- Ibrahim Aqil, the Hezbollah elite unit commander wanted by the US
- Chinese forward Cui signs NBA contract with Brooklyn Nets
- US Fed dissenter calls for 'measured' pace of rate cuts
- Guardiola tells players to lead change over workload as Kompany demands cap on games
- Norway limits wild salmon fishing as stocks hit new lows
- Top Hezbollah commander killed in Israeli strike on Beirut
- Rotterdam fatal knife attacker suspected of 'terrorist motive'
- First early votes cast in knife-edge US presidential election
- Top-ranked Swiatek out of Beijing due to 'personal matters'
- Hard-right Reform UK looks to the future after vote success
- Embiid agrees to NBA contract extension with 76ers
- Joshua aims to complete road to redemption in Dubois bout
- World champion Bagnaia sets pace with lap record at Misano
- Biden says 'working' to get people back to homes on Israel-Lebanon border
- Pope criticises Argentina's crackdown on protesters
- Court limits screenings of videos in France mass rape case
- Gurbaz century takes Afghanistan to 311-4 in 2nd ODI
- Central banks face 'difficult balancing act': IMF chief
- Guardiola tells players to lead change over workload fears
- Paris Olympics sports equipment moves to new homes
- 'Happy' Kinghorn relishing life at Toulouse
- Norris sets Singapore pace as Verstappen only 15th
- Germany to bid to host women's Euro 2029
- Portugal brings deadly forest fires under control
- Postecoglou defends Solanke after slow start to Spurs career
- US nuclear plant Three Mile Island to reopen to power Microsoft
- Arteta urges Arsenal to take next step in Man City showdown
- Stock markets fall after Fed-fuelled rally
- Poland charges Russian over attack on Navalny ally: prosecutors
- Man City have rest 'advantage' in Arsenal showdown: Guardiola
- Maresca has 'no doubt' in Jackson as Chelsea's number nine
- EU chief announces 35 bn euro loan plan for Ukraine before winter
- From TikTok to Hollywood, the irresistible rise of Italy's Khaby Lame
- Verstappen punished for swearing in Singapore press conference
- Sri Lanka lead by 202 in first New Zealand Test
- Brook 'not too fussed' by England's batting in heavy Australia loss
- India's Ashwin 'happy' to embrace pressure
- A modern 'Trojan Horse': two days of mayhem in Lebanon
- Third of Burundi mpox cases in children under five: UN
- Man Utd appoint Foster + Partners to develop Old Trafford 'masterplan'
- French mayor sorry for 'no one died' remark over mass rape trial
- Mohamed Al-Fayed, outsider shunned by British high society
- Lawyers say 'monster' late Harrods owner abused dozens of women
- India in box seat after Bumrah takes four against Bangladesh
- Taiwan retains death penalty but limits use to 'exceptional' cases
- Ferrari's Leclerc sets early pace in Singapore ahead of Norris
- 10 years into Huthi rule, some Yemenis count the cost
- France poised to finally get new govt
- Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson doubtful for Bournemouth clash
- Bayern's Kompany calls for game cap for players amid strike talks
CMSC | 0.12% | 25.15 | $ | |
BCC | -1.69% | 142.29 | $ | |
RYCEF | 0.14% | 6.96 | $ | |
RELX | -0.38% | 47.95 | $ | |
NGG | 1.1% | 69.595 | $ | |
CMSD | 0.16% | 25.05 | $ | |
RIO | -2.53% | 63.57 | $ | |
JRI | -0.75% | 13.3 | $ | |
SCS | -2.7% | 12.96 | $ | |
RBGPF | 5.79% | 60.5 | $ | |
GSK | -1.75% | 40.905 | $ | |
BTI | -0.54% | 37.369 | $ | |
VOD | -0.45% | 10.015 | $ | |
AZN | -0.69% | 78.36 | $ | |
BCE | -1.03% | 34.83 | $ | |
BP | -0.37% | 32.639 | $ |
Myanmar junta marks Independence Day with show of force, mass pardons
Myanmar's junta announced an amnesty for 7,000 prisoners to mark Independence Day on Wednesday following a show of force in the capital, days after increasing democracy figurehead Aung San Suu Kyi's jail term to 33 years.
Swaths of the Southeast Asian country have been engulfed by fighting between junta troops and anti-coup rebels since the military seized power almost two years ago.
The junta, which recently wrapped up a series of closed-court trials of Suu Kyi, is preparing for fresh elections later this year that the United States has said would be a "sham".
Tanks, missile launchers and armoured cars rolled through the dawn air to a parade ground in the capital Naypyidaw, AFP correspondents said, kicking off a military display marking 75 years since Myanmar gained independence from Britain.
Civil servants and high school students followed the troops, accompanied by a military band as 750 "peace" doves were released to mark the occasion, according to state media.
Later in the day, the junta announced it would free 7,012 prisoners to mark the anniversary, though it did not specify whether the amnesty would include those jailed as part of a crackdown on dissent.
Junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun did not respond to an AFP request for comment on whether Suu Kyi would be moved from her prison to house arrest as part of the amnesty.
In a speech to assembled troops, junta chief Min Aung Hlaing accused unidentified countries of "intervening in Myanmar's internal affairs" since the February 2021 coup.
The military was meeting with political parties for discussions on "the proportional representation electoral system", he said, without giving further details.
Analysts say the junta may scrap the first-past-the-post system that saw Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy win sweeping majorities in 2020 and 2015.
- Muted celebrations -
Myanmar declared independence from British colonial rule on January 4, 1948, after a long fight championed by General Aung San, ousted civilian leader Suu Kyi's father.
The junta has handed out hundreds of awards and medals to its supporters in the run-up to the event, including to a firebrand monk known for his role in stirring up religious hatred in Myanmar.
Wirathu -- dubbed "The Buddhist bin Laden" by Time Magazine in 2013 following deadly communal riots -- was awarded the title of "Thiri Pyanchi" on Tuesday, for "outstanding work for the good of the Union of Myanmar".
Independence Day is normally marked with festive street games, marches, and gatherings in public parks and spaces.
But celebrations of public holidays have been largely muted since the putsch as people stay home in protest against the junta.
AFP correspondents said there was an increased security presence in the commercial hub Yangon, which has been hit by a string of bomb attacks in recent months.
The US embassy warned of "potential increases in attacks, targeted shootings, or explosions" on Wednesday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, marked the day by sending "sincere greetings", adding that he anticipated the "further development" of relations, according to state-run newspaper Global New Light of Myanmar.
Russia is a major ally and arms supplier of the isolated junta, which has said Moscow's invasion of Ukraine almost a year ago was "justified".
Myanmar's military has made unsubstantiated allegations of massive voter fraud during elections in November 2020, which were won resoundingly by Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, as a reason for its coup.
International observers said at the time the polls were largely free and fair.
A.Santos--PC