Virus team visits China lab as poorer nations get vaccine boost

Security personnel are seen as members of the World Health Organization (WHO) team investigating the origins of the COVID-19 coronavirus, arrive at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan, in China's central Hubei province on February 3, 2021. Photo: AFPBy AFPInternational experts on Wednesday inspected a Chinese laboratory in Wuhan that some US officials had suggested was the source of the coronavirus,...

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Rumours and fake news spread about Kyat notes

Kyat notes with machines. Photo: EPABy MizzimaMyanmar's State Administration Council announced on Wednesday that citizens can continue the use of 5,000 and 10,000 kyat notes trustfully, Xinhua reported.The council said that rumours and fake news were spread in social media about the demonetization of 5,000 and 10,000 kyat notes published by the state officially.Meanwhile, the Central Bank of Myanmar...

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Myanmar-listed shares fall sharply

 (File) A man takes a photograph of an electronic board showing the FMI (First Myanmar Investment) index at Yangon Stock Exchange, Yangon. Photo: Lynn Bo Bo/EPABy MizzimaMyanmar-listed shares fell sharply as soon as the country's main bourse resumed trading on Wednesday, following a two-day suspension, reflecting investor doubts about the country's economic prospects, Nikkei Asia reported.According...

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Facebook says services in Myanmar being restricted

Myanmar people gather for refreshement at a teashop in Yangon many hangout to chat and browse facebook with their mobile phone. Photo: Sai Aung Main/AFPBy AFPFacebook on Thursday said some of its services were being restricted in Myanmar."We are aware that access to Facebook is currently disrupted for some people," a company spokesperson told AFP."We urge authorities to restore connectivity so that...

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World's longest internet shutdown ends in parts of Myanmar

Rakhine people travel by motorcycle in Sittwe, Rakhine State, Western Myanmar, 02 February 2021. Photo: Nyunt Win/EPABy AFPThe world's longest internet shutdown -- affecting more than a million people for 19 months in one of Myanmar's ethnic conflict zones -- has come to an end, according to a mobile operator based in the region.The internet in parts of Myanmar's troubled northern states of Rakhine...

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Myanmar's Suu Kyi charged with breaking 'import/export law': party spokesman

(File) Myanmar's State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi gives a speech on the Myanmar government's efforts with regard to national reconciliation and peace in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, 19 September 2017. Photo: EPAAFPA Myanmar court has charged ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi with breaching an import and export law, a spokesperson from her National League for Democracy (NLD) said Wednesday."We have got reliable...

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Indonesia detains British woman on terror suspect list

File photo of Indonesian police personnel standing guard. (Photo: AFP)AFP Indonesia has detained a British woman named on a list of global terror suspects and plans to deport her for visa violations, authorities told AFP Tuesday. Tazneen Miriam Sailar -- a Manchester-born convert to Islam married to an Indonesian jihadist who was killed in Syria -- is not charged with terror offences. But she...

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Myanmar aerobics instructor dances through military coup

CAPTURE: This woman from Myanmar was recording her aerobics class. Unbeknownst to her, she records the military Junta arriving to the parliament for a coup d'etat in the backgroundAFP Pumping her arms to an electronic ditty, aerobics instructor Khing Hnin Wai appeared oblivious as a convoy of armoured vehicles drove by -- accidentally capturing Myanmar's military coup-in-progress in a surreal...

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First ministerial meeting held

Mizzima Myanmar held the first meeting among newly appointed ministers after a recent major cabinet reshuffle by the military in capital city of Nay Pyi Taw on Tuesday morning, according to a release from the Military True News Information Team Xinhua reported. The Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, acting President U Myint Swe and nine newly appointed...

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Ethnic armed groups condemn Myanmar military's coup

Karen National Union (KNU) guerillas. Photo: EPAAFP Myanmar's ethnic armed groups condemned the military Tuesday for ousting Aung San Suu Kyi's government and signalled a halt to the country's long-running peace process, citing a lack of trust in the army. Myriad armed rebel groups control an estimated one-third of Myanmar's territory, some fighting for decades against the state for more autonomy....

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310 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases reported

A man drives a bicycle near the shelters of a shutdown COVID-19 test center near Sule Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar, 02 February 2021. Photo: Lynn Bo Bo/EPA Mizzima The number of COVID-19 cases in Myanmar has increased to 140,664 as of Tuesday, according to the Ministry of Health and Sports Xinhua reported. A total of 310 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported in the country on Tuesday. The...

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UN Security Council searches for unity on Myanmar

(File) UN Security Council Meeting. Photo: EPAAFP The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on Myanmar Tuesday but was unable to agree on a statement about the country's military coup, with diplomats saying negotiations will continue. "China and Russia have asked for more time," one diplomat told AFP following the behind-closed-doors videoconference meeting in New York that lasted just ...

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NLD calls for release of Suu Kyi, other leaders

Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi. Photo: EPAAFPMyanmar's National League for Democracy party called for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other detained leaders on Tuesday, describing the declaration of a state of emergency a day earlier as a "stain" on the military's history.Suu Kyi, Myanmar's de facto leader, was detained by the military in the early hours of Monday along with President...

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Myanmar state of emergency tests Biden democracy push but with few options

US President Joe Biden. Photo: EPAAFPMyanmar's state of emergency marks an early test case of President Joe Biden's determination to advocate democracy but, unlike a decade ago when the United States nurtured a transition there, he has limited options.The rise of democracy in Myanmar had initially been hailed as a key achievement of former president Barack Obama, under whom Biden served as number...

