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☆ Two years on, Myanmar coup takes a 'catastrophic toll'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

REUTERS/StaffJan 31 (Reuters) - Two years after Myanmar's military coup, a young factory worker turned resistance fighter mourns the loss of his leg in battle. The stories of four people reflect a crisis the U.N. special envoy last week warned was taking a "catastrophic toll" on the population. THE TEACHERA middle-school teacher has been living in a Thai border town since fleeing arrest in Myanmar last year. A slight woman with long black hair, she joined the civil disobedience movement (CDM) that sprang up after the coup. Her green and white uniform is safe in Myanmar, she said, neatly stored, in case of her return.

☆ How Russia is molding the minds of schoolkids to support its brutal invasion of Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Elise Morton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Russia is running a campaign of propaganda lessons to rally support for its invasion of Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin at a rally in Moscow held in March 2022, a few weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine. An image from the lesson materials showing Russian armored personnel carriers marked with the Z symbol from the invasion of Ukraine. But, the union said, "huge internal resistance" from Russia's teachers forced officials to edit out most references to the "special military operation" and achieve its aims less directly. It's the effect on young children, whose whole world is their school and family, that scares me."

☆ Italy's Eni signs $8 billion Libya gas deal as PM Meloni visits Tripoli
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Gavin Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The deal, signed during a visit to Tripoli by Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, aims to increase gas output for the Libyan domestic market as well as exports, through the development of two offshore gas fields. Output will begin in 2026 and reach a plateau of 750 million cubic feet per day, Eni said in a statement. "This agreement will enable important investments in Libya's energy sector, contributing to local development and job creation while strengthening Eni's role as a leading operator in the country," said its chief executive, Claudio Descalzi. Meloni met Libya's Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, head of the internationally recognised Government of National Unity (GNU) in Tripoli for talks that also focused on migration across the Mediterranean. Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, who oversees the migration issue for Rome, accompanied Meloni to Libya, as well as Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.

☆ Italy's Meloni expected to sign major gas deal as she starts Libya visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the head of Libya's Government of National Unity, Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah attend a joint news conference in Tripoli, Libya. TRIPOLI, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni flew to Tripoli on Saturday where she is expected to agree a major gas deal aimed at boosting energy supplies to Europe despite the insecurity and political chaos in the North African country. Meloni is meeting Mohamed al-Menfi, the head of Libya's three-man Presidency Council, and Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, head of the internationally recognised Government of National Unity (GNU) in Tripoli. Insecurity and lawlessness has made Libya a major, but dangerous, route for migrants seeking to reach Europe, often via the Italian island of Lampedusa. Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, who oversees much of the migration issue for Rome, flew to Libya with Meloni.

☆ Zelenskiy promises to swiftly confront Ukraine corruption
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Maria Starkova | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Zelenskiy's pledge came amidst allegations of senior-level corruption, including a report of dubious practices in military procurement despite officials promoting national unity to confront the invasion. Ukraine has had a long history of rampant corruption and shaky governance, with Transparency International ranking the country's corruption at 122 of 180 countries, not much better than Russia in 2021. "This week will be the time for appropriate decisions," Zelenskiy said. The renewed focus on corruption involved also Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov after a newspaper reported that the military had allegedly secured food at highly inflated prices. Reporting by Maria Starkova; Writing by Ron Popeski; Editing by Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Israelis rally in three cities against Netanyahu legal reforms
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Dan Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] Israelis protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new right-wing coalition and its proposed judicial reforms to reduce powers of the Supreme Court in a main square in Tel Aviv, Israel January 14, 2023. Among those opposed are the Supreme Court chief justice and the country's attorney-general. Channel 13 TV last week found 53% of Israelis were opposed to changing the court appointments' structure while 35% were in support. Critics of the Supreme Court say it is overreaching and unrepresentative of the electorate. "We promised the people change, we promised governance, we promised reforms - and we will make good on that."

