Tag Archives: UN

In Myanmar, 83 people were killed in clashes during the day

In Myanmar, 83 people were killed in clashes between protesters and security forces during the day. This is reported by the Association for Assistance to Political Prisoners in the country.

“As of April 10, 701 people have been confirmed dead at the hands of the military junta,” the report said.

A day earlier, human rights activists reported 618 dead. 3,102 people are under arrest, 63 have already been sentenced to prison, and 656 arrest warrants have also been issued.

On April 5, 568 deaths were reported.

Earlier, the UN warned about the danger of civil war in Myanmar.

On February 1, the Myanmar military conducted a coup. They explained the removal of the country’s leadership by large-scale fraud in the elections held in November. The police accused the ousted leadership of violating the laws. Myanmar has declared a state of emergency for a year.

Japanese PM confirms North Korea missile launches

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga confirmed the data on the launch of ballistic missiles by North Korea.

He noted that a total of two missiles were launched from the territory of the DPRK, which fell outside the exclusive economic zone of Japan.

Japan also protested in connection with the launches conducted by North Korea.

“(Launches) threaten the peace and security of our country and the region. This is a violation of UN Security Council resolutions,” Suga said.

Earlier, Japan announced the possible launch of a ballistic missile by the DPRK. At the same time, the Japanese government expressed the opinion that the launches are “a serious threat to the world community.”

After that, a source in the US administration announced that the DPRK had conducted two launches of ballistic missiles.

The impact of the third wave of coronavirus on Europe is predicted

The impact of the third wave of coronavirus on Europe is predicted: the president of the Robert Koch Institute, Professor Lothar Wheeler, said at a press conference of the Association of Foreign Correspondents Accredited to the UN Geneva office that this may happen in the near future.

According to him, if enough people are not vaccinated, the restrictions will have to be returned in the fall.

The expert noted that Europe should be afraid of the beginning of the third wave of COVID-19. “I don’t want to comment on other countries, we can all see the numbers. As for Germany, we are beginning the third wave. We have clear signals. And it is clear that public health measures, including reducing contact and wearing masks, are still valid, “ Wheeler said.

He called on other States to continue to comply with restrictive measures to combat the pandemic. Wheeler stressed that Germany must “vaccinate as many people as possible in the shortest possible time”, otherwise there will be too many serious cases of infection in the country, which the authorities will not be able to cope with.

Earlier in March, a new threat to Europe was named due to the coronavirus. Spanish newspaper El Pais reported that in a number of countries, the birth rate has fallen sharply. So, in Spain, in December 2020 and January 2021, the birth rate fell by 22.6 percent compared to the same period last year. According to the director of the Institute of the National Research Council, Diego Ramiro, these data are not enough to make a forecast for the year, but it is already clear that a strong demographic decline is expected.

Chaos in Myanmar: shooting to kill, dozens killed

Since the beginning of February, more than 50 people have become victims of the brutal suppression of protests by opponents of the coup in Myanmar: 38 people died on Wednesday, according to the UN special envoy for Myanmar. Protesters and observers say police have broken up the protesters more violently.

“The major cities in the country are like Tiananmen Square,” Yangon Archbishop Cardinal Charles Maung Bo tweeted, comparing it to the 1989 crackdown on student protests in Beijing.

UN Secretary General’s special envoy for Myanmar Christine Schraner-Burgener called Wednesday the “bloodiest” day for the country since the military coup in early February.

Observers, protesters, and journalists have noted that police actions have become more aggressive since the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting on Tuesday. The meeting was attended by the military-appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs of Myanmar. According to the country’s state media, he “exchanged views on regional and international issues.”

ASEAN foreign ministers unanimously called on the military government of Myanmar to stop firing at protesters but did not agree on the release of the country’s civilian leaders, including de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and President Vin Myin. Only four of ASEAN’s ten member countries — Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore — have called for freedom and the restoration of a democratically elected government, Reuters reported.

However, 10 countries participating in the regional group have a tradition of non-interference in each other’s internal affairs. A statement following the meeting was made by the representative of Brunei, the ASEAN Chairman in 2021, calling for an end to the violence and the start of negotiations with a view to reaching a peaceful settlement. This was not a joint statement by the group.

Demonstrations organized by the Civil Disobedience Movement are taking place in many major cities in Myanmar. Among the dead and wounded on Wednesday in the cities of Mandalay and Monica, there are many with bullet wounds to the chest and head, according to the BBC’s Southeast Asia correspondent, suggesting that soldiers and police were shooting to kill.

On the same day, in the country’s largest city, Yangon, the police gathered residents of one of the districts, lined them up, forcing them to put their hands on their heads, and took them away in trucks. A protest leader in Mingyan told Reuters that the police first fired tear gas and flash bangs and then fired live ammunition.

“They didn’t send water cannons at us to disperse, they just opened fire,” he says. Two teenagers were killed in Mingyan, the Press Trust of India reported.

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The UN Security Council is expected to hold a closed meeting on the situation in Myanmar on Friday, March 5. Great Britain asked for a meeting. Coordinating UN actions will be difficult, however, as the two permanent members of the Security Council, China, and Russia, will almost certainly exercise veto power. Some countries have introduced or are considering imposing their own sanctions on Myanmar.

Police actions show that the military government is ignoring calls for a peaceful resolution of the situation. The military forces that have seized power in the country are going to suppress the movement of civil disobedience in order to achieve recognition of legitimacy by the international community.

Protesters over the past month have used a variety of resistance tactics, from traditional marches to musical performances outside foreign embassies, from strikes to building barricades and blocking roads. One of the protests even involved elephants with their drivers. In recent days, protesters have used smoke grenades and fire extinguishers to prevent police from seeing where to shoot.

“We will continue to fight for those who died. We will win,” a protest activist told Reuters in an interview.

Erdogan spoke about the future of Turkey in Europe

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, said that his country sees its future in the European Union (EU). This was reported by the office of the Turkish leader.

According to the politician, the EU occupies a priority position on Turkey’s agenda. The most important tool that can be used at the first stage for a positive agenda in relations between Turkey and the EU, Erdogan called the renewal of the migration agreement.

The Turkish leader added that the country is ready to open a new page in relations with the EU this year. He stated the need to renew the Customs Union with the European Union, ensure a visa-free regime for Turkish citizens, as well as take steps in negotiations on the country’s membership in the EU, and restore mutual trust.

In December, the former foreign minister and representative of Turkey to the UN, Yashar Yakysh, said that the difficulty with the country’s accession to the European Union lies in the prejudices of the Europeans, as well as in difficulties with changing the country’s laws. “The prejudice did not appear in a month, its roots go back to the Ottoman past. The image of Turkey is an Ottoman state carrying the flag of Islam to Europe, hence the negative attitude, ” Yakysh said.