East asia pacific

The Red Cross is urging Myanmar authorities to protect its volunteers and health workers as the violence in the country continues. Violence condemned Myanmar’s military overthrew the civilian government and the detentions of de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other high-ranking officials of her National League for Democracy (NLD) Party a month ago. New elections The military has claimed widespread fraud in last November’s election, which the NLD won in a landslide. Myanmar’s electoral commission has denied the claims. Military Chief Min Aung Hlaing declared a one-year state of emergency and said new elections will be held to bring about a "true and disciplined democracy.” But he has not said when the vote would be held. Schraner Burgener said Soe Win told her those elections would happen in one year. Schraner Burgener expressed concern that the military would conduct sham investigations of the NLD that would lead to their being banned and then the army would … [Read more...] about Red Cross Urges Myanmar Junta to Protect Its Workers as Violence Worsens

WASHINGTON - Myanmar’s military rulers attempted to move about $1 billion held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York days after seizing power on Feb. 1, prompting U.S. officials to put a freeze on the funds, according to three people familiar with the matter, including one U.S. government official. The transaction on Feb. 4 in the name of the Central Bank of Myanmar was first blocked by Fed safeguards. U.S. government officials then stalled on approving the transfer until an executive order issued by President Joe Biden gave them legal authority to block it indefinitely, the sources said. A spokesperson for the New York Fed declined to comment on specific account holders. The U.S. Treasury Department also declined to comment. The attempt, which has not been previously reported, came after Myanmar’s military installed a new central bank governor and detained reformist officials during the coup. It marked an apparent effort by Myanmar’s generals to limit exposure to … [Read more...] about US Blocked Myanmar Junta Attempt to Empty $1 Billion NY Fed Account, Reuters Reports

SINGAPORE: Singapore's Defence Minister, Ng Eng Hen said Asia's expected to do better than the rest of the world and will increase in strategic weight. He made the point during a panel discussion at the 48th Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Germany, held from February 3-5. The conference is a high-level meeting attended by heads of government, defence and foreign ministers, parliamentarians, military leaders and security experts. "According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), by 2015, Asia will be comparable in size to the economies of the US and Europe combined. By 2030, Asia with its growing middle class will account for more than 40 per cent of global output, exceeding the size of the G-7 economies combined. Developing Asia alone will account for 43 per cent of world consumption at that time," said Dr Ng. At the meeting, Dr Ng reiterated the importance of an inclusive security architecture, which he said was needed to accommodate rising aspirations and interests … [Read more...] about Asia expected to do better than rest of the world: Ng Eng Hen

By Dennis Normile Mar. 5, 2021 , 12:55 PM China is targeting annual increases of 7% or more on R&D spending in each of the next 5 years, according to highlights of a draft outline of the country’s 14th Five-Year Plan, presented by Premier Li Keqiang to the annual session of the National People’s Congress, currently underway in Beijing. The 7% figure is one percentage point greater than the 6% target for gross domestic product growth this year, which means R&D spending as a percentage of GDP is set to rise, says Cao Cong, a science policy expert at the University of Nottingham’s campus in Ningbo, China. Cao estimates spending could reach 2.8% of GDP by 2025, up from an estimated 2.3% to 2.4% for 2020. The United States spent 2.83% of GDP on R&D in 2018; the European Union spent 2.18%. The draft outline calls for the central government to increase spending on basic research by more than 10% as early as this year, in what Cao says is a response to the complaints of … [Read more...] about China announces major boost for R&D, but plan lacks ambitious climate targets

As security forces in Myanmar respond with greater force against protesters, journalists are being targeted or caught in the crossfire. The United Nations and the United States this week condemned the violent force used against citizens protesting a coup on February 1, with the U.N. estimating that the military and police have killed over 50 people. In recent days, security forces have targeted the media. In some cases, they have used slingshots while arresting reporters, said Ye Naing Moe, a veteran journalist and founder of the Yangon Journalism School. "These are police tactics to create fear among journalists deliberately," he told VOA Burmese. "On the other hand, young journalists are determined and courageous to continue doing their job. I am worried for them as police are targeting media obviously." Police have also fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters. Photojournalist Htet Aung Khant, who was covering clashes in the city of Mandalay for VOA's … [Read more...] about Journalists Become Targets in Myanmar Violence