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Japanese energy companies see no impact over leadership changes

An electrical tower in Yangon. Photo: AFPMizzimaJapan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry does not see any immediate impact on the energy businesses of Japanese companies in Myanmar after the military seized power on Monday, detaining State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior members of the country's ruling party, spglobal.com reported."We have not heard any impact on operations or...

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UK summons Myanmar ambassador

Myanmar ambassador Kyaw Zwar Minn. Photo: Embassy of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar LondonAFPBritain's government on Monday summoned Myanmar's ambassador in London over the declaration of a state of emergency by the country's military and the unlawful imprisonment of civilians, the Foreign Office said.Myanmar Ambassador Kyaw Zwar Minn had been summoned to the Foreign Office, a ministry spokesperson...

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UN Security Council to hold emergency meeting on Myanmar

(File) United Nations Security Council meeting at the UN headquarters in New York, New York. Photo: EPAAFPThe UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting today on the situation in Myanmar, following the declaration of a state of emergency by the country's military, according to an official calendar of events.The meeting, to be held by videoconference, will take place behind closed doors, says...

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Myanmar cabinet reshuffle

Soldiers block the road heading to the parliament in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, 01 February 2021. Photo: Maung Lonlan/EPAMizzimaMyanmar military announced a major cabinet reshuffle hours after a state of emergency was declared on Monday, Xinhua reported.Under the cabinet reshuffle, new union ministers were appointed for 11 ministries while 24 deputy ministers were removed from their posts, the military's...

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Banks in the country still open to provide customer services

Myanmar people line up in front of a ATM machine of a closed bank in Yangon, Myanmar, 01 February 2021. Photo: Lynn Bo Bo/EPAMizzimaThe Tatmadaw True News Information Team has issued an announcement that the banks in the country are still open to provide customer services, state media reported.The announcement said that rumours have spread in social networks about the closure of banks and suspension...

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Myanmar army pledges new elections, power transfer following coup

(FILE) - Myanmar's State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi. Photo: EPAAFPMyanmar's army said Monday it will hold fresh elections and hand power to the winning party once a year-long state of emergency has elapsed, hours after carrying out a coup."We will perform real multi-party democracy... with complete balance and fairness," a statement on the army's official Facebook page said.The military claims last...

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China calls for all sides to 'resolve differences' after Myanmar coup

Chinese President Xi Jinping. Photo: EPAAFPBeijing called Monday for all parties in Myanmar to "resolve their differences" after the military seized power and detained democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi."China is a friendly neighbour of Myanmar and hopes the various parties in Myanmar will appropriately resolve their differences under the constitutional and legal framework to protect political...

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Myanmar coup: What we know so far

Military trucks are seen inside Yangon City Hall, which is now under the control of the Myanmar military, in Yangon, Myanmar, 01 February 2021. Photo: Lynn Bo Bo/EPAAFPThe Myanmar military's seizure of power on Monday follows weeks of tensions with civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her government.Suu Kyi and other top civilian leaders were taken into custody by soldiers on the same day as the...

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Governments around the world condemn Myanmar's military coup

(FILE) - Myanmar Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. Photo: EPAAFPThe United States led governments around the world in calling for the restoration of Myanmar's democracy on Monday after the military staged a coup, arresting civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other politicians.- United States -The United States "will take action against those responsible if these steps are not reversed",...

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All Myanmar banks closed nationwide: Myanmar Banks Association

 (File) People queue outside a bank in Yangon, Myanmar, 24 March 2020. Photo: EPAAFPAll Myanmar banks nationwide were closed Monday following a military coup, declaration of a state of emergency and the detention of de facto civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. "All member banks of Myanmar Banks Association are to close their bank unanimously starting from February 1," according to an announcement...

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281 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases reported

MizzimaThe number of COVID-19 cases in Myanmar has increased to 140,145 as of Sunday, according to a statement from the Ministry of Health and Sports according to Xinhua.A total of 281 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported in the country on Sunday.The death toll of COVID-19 reached 3,131 with six more deaths reported on Sunday in the country, the statement said.Meanwhile, the Myanmar government...

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Australia says Myanmar army must release elected leaders 'immediately'

AFPAustralia on Monday demanded Myanmar's army immediately release de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other elected leaders, warning the military was "once again seeking to seize control" of the country."We call on the military to respect the rule of law, to resolve disputes through lawful mechanisms and to release immediately all civilian leaders and others who have been detained unlawfully," foreign...

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Myanmar military declares one-year state of emergency

AFPMyanmar's military declared a one-year state of emergency on Monday and appointed a general as acting president, after arresting civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior officials.An announcement on military-owned Myawaddy TV said the move was needed to preserve the "stability" of the state, accusing the country's election commission of failing to address "huge irregularities" in the...

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Internet disruptions in Myanmar after apparent military coup: monitor

AFPInternet connections in Myanmar were severely disrupted Monday as the country's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi was detained by the military in an apparent coup, according to an independent monitor."The telecommunication disruptions, beginning approximately 3:00 am Monday morning local time, have significant subnational impact including the capital, and are likely to limit coverage of events as...

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Myanmar's Suu Kyi detained by army in apparent coup

AFPMyanmar's military has detained the country's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi in an apparent coup, her ruling party's spokesman said Monday.The military, which ruled the country for nearly five decades, had this week refused to rule out seizing power over its claims of voter fraud in November's elections, won by Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party.Myo Nyunt, the spokesman for the...

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