Latest news with #junta
Bloomberg
10 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Niger Junta Seizes French Nuclear Giant Orano's Uranium Mine
Niger's military government took control of Orano SA 's uranium mine, escalating a standoff with the French nuclear-power company. The junta took action after accusing Orano of violating its shareholder agreement by extracting more uranium than its 63.4% stake in a local affiliate allows, according to cabinet meeting minutes published in the capital, Niamey, on Thursday. It also criticized the company for halting operations, repatriating French staff and signaling that it may sell off its assets.
News.com.au
12 hours ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi marks 80th birthday in junta jail
Myanmar's deposed democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi marked her 80th birthday in junta detention on Thursday, serving a raft of sentences set to last the rest of her life. Suu Kyi was the figurehead of Myanmar's decade-long democratic thaw, becoming de facto leader as it opened up from military rule. But as the generals snatched back power in a 2021 coup, she was locked up on charges ranging from corruption to breaching Covid-19 pandemic restrictions and is serving a 27-year sentence. "It will be hard to be celebrating at the moment," said her 47-year-old son Kim Aris from the UK. "We've learned to endure when it's been going on so long." He has run 80 kilometres (50 miles) over the eight days leading up to her birthday, and collected over 80,000 well-wishing video messages for his mother. But Suu Kyi will not see them, sequestered in Myanmar's sprawling capital Naypyidaw from where the military directs a civil war against guerilla fighters, many of whom took up arms in response to the toppling of her government. Aris said he has heard from his mother only once via letter two years ago since she was imprisoned. "We have no idea what condition she's in," he said, adding that he fears she is suffering from untreated medical problems with her heart, bones and gums. Myanmar junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun told AFP late on Thursday Suu Kyi "is in good health", without providing any further details. - 'Do you still remember?' - No formal celebrations took place in junta-held parts of Myanmar, but a gaggle of followers in military-controlled Mandalay city staged a spontaneous protest ahead of her birthday, local media said. A few masked protestors showered a street with pamphlets reading "freedom from fear" and "happy birthday" as one member held up a portrait of Suu Kyi in shaky camera footage shared on social media. "Do you still remember this great person?" asked one of the protestors in the video, which AFP has not been able to independently verify. Other small protests were also reported, including in a rebel-contested area of northern Sagaing region where women marched holding roses in tribute to the former leader, who famously wore garlands of flowers in her hair. While Suu Kyi remains hugely popular in the majority Buddhist country, her status as a democracy icon abroad collapsed before the military takeover after she defended the generals in their crackdown against the Rohingya. Hundreds of thousands of the Muslim minority were sent fleeing to neighbouring Bangladesh under her rule, though some argued she was powerless against the lingering influence of Myanmar's military. Nonetheless institutions and figures that once showered Suu Kyi with awards rapidly distanced themselves, and her second round of imprisonment has received far less international attention. - Locked away birthday - Suu Kyi, the daughter of Myanmar independence hero Aung San, became a champion of democracy almost by accident. After spending much of her youth abroad, she returned in 1988 to nurse her sick mother but began leading anti-military protests crushed by a crackdown. She was locked up for 15 years, most of it in her family's Yangon lakeside mansion where she still drew crowds for speeches over the boundary wall. The military offered freedom if she went into exile but her poised refusal thrust her into the spotlight and won her the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize. Suu Kyi was released in 2010 and led her National League for Democracy (NLD) party to electoral victory in 2015, never formally in charge as army-drafted rules kept her from the presidency. The NLD said in a statement on Thursday she "must be recognised as an essential figure in any credible and inclusive solution to Myanmar's ongoing crisis". But if the octogenarian were released from her current incarceration, Aris predicts she would likely step back from a "frontline position" in Myanmar politics. The military has promised new elections at the end of this year, but they are set to be boycotted by many groups comprised of former followers of Suu Kyi's non-violent vision who have now taken up arms.
NHK
4 days ago
- Politics
- NHK
Clues undermine Myanmar junta's claims on school air strike
An investigation by NHK and Myanmar Witness reveals strong evidence that a school there was targeted by a military air strike that killed over 20 children. The findings contradict the junta's claims and raise concerns about escalating attacks on civilians.
Arab News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Guinea's military junta sets up up election body for December vote
DAKAR, Senegal: Guinea's military junta has created a new institution that will be responsible for managing elections, including a constitutional referendum in September and the general and presidential elections set for December. Guinea is one of several West African countries where the military has taken power and delayed a return to civilian rule. Gen. Mamadi Doumbouya, in power since 2021, agreed in 2022 to launch a democratic transition after a Dec. 31, 2024, deadline. The ruling junta's failure to meet the deadline led to opposition protests that paralyzed Guinea's capital Conakry in January. The Directorate General of Elections, or DGE, will be responsible, among other duties, for organizing elections, managing the electoral register and ensuring electoral fairness, junta leader Doumbouya announced in a decree read on state television late Saturday. The two heads of the institution will be appointed by presidential decree, he added. The DGE will also represent Guinea in sub-regional, regional, and international electoral bodies. Last month, Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah said the general and presidential elections will take place in December 2025. He also confirmed the organization of a referendum to adopt a new constitution on Sept. 21, as announced by the junta in April. There are concerns about the credibility of the elections. The military regime dissolved more than 50 political parties last year in a move it claimed was to 'clean up the political chessboard.' It has also tightened the grip on independent media, rights groups say, with social networks and private radio stations often cut off and information sites interrupted or suspended for several months without explanation, while journalists face attacks and arrests.
Associated Press
6 days ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
Guinea's military junta sets up up election body for December vote
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Guinea's military junta has created a new institution that will be responsible for managing elections, including a constitutional referendum in September and the general and presidential elections set for December. Guinea is one of several West African countries where the military has taken power and delayed a return to civilian rule. Gen. Mamadi Doumbouya, in power since 2021, agreed in 2022 to launch a democratic transition after a Dec. 31, 2024, deadline. The ruling junta's failure to meet the deadline led to opposition protests that paralyzed Guinea's capital Conakry in January. The Directorate General of Elections, or DGE, will be responsible, among other duties, for organizing elections, managing the electoral register and ensuring electoral fairness, junta leader Doumbouya announced in a decree read on state television late Saturday. The two heads of the institution will be appointed by presidential decree, he added. The DGE will also represent Guinea in sub-regional, regional, and international electoral bodies. Last month, Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah said the general and presidential elections will take place in December 2025. He also confirmed the organization of a referendum to adopt a new constitution on Sept. 21, as announced by the junta in April. There are concerns about the credibility of the elections. The military regime dissolved more than 50 political parties last year in a move it claimed was to 'clean up the political chessboard.' It has also tightened the grip on independent media, rights groups say, with social networks and private radio stations often cut off and information sites interrupted or suspended for several months without explanation, while journalists face attacks and arrests.