☆ Turkey says Tripoli backs energy deal despite court suspension
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Law firms Turkey Law Firm FollowANKARA, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Libya's Government of National Unity (GNU) told Turkey "not to take seriously" a court ruling that suspended an energy exploration deal that the Tripoli government signed with Ankara last year, the Turkish foreign minister said on Thursday. A Libyan court on Monday suspended the energy exploration deal that had angered other Mediterranean powers and inflamed Libya's own internal crisis. "This court ruling is not the final verdict. The government still backs the deal and they told us that they are proceeding with the necessary work and we should not take this court ruling seriously," Cavusoglu said. Reporting by Huseyin Hayatsever and Ali Kucukgocmen in Ankara; Ahmed Elumami in Tripoli, Editing by Nick MacfieOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ CIA chief makes rare visit to Libya
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TRIPOLI, Jan 12 (Reuters) - U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) chief William Burns made a rare trip to Libya on Thursday, meeting Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah in Tripoli, the Libyan government said. Dbeibah's Government of National Unity announced the visit on its Facebook page, posting a picture of Burns and Dbeibah together. Two sources close to eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar, who is based in Benghazi, said Burns had also met with him. The United States has previously said it is worried about the role played by Russia in Libya's conflict, and fears continued instability in the OPEC member could impact global energy supply and give space to Islamist militant groups. The detention of Abu Agila Mohammad Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi and his transfer to the United States prompted anger inside Libya, which has no extradition treaty with Washington, and led to recriminations from Dbeibah's political foes.

☆ Brazilian judge orders arrest of Bolsonaro’s ex-minister after Brasília rampage
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

BRASILIA, Brazil — A Brazilian Supreme Court judge ordered the arrest on Tuesday of the capital’s most recent public security chief after supporters of right-wing former President Jair Bolsonaro led a rampage through government buildings. Supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro storm the National Congress building in Brasília on Sunday. In the arrest warrant, Moraes cited their failure to ensure proper security forces were in place. A Reuters witness spotted police at the Torres family residence in an upscale Brasília neighborhood, where a resident said they left carrying bags. His son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, denied on Tuesday that the former president was responsible for the riots on Sunday.

☆ Constantine, the former and last king of Greece, dies at 82
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

ATHENS, Greece — Constantine, the former and last king of Greece, who won an Olympic gold medal before becoming entangled in his country’s volatile politics in the 1960s as king and spent decades in exile, has died. Prince Constantine on his sailboat at the Olympics in 1960. With minimal nostalgia for the monarchy in Greece, Constantine became a relatively uncontroversial figure. Crown Prince Constantine, left, arrives at the Raiding Forces' Headquarters on July 5, 1956. Prince Charles and King Constantine II of Greece attend Sunday service at the Church of St Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate in King's Lynn, England, on Dec. 9, 2007.

☆ Former King of Greece Constantine II dies at 82
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] King Constantine II and Queen Anne-Marie arrive at Fredensborg Castle in Denmark to a dinner given to celebrate the 75th birthday of Queen Margrthe II of Denmark on April 16th, 2015. Ritzau Scanpix 2023/Thomas Lekfeldt via REUTERSATHENS, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Greece's former King Constantine II, whose nine-year reign coincided with one of the most turbulent periods in the country's political history, died on Tuesday aged 82, state website ERT news reported. Constantine II, the only son of King Paul and Queen Frederica of Greece, ascended to the throne in 1964 after his father died but his reign was marred by political instability which culminated in a military coup on April 21, 1967. With his wife Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, the former king, a sailor whose team won a gold medal at the 1960 Olympics, had five children. Constantine, Prince William's godfather, and his family had lived in London for years, before returning to Greece.

☆ Brazil questions some 1,000 detained protesters after rampage in capital
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Leonardo Benassatto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Most of the supporters of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro were detained on Monday as troops dismantled a camp in Brasilia where demonstrators set off on Sunday before storming Brazil's Congress, Supreme Court and presidential palace. Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is running investigations of the "anti-democratic" protests, vowed in a speech on Tuesday to combat the "terrorists" at work in Brasilia. "Democracy will prevail and Brazilian institutions will not bend," said Moraes at the swearing-in of a new head of the federal police. They visited the ransacked Supreme Court building, which was the site most damaged by the pro-Bolsonaro rioters. The former president was admitted on Monday to hospital in Florida where he flew 48 hours before his term ended.

☆ Brazil’s Lula sworn in, vows accountability and rebuilding
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Lula is assuming office for the third time after thwarting far-right incumbent Bolsonaro’s reelection bid. Many have gathered outside military barracks since, questioning results and pleading with the armed forces to prevent Lula from taking office. Furthermore, Santoro said, the credibility of Lula and his Workers’ Party were assailed by a sprawling corruption investigation. He had been camped outside Brasilia’s army headquarters with hundreds of other Bolsonaro supporters since Nov. 12. Instead of Bolsonaro, a group representing diverse segments of society performed the role of presenting Lula with the presidential sash to Lula atop the ramp of the presidential palace.

