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CNN —Myanmar rebels fighting the junta say they have seized the last remaining military base in a key border town, dealing the latest significant blow to the country’s military rulers as they struggle to cling to power. About 200 soldiers abandoned their base in the southeastern town of Myawaddy and have been pushed to the No 2. “Officially we (are in) control of the town Myawaddy since last night,” KNU spokesperson Saw Taw Nee said. Footage also showed Thai military vehicles and troops stationed along the border. CNN has reached out to Myanmar’s military junta for comment.

Persons: Karen, ”, Saw Taw, Thailand’s Mae Sot, Manan Vatsyayana, “, Naw Tee, Aung, Thailand's, Prasarn Saengsirirak, ” Prasarn, Prasarn, Kim Jolliffe, it’s Organizations: CNN, Myanmar, Karen National Union, UN, Reuters, Getty, Karen National Liberation Army, Command, National League for Democracy, Army, Arakan Army Locations: Myawaddy, Myanmar, Thailand, Thailand’s, Tak, Thailand's Mae Sot, AFP, Teetering, Aung San, Kachin, China, Rakhine, Arakan

☆ Challenged by Uprising, Myanmar Junta Cracks Down Harder
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-06 | by ( Caleb Quinley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Tens of thousands more pro-democracy protesters locked up. The return of military rule has wreaked havoc in Myanmar in recent years. Now the junta is growing increasingly brutal as a rebel uprising has gained ground in the countryside. Conditions in military-run prisons have deteriorated further, they say, with prisoners being deprived of food, proper sanitation and health care, and facing horrific torture. They also threatened to shoot me in the head, and shot live rounds beside my head.”

Persons: ”, Myar Reh Locations: Myanmar, Karenni State

☆ The ‘Night Government’ Expands Its Violent Reach in Rohingya Camps
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Verena Hölzl | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Armed Rohingya groups and criminal gangs involved in the drug trade are so entrenched in the camps, aid groups and refugees said, that they are known as the “night government,” a moniker that signified their power and the time that they typically operated. In recent months, they have become more brazen, terrorizing their fellow Rohingya and battling one another in gunfights in broad daylight as they fight for control of the camps. The escalating violence has become another scourge in the camps, which were already rife with disease and malnutrition, and prone to floods and landslides. Doctors working in the camps say that the number of gunshot wounds they are treating soared in the past year. Accounts in local news media show the number of killings in the camps doubled to more than 90 over the same period.

Locations: Myanmar, Bangladesh, gunfights

☆ Dazzling selection of the world’s biggest, finest and most unusual gems unite in a single exhibition
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Julia Carmel | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

“It’s really personal.”It’s easy to understand why: As the curator of mineral sciences for the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, Celestian oversees the Gem & Mineral Hall. The 125-carat "Jonker I" diamond, one of the most storied gems of its kind in history. “The story goes: It was raining one day… and then because all the rain just washed away the sediment, they found a 726-carat rough diamond,” Celestian said. Courtesy the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles CountyA view inside the Hixon Gem Vault, featuring highlights from the "100 Carats" exhibition. Though nothing else is quite as rare, the other gems in this exhibition are unique, vividly colored, and mostly unseen.

Persons: CNN — Aaron Celestian isn’t, ”, they’re, It’s, Celestian, Robert Procop, Sir Ernest Oppenheimer, Harry Winston, Winston, Lazare Kaplan —, King Farouk of, ” Celestian, Shirley Temple, hasn’t, Procop, Angelina Jolie, “, ” Procop, Lori Bettison, Varga, — Organizations: CNN, of Los, Gem, Mineral, American Museum of, “ Locations: of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, South Africa, New York City, King Farouk of Egypt, Egypt, ”, Los Angeles County, New York, Tanzania, Myanmar, Colombia

☆ Gangs netting up to $3 trillion a year as Southeast Asia human trafficking becomes a global crisis, Interpol says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Human trafficking-fueled fraud is exploding in Southeast Asia with organized crime rings raking in close to $3 trillion in illicit revenue annually, the head of Interpol has said in comments that reveal the huge profits being earned by cartels. One international organized crime group makes $50 billion a year, according to Interpol secretary-general Jurgen Stock, adding that $2 trillion to $3 trillion of illicit money flows through the global financial system annually. While drug trafficking contributes around 40% to 70% of organized crime income, criminal groups are also using those smuggling networks to illegally move humans, arms and stolen products among other things, Stock said. Criminal enterprises also exist in Laos, Thailand and the Philippines, with many of the lucrative online scam operations ranging from illegal gambling, to love scams and crypto fraud. Beijing has pressed Myanmar’s military government to rein in the scam operations, but with limited success.

