Rural Daily

23Nov

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Myanmar rebels capture town on main road to Chinese-built port

By RFA Burmese2024.11.22 Read RFA coverage of this topic in Burmese. Updated on Nov. 22, 2024, 02:47 p.m. Insurgents in western Myanmar have captured a town on a road junction leading to a Chinese-funded deep sea port, which is bound to raise new concern about the fate of an extensive development that includes energy pipelines running from the coast to southern China. The Myanmar junta that seized power in a 2021 coup has in recent weeks been reinforcing its defenses at the Kyaukpyu economic zone on the coast of Rakhine state, where China is building a port and energy facilities, including its cross-country natural gas and oil pipelines. Insurgents of the Arakan Army, or AA, which is fighting for self-determination in Rakhine state, have made significant advances against the military ...

22Nov

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World

Serbia arrests 12 in connection with railway station roof collapse

Serbian police scuffle with opposition protesters demanding arrests in connection with a deadly roof collapse at a railway station in Novi Sad, Serbia, Nov. 21, 2024. Twelve people have been arrested in connection with a roof collapse at a railway station earlier this month that killed at least 15 people in the city of Novi Sad, Serbian prosecutors said Thursday. Novi Sad’s Higher Prosecutor’s Office said the suspects, who were not identified, were arrested on suspicion of committing criminal acts against public safety. One suspect remains at large. If convicted, they face up to 12 years in prison. Fourteen people were killed on the day of the November 1 incident and three were injured, one of whom died Sunday. Former Novi Sad Mayor Borislav Novakovic said the arrests sho...

22Nov

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World

Senegal's ruling party wins majority in parliament, paving way for reforms

People wait to vote in legislative elections in Dakar, Senegal, Nov. 17, 2024. The ruling party, PASTEF, won a solid victory, taking 130 of 165 seats, according to provisional results announced Nov. 21. DAKAR, Senegal — Senegal\'s ruling party, PASTEF, secured a resounding victory in the country\'s legislative elections, winning 130 of 165 seats, according to provisional results announced Thursday by the national vote counting commission. The win grants newly elected President Bassirou Diomaye Faye a clear mandate to carry out ambitious reforms promised during the campaign, which include fighting corruption, revamping the fishing industry and maximizing the country\'s natural resource benefits. The main opposition coalition led by fo...

22Nov

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World

US imposes new sanctions on Russia’s Gazprombank

FILE - The logo of Russia's bank Gazprombank, a subsidiary of state energy giant Gazprom, is seen at its office in Moscow, April 27, 2022. The United State sanctioned, Nov. 21, 2024, on Gazprombank. The U.S. Treasury Department announced Thursday a new set of sanctions targeting Russia’s financial sector and its ability to fund its war with Ukraine, hitting Gazprombank as well as many other internationally connected financial institutions, entities and individuals. In a statement posted to its website, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said the sanctions designate Gazprombank — Russia\'s largest remaining unsanctioned bank — plus more than 50 other Russian banks, more than 40 Russian securities registrars and 15 Russian finance officials. The Treasur...

22Nov

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World

Journalist Pham Chi Dung marks 5 years in prison in Vietnam

FILE - Pham Chi Dung appears at his trial in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on Jan. 5, 2021. (Photo: Nguoi Lao Dong) Washington — Vietnamese journalist Pham Chi Dung marked a grim milestone this week: five years in a prison cell. The journalist, blogger and VOA contributor is now one-third of the way through a 15-year term after being convicted of “propaganda against the state.” He was arrested for promoting media freedom, for cooperating with foreign media to deliver “distorted information,” and for his criticism of the Communist Party’s control of the media. The journalist’s lawyers and supporters are pushing the international community to help free him. For Pham, life in Xuan Loc Prison, in Vietnam’s Dong Nai province, is tough. Prison authorities allow a one-hour...

22Nov

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World

Russia’s use of advanced missile sends signal to West, analysts say

Rescue workers put out a fire in a building that was heavily damaged by a Russian strike on Dnipro, Ukraine, on Nov. 21, 2024. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned Russia\'s use of a fast, powerful new missile to attack the city of Dnipro on Thursday, calling it a “nuclear adventure” and a stark escalation in the war. The attack has ignited fears of a dangerous new phase in the war. In a nationwide address, Russian President Vladimir Putin later confirmed the use of a medium-range ballistic missile in the strike. Zelenskyy pointed to the strike as a sign of Moscow’s broader strategy, stating, “It is obvious that Putin is using Ukraine as a testing ground for weapons that threaten the world.” His remarks underscored the gro...

22Nov

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World

Ukrainian opinion survey tracks fluctuating opinion on quick end to war

Men carry coffins during the funeral of six Ukrainian servicemen, who were killed since Ukraine launched its offensive at the Russian border region of Kursk, in Sumy, northeastern Ukraine, Aug. 15, 2024. Washington — A new survey of public opinion in Ukraine indicates that for the first time a slight majority of Ukrainians say they are ready to concede their lands for peace; however, other recent polls indicate opinions may be more complicated. The Gallup polls released Tuesday, conducted in August and October, found that 52 percent of Ukrainians want their country to negotiate a quick end to the war, while 38 percent want to keep fighting until victory. Although media reports about the survey said it reflects a shift in popular opinion from the outset of the war, when mo...

22Nov

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World

Malawi refugees receive first-ever insurance payout

FILE - A person walks along the Dzaleka refugee camp in Dowa, central Malawi, on Nov. 2, 2024. BLANTYRE, MALAWI — Refugees at Malawi\'s only refugee camp, Dzaleka, have started receiving their first-ever insurance payouts to mitigate the impact of the El Nino weather pattern, which has destroyed their crops. The payouts, amounting to nearly $408,000 in total, were facilitated by the African Risk Capacity Group and KfW Development Bank, after the U.N. refugee agency office in Malawi leveraged the group\'s innovative Replica program. This program enables humanitarian actors to purchase insurance on behalf of countries to address climate-related disasters. Officials of the U.N. refugee agency, the UNHCR, say the beneficiaries will receive ...

22Nov

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World

North Korea's troop deployment to Russia jeopardizes China's balancing act

FILE - A TV screen shows a file image of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Pyongyang, during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, June 21, 2024. Washington — Several of Beijing’s leading trading partners are urging Chinese President Xi Jinping to do more to pressure North Korea to stop or reverse its deployment of troops to Russia, where more than 10,000 North Korean soldiers have joined the front lines in the war against Ukraine. The appeals at the past week’s twin summits in Brazil and Peru reflect the awkward position in which the Chinese leader finds himself as he attempts a delicate balancing act between Russia and the West. At a joint press conference w...

22Nov

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World

Burkina freezes assets of more than 100 people over 'financing of terrorism'

FILE - A mural urging people to stay vigilant and mobilized is seen in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, March 1, 2023. Burkina Faso has frozen the assets of 113 individuals and two groups over the "financing of terrorism," according to a decree released Nov. 21, 2024. Abidjan, Ivory Coast — Military-led Burkina Faso has frozen the "assets and resources" of more than 100 people, including ex-president Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, and two jihadist groups over the "financing of terrorism," according to a decree sent to AFP Thursday. The decision affects 113 individuals and two "terrorist organisations" — the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) and Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (IS...