☆ Myanmar court convicts Aung San Suu Kyi of corruption in final case
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

BANGKOK — A court in military-ruled Myanmar convicted the country’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi of corruption on Friday, sentencing her to seven years in prison in the last of a string of criminal cases against her, a source with direct knowledge of the proceedings confirmed to NBC News. The 77-year-old Suu Kyi has also been convicted of several other offenses, including illegally importing and possessing walkie-talkies, violating coronavirus restrictions, breaching the country’s official secrets act, sedition and election fraud. Suu Kyi was the de facto head of government, holding the title of state counsellor. The U.N. said in August that Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the head of Myanmar’s military-installed government, had “expressed openness to arranging a meeting at the right time” between Suu Kyi and U.N. special envoy Noeleen Heyzer. “The Myanmar junta’s farcical, totally unjust parade of charges and convictions against Aung San Suu Kyi amount to politically motivated punishment designed to hold her behind bars for the rest of her life,” he said.

☆ Iran's clerical leaders to grapple with deepening dissent in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Parisa Hafezi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Amini's family said she was beaten after being arrested by the morality police on Sept. 13 for violating the Islamic Republic's imposed dress code. Facing their worst legitimacy crisis since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran's religious leaders have tried to portray the unrest as breakaway uprisings by ethnic minorities threatening national unity rather than its clerical rule. Protesters from all walks of life have taken to the streets, calling for the downfall of the Islamic Republic. However, the persistent unrest does not mean the four-decade-old Islamic Republic will disappear any time soon given the power wielded by its security apparatus. The Islamic Republic will be engulfed by what analysts call a "revolutionary process" that will likely fuel more protests into 2023, with neither side backing down.

☆ Thailand hosts Myanmar junta figures in talks, key ASEAN nations skip
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Foreign ministers of Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia and Vietnam's deputy foreign minister joined the talks hosted by Thailand's foreign minister, according to Thai foreign ministry spokeswoman Kanchana Patarachoke. "The consultation was a non-ASEAN meeting but intended to complement ASEAN’s ongoing collective efforts to find a peaceful political resolution," Kanchana said in a statement. Myanmar Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin attended along with Kan Zaw, minister for investment and foreign economic relations, and Ko Ko Hlaing, minister for international cooperation, Myanmar's foreign ministry said in a statement. The Philippines said its foreign minister would also not join, without elaborating. "Any meeting convened under ASEAN, formal or informal, should not divert from this decision," it said, according to the source.

☆ U.N. shelves bid by Afghan Taliban, Myanmar junta for representation
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 16 (Reuters) - The United Nations General Assembly on Friday approved postponing - for the second time - a decision on whether the Afghan Taliban administration and the Myanmar junta can send a United Nations ambassador to New York. The 193-member General Assembly approved without a vote the decision by the U.N. credentials committee, which also deferred a decision on rival claims to Libya's U.N. seat. But the credentials committee said it could "revert to consideration of these credentials at a future time in the seventy-seventh session" of the General Assembly, which ends in September next year. Competing claims were again made for the seats of Myanmar and Afghanistan with the Taliban administration and Myanmar's junta pitted against envoys of the governments they ousted last year. U.N. acceptance of the Taliban administration or Myanmar's junta would be a step toward the international recognition sought by both.

☆ Afghan Taliban administration, Myanmar junta not allowed into United Nations for now
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The United Nations headquarters building is pictured though a window with the UN logo in the foreground in the Manhattan borough of New York August 15, 2014. REUTERS/Carlo AllegriUNITED NATIONS, Dec 14 (Reuters) - A decision on whether the Afghan Taliban administration and the Myanmar junta can send a United Nations ambassador to New York has been postponed for a second time, but could be reconsidered in the next nine months, according to a U.N. credentials committee report. The nine-member U.N. credentials committee includes Russia, China and the United States. Competing claims were again made for the seats of Myanmar and Afghanistan with the Taliban administration and Myanmar's junta pitted against envoys of the governments they ousted last year. U.N. acceptance of the Taliban administration or Myanmar's junta would be a step toward the international recognition sought by both.

☆ Peru’s president ousted and arrested after he seeks to dissolve Congress in political crisis
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

The president of Peru was ousted by Congress and arrested on a charge of rebellion Wednesday after he sought to dissolve the legislative body and take unilateral control of the government, triggering a grave constitutional crisis. Boluarte, a 60--year-old lawyer, called for a political truce and the installation of a national unity government. He entered a police station and hours later federal prosecutors announced that Castillo had been arrested on the rebellion charge for allegedly violating constitutional order. Shortly before the impeachment vote, Castillo announced that he was installing a new emergency government and would rule by decree. The Ombudsman’s Office, an autonomous government institution, said before the congressional vote that Castillo should turn himself in to judicial authorities.