Persons: Jurgen Stock, Stock, ” Stock, Human Rights Volker Turk Organizations: CNN, Interpol, International Monetary Fund, Covid, ”, “, United Nations, UN, Human Rights, Philippine News Agency Locations: Southeast Asia, Singapore, Asia, United States, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Philippines, China –, Beijing, China, Manila, what’s, Malaysia, Vietnam, Hong Kong

That morning, local villager Zaw Zaw says he woke at his parents’ home in Myauk Khin Yan to the sound of gunfire. A Myanmar military jet flies overhead after bombing the quarters of Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF), in Kayah state, Myanmar on July 6, 2022. Following the executions, Zaw Zaw said the militia “locked down” the village and threatened to kill those who left. Multiple villagers who spoke to CNN consistently said Myauk Khin Yan has been a militia stronghold since the 2021 coup. Phoe Ei Thu, 17, lost her leg to a landmine while fleeing Myauk Khin Yan in early January.

Persons: dehumanized, Phoe Tay, Phoe, Volker Türk, ”, Min Aung, Aung, Suu Kyi, ” Yaw, Myauk, “ Yaw, guerre, Soldiers, “ Ninja ”, Myo Satt Hla, ” Ninja, “, ” Yaw Lay, Zaw Zaw, ’, Myauk Khin Yan, ” Zaw Zaw, …, Kaung Zaw Hein, ” Kim Jolliffe, Kim Jolliffe, Yan, Khin Yan, Yaw Lay, Stringer, NurPhoto, Jolliffe, Hla, Mai Thomas, Ei, It’s, Kim Jolliffe “, Ei Thu, Richard Horsey, Matt Lawrence, ” Horsey, Thierry Falise, ” Miemie Winn Byrd, hasn’t, Khung Aung, Lawrence, Min Aung Hlaing, Miemie Winn Byrd, Daniel K, Inouye, “ You’re, ” Byrd, Byrd, There’s, they’ve, Soe Lin Aung, Organizations: CNN, People’s Defence Force, United Nations Human, ” CNN, Army, National League for Democracy, Yaw Defense Force, Karenni Nationalities Defence Force, Burma Affairs, Union Solidarity and Development Party, ISIS, UN, Association for Political, Getty, Information Resilience, Myanmar Witness, Human Rights, Junta, US Army, Pacific Center for Security Studies Locations: Myanmar, Phoe Tay, Thar, Aung San, Chin, Myauk Khin, Gangaw, Magway, Loikaw, Kayah, Myauk, Gangaw Township, Magway Region, Khin, Yangon, United States, United Kingdom, Shan, Thantlang, Chin State, AFP, Inouye Asia, Sagaing

☆ What yachting industry insiders have to say about Jeff Bezos' superyacht
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Madeline Berg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewIt's been just about a year since Koru, Jeff Bezos' $500 million megayacht, set sail from the Oceanco shipyard in the Netherlands, capturing the attention of yachting insiders and land dwellers alike. Unlike many other megayachts, Koru, which media billionaire Barry Diller's Eos inspired, is designed as a sailing yacht. AdvertisementLike most other megayachts, Koru is powered by her engines, which are reportedly innovative in their use of a kinetic energy recovery system. AdvertisementTeak or not, the yachting industry isn't generally known for being all that environmentally friendly — or indeed lowkey, so many who BI talked to didn't buy into the idea that Koru is "too much." It's the latest superyacht to capture the yachting world's attention.

Persons: —, Jeff Bezos, Koru, they'd, Federico Rossi, Barry Diller's Eos, he'd, Bezos, Lauren Sanchez, Origin's, Shephard, That's, Anders Kurtén, I'm, Jerry Jones, Bernard Arnault, Mark Zuckerberg Organizations: Service, Palm, Business, Industry, Yachts Locations: Netherlands, St, Myanmar

☆ Inside the Deadly Hunt for "Blood Jade" Marred by Heroin and Violence
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-22 | by ( Olivia Nemec | Tyler Merkel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Myanmar's Kachin State is believed to hold up to 90% of the world's most valuable jade. Demand for it is growing in China, where the stone is considered sacred. But hunting for it is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world, and many end up trapped, addicted to the heroin they say replaces their wages.

