Myanmar rebels seize town from military junta despite China-backed ceasefire

December 17, 2023

Clashes have raged across Myanmar’s northern Shan state since the Arakan Army (AA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) launched a joint offensive late October, AFP reports. The three allied groups – known as the Three Brotherhood Alliance – say they have captured military positions and border Continue Reading

US embassy in Baghdad struck with seven mortars as attacks escalate

December 10, 2023

Approximately seven mortar rounds landed in the US Embassy compound in Baghdad during an attack early on Friday, a US military official told Reuters, in what appeared to be the largest attack of its kind in recent memory, Reuters reports. US forces in Iraq and Syria were also targeted with rockets and drones at least […]Continue Reading

About 400 Rohingya land in Indonesia, adds to surge of recent arrivals

December 10, 2023

Dilapidated boats carrying an estimated 400 ethnic Rohingya arrived in Indonesia’s Aceh province on Sunday, chief of a provincial fishing community has confirmed, adding to a recent surge of Myanmar’s Muslim minority arriving in the country, Reuters reports. Prior to Sunday’s arrivals, the United Nations’ refugee agency (UNHCR) said that 1,200 Continue Reading

UK hits Myanmar border guard force colonel, two others, with sanctions

December 10, 2023

The United Kingdom on Friday slapped sanctions on a leader of Myanmar junta-affiliated Border Guard Force (BGF) Colonel Saw Chit Thu and two others involved in the controversial Shwe Kokko new city gambling project in Karen State, over allegations of human trafficking, forced labor and human rights violations, The Irrawaddy reports. The other two people […]Continue Reading

Denmark’s parliament adopts law banning Quran burnings

December 9, 2023

Activists take part in a demonstration in Karachi on July 9, 2023, as they protest against the burning of the Quran outside a Stockholm mosque that outraged Muslims around the world [File: Rizwan Tabassum/AFP] Denmark’s parliament has passed a bill that makes it illegal to burn copies of the Quran in public places after protests […]Continue Reading

US blocks UN Security Council demand for Gaza ceasefire

December 9, 2023

The United States kept up pressure on Israel to do more to protect Palestinian civilians during a fierce offensive against Hamas militants across Gaza, even as Washington vetoed a UN Security Council demand for an immediate ceasefire, Reuters reports. Fighting escalated and the Palestinian death toll rose on Friday, with Israel pounding the enclave from […]Continue Reading

President Abbas: Peace conference a must to end Israel Gaza war

December 9, 2023

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Friday an international peace conference is a necessity to end the war in Gaza and to work out a lasting political solution that would lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state, Reuters reports. In an interview with Reuters at his office in Ramallah, Abbas, 87, said the conflict […]Continue Reading

Thailand, Myanmar to form aid task force as border unrest intensifies

December 9, 2023

Thailand and conflict-torn Myanmar will create a task force to boost humanitarian assistance to people displaced by fighting and could expand that to include other aid agencies, Thailand’s foreign ministry said on Friday, Reuters reports. Thailand hopes the plan will lead to constructive engagement between military-ruled Myanmar, the Association of Southeast Asian Continue Reading

Bodies of Myanmar resistance fighters slain near India border town show signs of torture

December 9, 2023

A column of junta troops preparing to retake Sagaing Region’s Khampat Town arrested and stabbed dead four resistance fighters who were guarding one of its entrances on Tuesday, The Irrawaddy reports. Photos of the deceased showed knife wounds as well as signs of torture. The strategic town on the border with India is on the […]Continue Reading

Myanmar junta asks China to pressure Brotherhood Alliance to end offensive

December 8, 2023

When junta foreign minister Than Swe met his Chinese counterpart in Beijing on Wednesday, he asked China to use its influence over the Three Brotherhood Alliance to encourage it to stop fighting and enter peace talks with the regime, sources said, The Irrawaddy reports. Than Swe held direct talks with Wang Yi on Wednesday after […]Continue Reading