Thandaung city in Myanmar’s eastern Kayin state has fallen silent after 8,000 civilians fled fighting between Myanmar’s military and one of the country’s most powerful ethnic armies. Locals told RFA, troops started shelling residential areas on Jan. 27, as fighting intensified between junta forces and the Karen National Liberation Army. “Fighting erupted on Friday and carried on for the next three days,” said a local who didn’t want to be identified. “All the people in [four wards of] Thandaung had to move out [because] artillery shells fell on houses and…
Month: January 2023
Russia Sidesteps Western Punishments, With Help From Friends
WASHINGTON — A strange thing happened with smartphones in Armenia last summer. Shipments from other parts of the world into the tiny former Soviet republic began to balloon to more than 10 times the value of phone imports in previous months. At the same time, Armenia recorded an explosion in its exports of smartphones to a beleaguered ally: Russia. The trend, which was repeated for washing machines, computer chips and other products in a handful of other Asian countries last year, provides evidence of some of the new lifelines that…
US, South Korea Ramping Up Exercises in Response to North Korean Threats
Seoul, South Korea — The United States and South Korea will increase the pace and scope of joint military exercises, and expand intelligence sharing, in response to repeated and more frequent missile tests by North Korea. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup promised a more resolute response to what they described as Pyongyang’s unprecedented level of provocations over the past year. During a joint news conference following an hour-long meeting at the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul, Austin assured South Korean officials that…
China claims Covid wave is ‘coming to an end’ as tourism and factory activity rebound
China’s wave of Covid is “coming to an end”, health officials have claimed, saying there had been no sign of a new surge from the lunar new year holiday period, despite a big increase in travel compared to last year. Government figures released on Tuesday showed big rises in tourism and hospitality activity compared to the same time last year. Factory activity has also rebounded for the first time in four months, an early sign of economic return after the country reported its slowest growth in about half a century…
Prosecutors proceed with case against Vietnamese influencer
Authorities in Ho Chih Minh City say they plan to prosecute an influencer and businesswoman for slandering celebrities on her social media channels. Police wound up their investigation Thursday, and handed the case to the People’s Procuracy to charge Dai Nam Joint Stock Company General Director Nguyen Phoung Hang, 52, and two of her employees with “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the state, the legitimate rights and interests of organizations and individuals,” Ho Chih Minh City Police said. The employees named in the suit are Hang’s…
China winds back online study ban after students left scrambling to get to Australia
The Chinese government has wound back its snap ban on recognising online degrees obtained from foreign institutions after tens of thousands of students were left scrambling for flights. The ban, announced on Saturday, required all Chinese students enrolled to study online with overseas providers to be on campus for semester one – due to start in a matter of weeks in Australia. At the time of the announcement there were about 50,000 Chinese nationals with student visas for Australia but remained offshore, 8,000 of whom had visas due to expire…
China GDP: IMF says 5.2 per cent economic growth possible this year after Covid-battered 2022
Still, there are a number of downside risks originating from China that will impact the global outlook. One of which is the country’s economic recovery stalling due to the rampant spread of Covid-19 since last month. The Chinese population’s immunity levels remain low, and many hospitals have been struggling to handle the subsequent surge in patients, especially outside major urban areas. Another major source of vulnerability for the global economy is China’s strained real estate market. Weak consumer demand and supply-chain issues could also have spillover effects on the rest…
IMF Upgrades Global Economic Outlook as Inflation Eases
WASHINGTON — The International Monetary Fund said on Monday that the global economy was expected to slow this year as central banks continued to raise interest rates to tame inflation, but it also suggested that growth would be more resilient than previously anticipated and that a global recession would probably be avoided. The I.M.F. upgraded its economic growth projections for 2023 and 2024 in its closely watched World Economic Outlook report, pointing to resilient consumers and the reopening of China’s economy as among the reasons for a more optimistic outlook. The fund…
When might China invade Taiwan? Depends who you ask
When will China invade Taiwan? Probably by 2027, if you believe Adm. Philip Davidson, the now-retired head of the U.S. military’s Indo-Pacific Command. “The threat is manifest during this decade – in fact, in the next six years,” Davidson told a U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in March 2021, before he retired from the role. “I cannot for the life of me understand some of the capabilities that they’re putting in the field, unless … it is an aggressive posture,” he added, noting Taiwan was key to Beijing’s plans…
New Czech President Vows to Boost Ties with Taiwan
Prague — Czech President-elect Petr Pavel vowed Monday to boost his country’s ties with Taiwan after holding a phone call with the island’s president and foreign minister. President Tsai Ing-wen congratulated Pavel on his win in Saturday’s presidential run-off over the populist billionaire Andrej Babis. “I thanked her for her congratulations, and I assured her that Taiwan and the Czech Republic share the values of freedom, democracy, and human rights,” Pavel said on Twitter. “We agreed on strengthening our partnership,” added the former general, who served as head of NATO’s…