Locations: Kachin State, China

☆ I was a commando who trained with Navy SEALs. Dealing with risky situations helped me navigate the corporate jungle.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-10 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

It's now been 10 fulfilling years that I have spent in the private sector. But if I were to liken corporate life to my military experience, I would compare working in the private sector to parachuting. Some mourn the loss of camaraderie and the sense of purpose when one leaves the army for the private sector. And in the military, things are straightforward. AdvertisementSo, it's true that the private sector is inherently transactional, albeit in a different way.

Persons: Kwong Weng Yap, —, Yap, Singapore's, Lim Chuan Poh, It's, I've, you'll, Kwong Weng Organizations: Singapore Armed Forces, Service, National Cadet Corps, NCC, SAF, Navy, Defence Force, Enterprise Singapore Locations: Singapore, Australia, Yap, Myanmar, Vietnam, Southeast Asia, Ukraine, China

☆ Haiti extends state of emergency as intruders break into key port terminal
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Caitlin Hu | Tara John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Intruders broke into a major port terminal in Haiti Thursday as violence in the country escalated after the government extended its state of emergency. It comes as Port-au-Prince’s Caribbean Port Services (CPS) terminal, a major player in Haiti’s food import supply chain, was broken into around 8 a.m., two security sources told CNN. Pléiades Neo/AirbusOne Airbus satellite image shows a significant amount of material littering the area of the container port terminal. The chaos has forced tens of thousands to flee their homes in the past few days, adding to the more than 300,000 already displaced by gang violence. A law enforcement officer at a police station set on fire by armed gangs in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on March 5, 2024.

Persons: Pléiades, Jimmy Cherizier, Prince, Cherizier, Ariel Henry’s, Odelyn Joseph, Stephane Dujarric, Dujarric, ” Ronald Laroche, ” Laroche, “, ”, they’ve, Henry, Jovenel Moise, Raymond King of, King, Médecins Organizations: CNN, Caribbean Port Services, CPS, Airbus, Haitian National Police, Reuters, Food, United Nations Office, Humanitarian Affairs, UN, Protection, Kenyan, Royal Bahamas Defence Force, MSF Locations: Haiti, Region, Port, Prince, Prince’s, ”, United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Hispaniola, Kenya, Caribbean, Cité, Syria, Myanmar

☆ Taiwan wants to hire Indian workers. What’s skin color or religion got to do with it?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Diksha Madhok | Wayne Chang | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New Delhi/Hong Kong CNN —Taiwan has swung into damage control mode after its labor minister made controversial comments about the skin color, religion and diets of some Indians ahead of a potential drive to recruit migrant workers to the island. In a separate apology, Taiwan’s labor ministry said Hsu implied “absolutely no discriminatory connotation when she mentioned ‘similar skin color’ in the interview. CNN has reached out to India’s Ministry of External Affairs for comments. In February, Taiwan said it will hire migrant workers from India to ease its labor shortage, but did not share any other details. Taipei currently allows migrant workers from Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Philippines to work in the island, according to the labor ministry.

Persons: Hsu Ming, chun, ”, ” Hsu, Hsu, Hsu’s, Taiwan’s Foxconn, ” Young Liu, ” Liu, Padma Bhushan Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Taiwan, Yahoo, Labor, CNN, India’s Ministry, Affairs, Padma, Bloomberg Locations: New Delhi, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India’s, India, China, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Covid, “ India, Japan, South Korea, Taipei, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines

☆ Fungi mystery: Amphibian found with mushroom growing from its body
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-02 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

But a newly described mystery involving a mushroom and a frog suggests that fungi’s role in the environment is anything but black-and-white. Once upon a planetA golden-backed frog is seen with a small mushroom (right) growing out of its body. Elsewhere in our solar system, space scientists have spotted three faint and tiny moons orbiting the outermost planets in the Milky Way: Uranus and Neptune. — A dead star that feasted on a planet once in its orbit could foretell the eventual fate of our own solar system. They find wonder in planets beyond our solar system and discoveries from the ancient world.

Persons: Lohit, Dimorphos, ”, Dr, Sabina Raducan, it’s, Ralf Britz, Britz, Here’s, Odysseus, Odie, —, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, NASA, DART, University of Bern’s Physics, CNN Space, Science Locations: Indian, Karnataka, Dimorphos, Switzerland, Myanmar, Dresden, Germany, Roman Britain, United States

☆ Singapore brokered a deal with Taylor Swift, so she wouldn't take the Eras Tour to other Southeast Asian countries. Now, a Philippines lawmaker is calling it out.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-02 | by ( Eve Crosbie | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewThere's a feud between Singapore and neighboring government officials — and it's all down to Taylor Swift. "Some $3 million in grants were allegedly given by the Singapore government to AEG to host the concert in Singapore. AdvertisementFans of US singer Taylor Swift arrive for the first of the pop star's six sold-out Eras Tour concerts at the National Stadium in Singapore on March 2, 2024. Taylor Swift performs at the National Stadium on March 2, 2024 in Singapore. He claimed he was told the Singapore government offered $2 million to $3 million per show in exchange for exclusivity.