CNN —Peru’s new President Dina Boluarte ruled out early elections on Thursday, her first day in office following the dramatic ousting and arrest of her predecessor Pedro Castillo. Boluarte became Peru’s first female President on Wednesday after lawmakers defied Castillo, who in a fight for his political survival had attempted to dissolve Congress earlier that day and call for early elections ahead of a third impeachment vote against him. Peruvian lawmakers described the move as a coup, and a majority of the 130-person Congress voted to impeach Castillo on Wednesday. The former president was later arrested for the alleged crime of rebellion, according to the country’s Attorney General. “I know that there are some voices that indicate early elections and that is democratically respectable.

[1/2] Peru's interim President Dina Boluarte, who was called on by Congress to take the office after the legislature approved the removal of President Pedro Castillo in an impeachment trial, waves after being sworn-in, in Lima, Peru December 7, 2022. REUTERS/Sebastian CastanedaLIMA, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Dina Boluarte became Peru's first female president on Wednesday amid a political maelstrom when her predecessor and former boss Pedro Castillo was ousted in an impeachment trial and detained by police after he tried to illegally shut down Congress. But she shot to prominence alongside Castillo as the vice president on his ticket when the pair pulled off a shock election victory in 2021 for the far-left Peru Libre party. Once in office, Castillo tapped Boluarte as his development and social inclusion minister, a role she managed to keep until recently amid several cabinet shakeups. In recent weeks, Boluarte also distanced herself from Castillo, resigning from her role as a Cabinet minister after he replaced his prime minister in what some saw as an escalation in his showdown with Congress.

(Jack Taylor/Pool/Reuters)Dina Boluarte took office as the new president of Peru on Wednesday after the country's Congress ousted Pedro Castillo through a vacancy motion following his attempt to dissolve the governing body. Boluarte became the country's first female president, and just a few hours before, had served as Peru's vice president. It is the sixth time that Peru has had a new president in less than five years. In 2018, she was a candidate for mayor of Surquillo with the Perú Libre Party. During the 2021 general elections, she was a candidate for the vice presidency for the Perú Libre party.

☆ Peruvian politician Boluarte sworn in as president after Castillo's removal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Peru's Vice President Dina Boluarte, who was called on by Congress to take the office of president after the legislature approved the removal of President Pedro Castillo in an impeachment trial, attends her swearing-in ceremony in Lima, Peru December 7, 2022. REUTERS/Sebastian CastanedaLIMA, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Peruvian politician Dina Boluarte was sworn in as president on Wednesday, hours after Pedro Castillo was removed in an impeachment trial during a day of high political drama in the Andean nation. Boluarte, elevated from vice president, becomes Peru's first ever female president, following Castillo's attempt to dissolve the legislature by decree to avoid the impeachment vote, which sparked a wave of resignations by ministers and criticism from allies. "I take office being aware of the enormous responsibility I bear, and my first vocation is to call for the broadest possible unity of all Peruvians," she said, calling for a "political truce to install a government of national unity." Reporting by Marco Aquino and Carolina Pulice; Editing by Sarah Morland and Brendan O'BoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Who is Dina Boluarte, Peru’s first female president?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Cnne'S Rocio Munoz Ledo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Dina Boluarte took office as the new President of Peru on Wednesday, after Congress ousted former president Pedro Castillo. In this turbulent context, Boluarte, who until a few hours ago was the country’s Vice President, took over as Castillo’s successor after being sworn in before the plenary session of Congress on Wednesday afternoon. She is the first female president in Peru’s history, and the sixth Peruvian president in less than five years. During the 2021 general elections, Boluarte was a candidate for vice presidency for the Peru Libre party and Castillo’s running mate. However, she remained a member of cabinet as vice president.

☆ Myanmar democracy leader says 2,000 dead fighting junta, urges military aid
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Poppy Mcpherson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

BANGKOK, Dec 1 (Reuters) - At least 2,000 pro-democracy fighters have been killed in Myanmar battling a military junta that seized power last year, the head of a parallel civilian government said in an interview aired on Thursday, urging allies to provide military aid. The military has branded him and his colleagues terrorists and banned citizens from communicating with them, but their parallel civilian government enjoys widespread support. Duwa Lashi La has been pictured visiting troops, who include former students and professionals driven to the jungles by military crackdowns, clad in a flak jacket and helmet. Duwa Lashi La said the opposition fighters had killed about 20,000 junta troops. Duwa Lashi La said the door was not closed to negotiation but the military had to stop killing civilians, vow to withdraw from politics and abolish the constitution that enshrines their power.

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