to over-the-counter cough syrups the children took for common illnesses and which contained a known toxin, either diethylene glycol or ethylene glycol. The WHO, working with Indonesia’s drugs regulator, also issued an alert in October about cough syrups made by four Indonesian manufacturers and sold domestically. The manufacturers are: PT Yarindo Farmatama, PT Universal Pharmaceutical, PT Konimex, PT AFI Farma. PT Universal Pharmaceutical Industries’ lawyer, Hermansyah Hutagalung, said it had pulled from the market all cough syrups deemed dangerous.

☆ For East Timor president, ASEAN membership a lifelong dream
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Kate Lamb | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

At the time, East Timor was ruled by Portugal, although it was clear that Lisbon would soon relinquish its colony. East Timor was later annexed by Indonesia and gained full independence only in 2002. At a summit in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh this week, ASEAN said East Timor would be granted observer status at high-level meetings of the bloc as it formulates a "roadmap for full membership". He served as the country's first foreign minister, prime minister from 2006 to 2007, and president from 2007 to 2012, during which time he survived an assassination attempt by rebel soldiers. East Timor celebrated 20 years of independence this year, but the country of 1.3 million people is heavily dependent on dwindling reserves of oil and gas.

☆ Southeast Asia's top digital economies expected to hit $200 billion in 2022, report shows
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Sheila Chiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

SINGAPORE — South East Asia's top digital economies grew faster than expected in 2022 and is set to reach $200 billion in total value of transactions made this year, according to a new report by Google, Temasek and Bain & Company. An earlier report in 2016 estimated the internet economy in the region's six major countries will close in on $200 billion in GMV by 2025. The six major economies covered in the report are: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. "After years of acceleration, digital adoption growth is normalising," said the report released Thursday. Southeast Asia continues to see growth in the number of internet users — with 20 million new users added in 2022, raising the total number of users to 460 million.

☆ Australia pledges millions for police deployments in Solomon Islands
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Renju Jose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Australia will set aside A$46 million ($29 million) to fund police deployments in Solomon Islands in next week's budget, part of an increase in spending in the Pacific intended to shore up its standing in the region as China seeks greater influence. China's increasing presence in the Pacific, including entering a security pact with Solomon Islands in April, has raised concerns for the United States and ally Australia, who have for decades seen the region as largely their sphere of influence. The move comes a day after Australia and Fiji signed an agreement to allow the operation of militaries in each other's country. Australia also wants to strike a security treaty with Papua New Guinea that will see their respective defence personnel working alongside each other more often. On Friday, that figure was boosted to A$900 million, which includes the A$46 million for Solomon Islands police.

☆ Opinion | Abortion Is Legal in Ethiopia. But Half of These Clinics Won’t Provide Them.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Anu Kumar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +12 min

When Congress passed the Helms Amendment, only six of those countries allowed abortion in circumstances beyond saving a woman’s life. And every year, more than 16,000 of the women and girls who have received these unsafe abortions die from more serious complications. President Biden also has the power to mitigate some of the harms of the Helms Amendment. His administration could also ensure that clinics in countries where abortion is legal understand that U.S. rules allow them to offer abortion information and counseling. The Helms Amendment is an act of international interference and overreach, and it has to end.

☆ The world's 5 best special-operations forces besides those of the US
▼ + stars: | 2020-09-01 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

SOF units offer a low-cost, high-reward option, and their small footprint makes them more politically acceptable for policymakers when the public is wary of large military commitments. The US military boasts some of the best SOF units in the world, such as the Army's Delta Force and the Navy's SEAL Teams. One of their most famous operations was in 1980, when an SAS unit stormed the besieged Iranian embassy in London and freed several hostages. Philippine ArmyA quiet but deadly Filipino SOF unit that has seen lots of combat in recent years. Israeli Defense ForcesA number of other SOF units have distinguished themselves but didn't make the list.

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