Persons: —, Taylor Swift, Joey Salceda, Swift, Salceda, Rosland Rahman, Ashok Kumar, Srettha Thavisin, Angel Zhong Organizations: Service, Business, Philippines, Department of Foreign Affairs, Singapore, AEG, The Straits Times, Getty, GMA Network, Association of South East Asian Nations, Sky News, BBC News, CNA, Finance, RMIT University, Forbes Locations: Singapore, Philippines, Southeast Asia, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Bangkok, Thailand

☆ Tiny fish can make noises louder than an elephant, says new study
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A small species of fish that measures no more than half an inch in length is capable of producing sounds louder than an elephant, according to a new study. Danionella cerebrum, tiny translucent fish that live in shallow waters off Myanmar, can make noises of more than 140 decibels, an international team of scientists report in a press release published Tuesday. Large animals tend to be capable of producing louder noises than small ones, with elephants able to make sounds up to 125 decibels with their trunks. There are also some fish species that make unusually loud noises, such as the male plainfin midshipman fish, which is capable of making mating calls up to 130 decibels, but Danionella cerebrum appears to be unique among fish. “No other fish has been reported to use repeated unilateral muscle contractions for sound production,” reads the study.

Persons: Danionella, ”, Ralf Britz, Danionella cerebrum Organizations: CNN, National Academy of Sciences Locations: Myanmar, Dresden, Germany

☆ A 'family vacation' for two: Why more parents are taking trips with one child at a time
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Monica Pitrelli | Marylou Costa | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

They travel together, but time away with just one child and one parent has perks that family trips don't often provide, she said. "Travelling with only one child allows you to focus on the needs of only that child," she said. Source: Sonja ProkopecProkopec hasn't taken solo trips with her two youngest children, mostly because of Covid-19, she said. Mother-and-daughter trips in particular are on the rise, though father-and-child trips are also becoming more popular, according to the company. She said she vividly remembers the trips she took as a child with her mother and grandmother.

Persons: Sonja Prokopec, Prokopec, she's, —, Prokopec's, Laith, Sonja Prokopec Prokopec hasn't, Scott Dunn, Scott Dunn's, Mike Harlow, Scott Dunn's Mike Harlow, Harlow, Chiang, Monica Pitrelli, Madeline Austin Organizations: CNBC Travel, Istock, Getty, Yellowstone, Hollywood Locations: Rome, London, Turkey, Norway, Finland, Africa, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Sri Lanka, South Korea, India, Chiang Rai, Myanmar, Thai, California, Los Angeles , California

☆ Delivery Hero ends talks to sell Foodpanda in Southeast Asia after months of negotiations
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Dylan Butts | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Insulated food bags branded with the logo of Foodpanda, a meal-delivery service operated by Delivery Hero, sit at the company's operations center in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, March 16, 2018. German food delivery giant Delivery Hero announced it has ended negotiations with an undisclosed third party regarding the potential sale of its Foodpanda business in selected Southeast Asian markets, where it is attempting to downsize. In a press release on Wednesday, Delivery Hero said the relevant parties failed to agree on the terms. "The decision to terminate negotiations after months of discussions was taken after careful consideration," said Niklas Östberg, CEO and co-founder of Delivery Hero. Just last week, Östberg said he was happy to hold onto the Foodpanda brand, after the German company's share price plunged on reports that negotiations to sell the Southeast Asian units had collapsed.

Persons: Niklas Östberg, Östberg Locations: Bangkok, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos

☆ Myanmar military conscription law sparks panic and fear as youth prepare to flee
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Helen Regan | Angus Watson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

It’s a terrifying prospect that could become a reality for Anna and millions of her peers across Myanmar after the military junta activated a mandatory conscription law for all young men and women. “While wounded and increasingly desperate, the Myanmar military junta remains extremely dangerous,” Tom Andrews, United Nations Special Rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar, said in a statement. “People know for sure that no matter what is written in the conscription law, they will have to go to the front lines. “In Myanmar, young people are not safe anymore,” said Maung Nyein, who also requested to use a pseudonym for safety reasons. “Our villagers won’t join the military forces or leave the country, instead we will join our resistance forces.

