Bangladesh recognises kosovo

* Myanmar junta says to hold elections within two years * At least 10 people reported killed by troops * UN envoy rebuffed by generals YANGON, April 10 (Reuters): Nineteen people have been sentenced to death in Myanmar for killing an associate of an army captain, the military owned Myawaddy TV station announced, the first such sentences announced in public since a Feb 1 coup and crackdown on protesters. The report said the killing took place on March 27 in the North Okkalapa district of Yangon, Myanmar's biggest city. Martial law has been declared in the district, allowing courts martial to pronounce sentences. The military rulers who overthrew an elected government said on Friday that a protest campaign against its rule was dwindling because people wanted peace, and that it would hold elections within two years, the first timeframe it has given for a return to democracy. Troops fired rifle grenades at anti-coup protesters on Friday in the town of Bago, near Yangon, witnesses ... » Learn More about Myanmar military sentences 19 to death, says anti-coup protests dwindling

NEW DELHI: US climate envoy John Kerry on Tuesday (Apr 6) pressed India, the world's third-biggest carbon emitter, to set more ambitious green goals ahead of UN talks in late 2021 and Joe Biden's upcoming climate summit. A spokesperson for the US embassy in New Delhi, where Kerry arrived on Tuesday for talks with officials and NGOs, said that India was a "critical part of the solution to the climate crisis." Bloomberg News reported last month that top Indian government officials were debating whether to follow dozens of other countries in setting a goal of net zero emissions by mid-century. When Kerry's April trip to the United Arab Emirates, India and Bangladesh was announced, Washington said the aim was "increasing climate ambition" ahead of President Biden's Apr 22 to Apr 23 summit and the UN negotiations in Glasgow in November. "A key focus for our administration is supporting and encouraging India's decarbonization efforts through clean, zero, and low-carbon investment, ... » Learn More about Kerry presses India ahead of Biden climate summit

An image from a video posted on social media shows police firing a water cannon at protesters during a demonstration in Bago, Myanmar on Friday. Reports say security officers subsequently fired rifle grenades, killing dozens. (Handout Photo via Reuters) Myanmar security forces have killed more than 80 anti-coup protesters in a town near Yangon, a monitoring group and a domestic news outlet said on Saturday. Troops used rifle grenades to break up the protest in Bago, witnesses and domestic media said. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) and the Myanmar Now news portal said 82 people were killed. Soldiers reportedly surrounded residents from early morning on Friday, using heavy weaponry. They brought the dead into a pagoda, Myanmar Now reported, citing a protest group leader who spoke with eyewitnesses. It was not possible to get a precise number of the dead because troops had cordoned off the area near the pagoda, they said. After over two months of ... » Learn More about Myanmar forces gun down at least 80 near Yangon

The Philippine economy may be hard-pressed to even grow by 5 percent this year as no relief is yet in sight from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic a year since the outbreak, prompting a return to tough lockdown protocols. This was according to Romeo Bernardo, economist at New York-based think tank Global Source, who said in a research note dated April 5 that the present crisis was a “concrete display of what has kept us worried all this time and why we have not been able to shake off a more pessimistic outlook for the economy.” At the beginning of the year, median forecasts of 13 institutions polled by the Inquirer indicated that the Philippines might grow by 6.5 percent this year, rebounding from the trecord 9.5-percent contraction last year. With the recent return to hard lockdowns due to surging COVID-19 cases last month, various analysts have downgraded their GDP growth forecasts with cuts of as much as 1.8 percentage points, reducing projected growth to below 6 percent. ... » Learn More about Economist sees slim chance of 5% GDP growth

SINGAPORE - The sole community case confirmed on Saturday (April 10) is a 71-year-old female Indian national on a short-term visit pass. In all, there were 32 new Covid-19 cases, taking Singapore's total to 60,633. The other 31 were imported cases who had been placed on stay-home notices (SHN) on arrival here, said the Ministry of Health (MOH). The sole community case, Case 61768, arrived from India on Dec 28 and served her SHN at a dedicated facility until Jan 10. Her test taken on Jan 8 during her SHN was negative for the coronavirus. As she had been identified as a close contact of Cases 59169 and 59173 during their flight to Singapore, she was placed on quarantine from Jan 10 to 11. The retiree developed a fever last Monday (April 5) and was tested for Covid-19 when she sought medical treatment the next day. Her test result came back positive, last Thursday (April 8), and she was sent to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases. Another test conducted ... » Learn More about S’pore’s sole new Covid-19 community case is Indian national who tested negative while serving SHN

RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP) - The iconic statue of Jesus overlooking Rio de Janeiro, one of the city's most recognisable landmarks, has lost a thumb tip to lightning, a report said on Friday. Christ The Redeemer, the giant monument and tourist magnet that looms atop nearby Mount Corcovado, was damaged in a huge storm on Thursday night, O Globo newspaper reported on its website. Standing at 38 metres - pedestal and all - the statue was named in a 2007 global poll as one of seven new wonders of the world. Site caretaker Father Osmar Raposo said the giant concrete figure that juts from the mountain top some 710 metres above Rio's beaches, would undergo repair next month. O Globo broadcast helicopter images of the statue on its G1 web portal, showing part of Christ's right thumb missing. Brazil's national space institute INPE counted more than 40,000 lighting flashes during the three-hour storm which felled dozens of trees and flooded streets. Winds gusting at 87 kilometres ... » Learn More about Lightning costs Rio’s iconic Christ statue tip of thumb

PETALING JAYA: The audio recording of a conversation allegedly between Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is genuine, claims Tan Sri Annuar Musa. In a report by Sinar Harian, the former Barisan Nasional secretary-general claimed he could recognise the voices of Anwar and Zahid in the recording after listening to it multiple times on Wednesday (April 7) night. "I (listened) to it 10 times last night. I felt I could recognise the voices and I'm 100% confident it is authentic," he told reporters during the launch of the MySmart Wilayah Blueprint at the Federal Territories Ministry on Thursday (April 8). Annuar added he was disappointed because the recording, if genuine, contradicts Ahmad Zahid's declaration of not cooperating with Pakatan Harapan in the 15th General Election, made at the Umno general assembly last month. "I'm not questioning freedom of speech but the contents of the conversation clearly show that there are plans, togetherness and ... » Learn More about Annuar Musa says he listened to audio clip 10 times, claims it is genuine

PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is not qualified to hold the Umno president’s post if he indeed spoke to PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, says Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah. The Umno advisory council chairman said this was because it was inappropriate for Ahmad Zahid to behave in such a manner. “In my opinion, it is not good. A leader shouldn’t behave this way. He should be more responsible as people had hope in him to lead. “As for this audio recording, I don’t know if it is true, but it indeed sounds like him. “If it was true and if he really had such intentions, then he is being irresponsible and does not deserve to stay there (in Umno), ” Tengku Razaleigh was quoted as saying by Sinar Harian. He was commenting on the emergence of an audio clip that has been widely shared on social media which had two voices similar to his (Ahmad Zahid) and Anwar’s. The recording was purportedly of a phone conversation between the two leaders who touched on ... » Learn More about Ku Li: Zahid not fit to be president if audio is genuine

Supporters of US President Donald Trump staged a march through Washington yesterday, protesting unsubstantiated claims of election fraud. A week since Democrat candidate Joe Biden clinched the electoral college numbers required to claim the presidency. Meanwhile Donald Trump, a Republican, continues to refuse acknowledgment or accept the outcome, launching a barrage of legal challenges to overturn the results. Most of these have been thrown out of court already due to a lack of supportive evidence to back up the claims. Carrying flags, shouting “stop the steal”, protesters marched from Freedom Plaza near the White House to the US Supreme Court building on Capitol Hill. They called it the Million MAGA March. President Trump’s motorcade drove past the crowds as he travelled to his golf course in Sterling, Virginia. He was wearing a red baseball cap with the slogan, “Make America Great Again”. The President was seen waving from inside his limousine. The demonstrators were mostly ... » Learn More about Trump supporters march in Washington, repeating claims of election fraud

Two years after opening his garment factory in Myanmar, Li Dongliang is on the verge of closing down and laying off his 800 remaining workers. Business had been struggling because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but after a Feb 1 coup that sparked mass protests and a deadly crackdown, during which his factory was set alight amid a surge of anti-Chinese sentiment, orders stopped. His story is emblematic of the perilous situation facing a sector critical to Myanmar's economy, which accounts for a third of its exports and employs 700,000 low-income workers, according to UN data. "We would have no choice but to give up on Myanmar if there are no new orders in the next few months," said Li, adding he has been operating at about 20 per cent capacity, surviving only on orders placed before the coup, and had already shed 400 staff. Li said he and many of his peers were considering moving to other low-cost garment hubs like China, Cambodia or Vietnam, as big fashion brands like H&M and ... » Learn More about Myanmar crisis sounds death knell for garment industry, jobs and hope