China: China said it would give a” fair and objective” decision following a reading in its continuing investigation into beef exports that could lead to higher , tariffs , or trade restrictions if it finds local producers are at risk. China is the world’s largest beef consumer and importer, and its investigationContinue Reading
BANGKOK: Ravaged by four years of civil war, Myanmar is ill-prepared to cope with the destruction brought by the massive earthquake on Friday ( Mar 28 ).
The 7.7-magnitude collapse that struck northern Myanmar has killed more than 1, 600 citizens and destroyed thousands of homes.
But the terrible discord sparked by the 2021 military revolution has brought the country’s system, healthcare technique and power system to their legs.
Here are some of the issues facing reduction efforts in Myanmar:
The United Nations ( UN) and assist authorities have warned that millions were now facing a severe humanitarian crisis before the collapse, and are now in serious need of yet more support.
Much of the land was now plagued by a rewarding combination of turmoil, poverty and volatility after the civil war that left 3.5 million people displaced and smashed the business.
” We have estimated that 19.9 million individuals are in need of humanitarian aid, and this is just before the disaster”, said UN humanitarian representative in Myanmar Marcoluigi Corsi.
” The condition will be further aggravated”.
Before the quake, the World Food Programme ( WFP ) said more than 15 million out of a population of 51 million were unable to meet their daily food needs.
Only two days after the collapse, the UN said the support work was being hampered by a severe lack of medical products, while rescuers on the ground have pleaded for more products to comb ruined buildings for survivors.
The quake also struck Myanmar at a time when US President Donald Trump has slashed jobs and funding to Washington’s foreign aid agency.
Trump has promised US help but one million civilians in Myanmar face WFP aid cuts after he took an axe to the US Agency for International Development.
Countries around the world have begun sending rescue teams and aid shipments.
MANDALAY, MYANMAR: Residents scrambled desperately through collapsed buildings on Sunday ( Mar 30 )  , searching for survivors as aftershocks rattled the devastated city of Mandalay, two days after a massive earthquake killed more than 1, 600 people in Myanmar and at least 11 in neighbouring Thailand.
The first 7.7-magnitude collapse struck near the northern Myanmar town of Mandalay early Friday evening, followed moments later by a 6.7-magnitude aftershock.
The spasms collapsed buildings, fallen bridges and cracked roads, with large destruction seen in the town of more than 1.7 million people.
As dawn broke on Sunday, drink store owner Win Lwin picked his way through the remains of a crashed restaurant on a major road in his neighbourhood, tossing bricks off one by one.
” About seven people died here ( when the quake struck Friday )”, he told AFP. ” I’m looking for more body but I know there cannot be any individuals.
” We don’t understand how some body there could be but we are looking.”
About an hour later, a little tremor struck, sending individuals scurrying out of a hotel for health, following a comparable vibration felt late on Saturday night.
Truckloads of firefighters gathered at one of Mandalay’s key fire facilities to get dispatched to places around the area.
The night before, volunteers had pulled a girl out dead from the wreckage of a fell flat tower, with applause ringing out as she was carried by bed to an emergency.
Myanmar’s decision dictatorship said in a statement Saturday that at least 1, 644 people were killed and more than 3, 400 injured in the country, with at least 139 more lost.
But with uncertain communications, the true magnitude of the disaster remains questionable in the secluded military-ruled condition, and the toll is expected to rise significantly.
Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing issued an exceptionally rare appeal for international aid on Friday, indicating the severity of the calamity.
Previous military governments have shunned foreign assistance, even after major natural disasters.
Myanmar has already been ravaged by four years of civil war sparked by a military coup in 2021.
Anti-junta fighters in the country have declared a two-week partial ceasefire in quake-affected regions starting on Sunday, the shadow” National Unity Government” said in a statement.
The government in exile said it would” collaborate with the UN and NGOs to ensure security, transportation, and the establishment of temporary rescue and medical camps “in areas that it controls, according to the statement, which was released on social media.
Aid agencies have warned that Myanmar is unprepared to deal with a disaster of this magnitude.
Some 3.5 million people were displaced by the raging civil war, many at risk of hunger, even before the quake struck.
Across the border in Thailand, rescuers in Bangkok worked throughout Sunday to pluck out survivors trapped when a 30-storey skyscraper under construction collapsed after the Friday earthquake.
At least 11 people have been killed in the Thai capital, with dozens more still trapped under the immense pile of debris where the skyscraper once stood.
Bangkok authorities were expected to release another statement at 9am with fears of a further toll increase.
Workers at the site used large mechanical diggers in an attempt to find victims still trapped on Sunday morning.
Sniffer dogs and thermal imaging drones have also been deployed to seek signs of life in the collapsed building, close to the Chatuchak Weekend Market popular among tourists.
Authorities said they would be deploying engineers to assess and repair 165 damaged buildings in the city on Sunday.
WHAT MADE THIS QUAKE ATTACH ME SO MUCH? In recent years, Region has experienced a number of quakes, with one of them of the 6.8 scale, resulting in at least 26 deaths and dozens of injuries. However, according to Bill McGuire, another analyst at UCL, Friday’s event was “probably theContinue Reading
In light of concerns that aid cuts could worsen the situation for the world’s largest stateless population, the Trump administration announced on Thursday ( Mar 27 ) that it will provide US$ 73 million in new financial aid to Rohingya refugees through the United Nations World Food Programme. More thanContinue Reading
Malaysia plans to impose stricter semiconductor regulations as a result of pressure from the United States to stop the flow of chips necessary for the development of artificial intelligence ( AI ) to China, according to a report from the Financial Times on Sunday ( Mar 23 ). According toContinue Reading
His daughter reported on Sunday ( Mar 23 ) that former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte believes he has no case to answer in front of the International Criminal Court and has faith in his legal case. After appearing exhausted and dazed at his first reading at the ICC, Sara Duterte,Continue Reading
He is receiving corn, he says. That is what we requested, and it is completely cooked. According to Filipino taste, right,” said Sara , Duterte. He requested a supply of meal beverage and his private clothes, she said. Sara and Duterte had earlier on Sunday addressed a group of many thousandContinue Reading
Trump’s” America First” foreign policy philosophy has raised questions about the scope and breadth of US devotion to the area under his new administration.
Regarding Hegseth’s upcoming visit, Rodriguez said,” It’s a powerful message to China on good diplomatic relationships” between the US and the Philippines.
China is essentially the owner of the whole South China Sea, a significant security and international trade route. The resource-rich and active waters are also home to the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan, but conflicts have notably risen between the Chinese and Asian coast guard and marine troops in the last two decades.
Hegseth “reaffirmed his iron US commitment to the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty and its value for maintaining a stable and profitable Indo-Pacific in his first telephone conversation with Teodoro last month,” according to a display provided by Pentagon director John Ullyot following the Feb. 5 contact.
The officials discussed the need to work with allies and partners to reestablish punishment in the South China Sea, according to Ullyot.
They even discussed expanding the Armed Forces of the Philippines ‘ capabilities.
Prior to the previous Biden administration’s repeated warnings that the US is obligated to assist the Philippines in protecting the Philippines under the agreement if Filipino troops, ships, and aircraft are attacked by armed forces in the Pacific, including in the South China Sea, following significant regional clashes between Chinese and Spanish forces in the contested waters.
Jakarta: On Thursday ( Mar 20 ), Indonesia’s parliament approved contentious revisions to the military bill, which will grant more civilian posts to military officers. Protests are expected to take place against the changes, as are protests planned. Civil society organizations have criticized the Bill, saying it could bring theContinue Reading