Persons: Anna, ”, “, ” Tom Andrews, — “, Aung, —, Ting Aung, Zaw Min Tun, Young, Kyaw Naing, Sen, Min Aung Hlaing, Kyaw, doesn’t, ” Anna, he’s, he’ll, Khin Ohmar, Stringer, Maung, Maung Nyein, terrifies, Ko, Maung Aye, he’d Organizations: CNN, Thai Embassy, Getty, Analysts, United Nations, People’s Defense Forces, National Unity Government, United, CNN Defense, Armed Forces, Reuters, Facebook, Foreign Ministry, Myanmar, Mandalay People's Defense Forces, Immigration, International Labour Locations: Myanmar, Myanmar’s, Yangon, AFP, United States, Naypyidaw, Thailand, Rakhine, Mandalay, Shan State, “, Shwebo, Sagaing

☆ US agents fooled a yakuza boss into giving them weapons-grade plutonium he thought would be sold to Iran: court docs
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | Haven Orecchio-Egresitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

US officials say they arrested a Japanese crime boss trying to sell nuclear fuel. The documents said Takeshi Ebisawa thought the fuel would go to an Iranian nuclear-weapons program. AdvertisementUS agents say they tricked a Japanese crime lord into handing over nuclear fuel to them in an audacious sting operation. They said the DEA fooled Ebisawa into believing he was selling them a shipment of plutonium and uranium to help Iran to build nuclear weapons. AdvertisementThey say Ebisawa was invited onto a video call with somebody posing as an Iranian general as part of the ruse.

Persons: Takeshi Ebisawa, —, Ebisawa, Damian Williams, Somphop Singhasiri Organizations: Service, Business, Department of Justice Locations: Iranian, Iran, Brooklyn, Myanmar, Thailand, Burma

☆ Feds charge Japanese Yakuza leader with nuclear materials trafficking
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The DOJ alleges that a high-ranking member of the Yakuza, Takeshi Ebisawa, was the central figure in a plot to funnel American weapons to ethnic militias in Myanmar in exchange for heroin and meth. Federal prosecutors in New York on Wednesday said they charged a Japanese Yakuza leader with conspiring to traffic nuclear materials from Burma to other countries in the belief that they would be used by Iran to make a nuclear weapon. "A U.S. nuclear forensic laboratory later analyzed the samples and confirmed that the samples contain uranium and weapons-grade plutonium," the statement said. Williams said Ebisawa "brazenly trafficked" the nuclear material while believing it would be used to develop a nuclear weapons program." The top prosecutor also said that even as he tried to sell the nuclear materials, the Yakuza leader "also negotiated for the purchase of deadly weapons, including surface-to-air missiles," M60 machine guns, AK-47s and armor-piercing ammunition.

Persons: Takeshi Ebisawa, Ebisawa, Damian Williams, Williams Organizations: DOJ, U.S . Drug, Administration, Attorney's, U.S, AK Locations: Myanmar, New York, Japanese, Burma, Iran, Thailand, Iranian, Manhattan, U.S

☆ Japanese Crime Boss Trafficked Nuclear Material From Myanmar, U.S. Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Ed Shanahan | More About Ed Shanahan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A man identified by federal prosecutors as a leader of Japan’s Yakuza organized crime syndicate was charged on Wednesday with trafficking uranium and plutonium from Myanmar with the expectation that Iran would use the material to make nuclear weapons. The man, Takeshi Ebisawa, is accused of conspiring with a network of associates to sell the weapons-grade material and illegal narcotics and to buy surface-to-air missiles on behalf of an ethnic insurgent group in Myanmar, the country formerly known as Burma. “It is impossible to overstate the seriousness of the conduct alleged in today’s indictment,” Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, said in announcing the charges. Mr. Ebisawa, 60, is being held in a federal jail in Brooklyn after being charged, along with three co-defendants, with international drug and weapons trafficking crimes in 2022. A lawyer representing him in connection with that indictment did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.

Persons: Japan’s, Takeshi Ebisawa, ” Damian Williams, Ebisawa Locations: Myanmar, Iran, Burma, U.S, Manhattan, Brooklyn

☆ Female Recruits Head Into Battle With Myanmar's Pro-Democracy Rebels
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Lilian Manansala | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Women in Myanmar are upending cultural norms by enlisting in the fight against the military junta that took control of the country in 2021.

