Afghanistan’s sudden plunge into digital silence this week was not a moral crusade, nor an accident of “decaying fibre,” as the Taliban’s spokesman claimed. It was the deliberate use of a nationwide communications shutdown at a moment of political strain, serving as yet another reminder that even the regime fears itself. Connectivity across the country […]
coup
Myanmar junta court jails Suu Kyi for six years for corruption
Yangon: A Myanmar junta court jailed Aung San Suu Kyi for six years for corruption on Monday, a source close to the case said, taking the ousted leader’s prison time to 17 years. Suu Kyi, 77, has been detained since the generals toppled her government in a coup on February 1 last year, ending the […]
Oil firm says received request to fund coup in Madagascar
Oil firm Benchmark Group said Monday it had been approached for funds to topple Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina, days after the government said it had foiled an assassination plot. Benchmark, a majority shareholder in crude extractor Madagascar Oil, said it had “received an email from the Madagascan-French citizen Paul R. soliciting 10 million euros for […]
Economy of coup-wracked Myanmar to contract 18%: World Bank
Myanmar’s economy is expected to shrink by 18 percent in 2021, the World Bank said Monday, as a result of massive unrest following a military coup and a resurgent coronavirus outbreak. The country has been in turmoil since the military took power in February and launched a bloody crackdown on dissent that has killed more […]
US renews call on Myanmar to free journalist amid Covid fears
The United States on Friday renewed calls on Myanmar’s junta to free a jailed US journalist as concerns grow about a Covid-19 outbreak in prisons packed with detained activists. Danny Fenster, managing editor of the Frontier Myanmar news outlet, was taken into custody on May 24 after the military deposed the civilian government on charges […]
Norway’s Telenor quits Myanmar over military coup
Norwegian telecoms group Telenor said Thursday it is selling its subsidiary in Myanmar, where it is one of the major operators, as a result of the military coup there. While the agreement to sell Telenor Myanmar to M1 Group for $105 million will ensure continued operations of its fixed and wireless networks, analysts expressed concern […]
Myanmar violence escalates with rise of ‘self-defence’ groups: report
Violence in post-coup Myanmar has escalated as anti-junta “self-defence” forces step up to take on the military, a report said Monday, warning of an “enormous” human cost if the regime uses its full power in subsequent crackdowns. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the February coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s government, with more […]
Myanmar troops kill four in gun battle with anti-junta militia
Myanmar soldiers battled an anti-junta civilian militia with small arms and grenades in the country’s second city on Tuesday, with four protesters killed and several members of the security forces injured, authorities said. Fighting has flared across Myanmar since the February coup as people form “defence forces” to battle a brutal military crackdown on dissent, […]
Myanmar protesters wear flowers to mark Suu Kyi’s birthday
Anti-coup protesters in Myanmar donned flowers in their hair Saturday to mark the birthday of ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who remains under house arrest and is due to face court again next week. Suu Kyi’s elected government was overthrown in a February 1 coup that sparked mass protests and renewed clashes between […]
UN rapporteur warns of ‘mass deaths’ from starvation in Myanmar
The UN’s special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar has warned of “mass deaths” from starvation and disease in the wake of fighting between rebel groups and junta forces in the east of the coup-stricken country. Myanmar has been in chaos and its economy paralysed since the February putsch and a brutal military crackdown on […]