Locations: Myanmar

☆ Takeshi Ebisawa: Alleged yakuza leader charged with attempting to sell nuclear materials from Myanmar
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Holmes Lybrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —An alleged leader of a Japanese organized crime syndicate has been charged with attempting to sell weapons-grade nuclear materials from the leader of an ethnic insurgent group in Myanmar, according to a new indictment from the US Justice Department. Takeshi Ebisawa, an alleged leader in the yakuza who was arrested in 2022 on charges over drug and weapons trafficking conspiracies, faces several new charges for allegedly attempting to sell nuclear materials to someone he believed was an Iranian general, in exchange for a significant weapons cache. The agent asked Ebisawa if the material was usable for nuclear weapons, saying that Iran needed “it for nuclear weapons.”“I think so and I hope so,” Ebisawa said, according to the indictment. In a recorded video call, brokers for the leader of the insurgent group claimed the leader had thousands of kilograms of nuclear material and “could produce as much as five tons of nuclear materials in” the territory the leader controlled. During the call, the DEA undercover agent asked about exchanging uranium for weapons from Iran, which the brokers and the leader agreed with.

Persons: CNN —, Takeshi Ebisawa, Ebisawa, ”, ” Ebisawa Organizations: CNN, US Justice Department, Drug Enforcement Administration, Court, Southern, of New Locations: Myanmar, Iranian, Iran, Burma, Ebisawa

☆ Two Dead, Scores Injured After Police Open Fire in India's Manipur State
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Tora AgarwalaGUWAHATI, India (Reuters) - At least two people were killed and scores injured in India's northeastern Manipur state after security forces opened fire at a mob in Churachandpur district late on Thursday, a police official said, as sporadic violence continued in the region. Churachandpur, home to the Kuki-Zo community, was among the first areas in the state to witness ethnic clashes when violence first erupted in May. About 400 people stormed the district police chief's office at around 7.30 p.m. (1400 GMT), demanding the order be revoked. The official said about 25 people were injured, and were being treated in hospital. The Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum (ITLF), an apex tribal body, warned district police chief Shivanand Surve, who had issued the suspension order, to leave Churachandpur within the next 24 hours.

Persons: Tora Agarwala, Shivanand Surve, Sudipto Ganguly, Kim Coghill Organizations: Security, Authorities, Indigenous Tribal Leaders ' Locations: Tora Agarwala GUWAHATI, India, India's, Manipur, Churachandpur, Kuki, Myanmar

☆ Analysis-Myanmar Junta's Conscription Plan Lays Bare Toll of Fighting Rebels
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

A junta spokesman did not respond to calls from Reuters seeking comment. The current size of the anti-junta resistance is now likely higher with the emergence of more resistance groups as the conflict drags on, analysts said. The Tatmadaw, as the military is known, has not publicly declared the size of its fighting force in recent years. A dozen people eligible to serve also told Reuters that they would rather leave the country than join the military. "They couldn't send backup troops in Rakhine battles," AA spokesman Khine Thu Kha told Reuters via phone.

Persons: Richard Horsey, Nobel, Aung, Suu Kyi, Ye Myo Hein, Generals, Anthony Davis, Miemie Winn Byrd, Htet Myat, Min Aung Hlaing, Andrew Selth, Selth, Khine Thu Kha, Devjyot, Miral Fahmy Organizations: Reuters, United States Institute of Peace, British, U.S ., Griffith Asia Institute, Arakan Army, Reuters Staff Locations: China, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Suu, U.S, Rakhine

“Climate and conflict are two leading drivers of (our) global food crisis,” the secretary-general said. And in Myanmar, prospects of ending hunger have gone into reverse because of conflict and instability, he said. Simon Stiell, the United Nations climate chief, told the council that climate change is contributing to food insecurity and to conflict. Framework Convention on Climate Change said the Security Council “must acknowledge more can be done rather than hoping the problem will go away — which it won’t.”The U.N.’s most powerful body should be requesting regular updates on climate security risks, he said. But climate change, environmental and security pressures have led to increased tensions and competition between herders and farmers for scarce resources including water and land, she said.

Persons: Antonio Guterres, “, ”, Guterres, Simon Stiell, ” Stiell, Beth Bechdol, ” Bechdol, Bechdol, Mohamed Irfaan Ali, ” Ali, U.N, Vassily Nebenzia, Nebenzia Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, United Nations, ”, . Security Council, Security, Agriculture Organization Locations: Russia, “, Gaza, Syria, Myanmar, United, Food, Central Africa, Africa, Haiti, United States, Yugoslavia, Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq, Russian

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