International News

April 20212021International NewsAsia

Myanmar Protest Escalate; UN Envoy Warns of Civil War Threat

Myanmar’s military crackdown on protestors is sending shock waves throughout the Asian nation. The UN Special Envoy for Myanmar urged the UN Security Council to consider “potential significant action” in Myanmar to prevent the country from falling into a civil war. The organization also called for a complete reversal of the February 1 military coup and the restoration of the country’s democratically elected government. CNN reports that at least 550 people have been killed by Myanmar’s military in the aftermath of the coup.

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April 20212021International NewsMiddle East

Jordan Arrests Top Officials, Alleges Coup Plot Against King Abdullah II

Claims of sedition have caused a rift in the Jordanian royal family this past week, as multiple high-ranking officials were arrested in a rare semblance of instability within the levant kingdom. However, according to Al Jazeera, on April 7, Jordanian King Abdullah II addressed the situation, stating the ‘sedition’ which caused him ‘pain and anger’ has been dealt with.

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April 20212021International NewsAsia

51 Killed in Taiwanese Train Accident

An eight-car passenger train in Eastern Taiwan derailed on April 3, killing at least 50, including the train driver and a French citizen, and injuring hundreds. The Taitung-bound train was north of Hualien when it derailed in a tunnel, which caused further damage as the cars collided with the tunnel walls, reports CNN. Authorities confirmed they removed all the passengers from the wreckage, although some of the dead have yet to be identified.

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March 20212021International NewsEurope

Turkey Withdraws from the 2011 Istanbul Convention on Women’s Rights

Turkey announced in late March that it has withdrawn from the 2011 Istanbul Convention on women’s rights. The convention was held to promote the protection of women against domestic violence and promote gender equality by signatory states, reports Reuters. Notably, Turkey was the first country to sign on to the convention, which was forged in and is named after the country’s largest city.

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March 20212021International NewsAsia

Journalists Released from Detention in Myanmar

Associated Press journalist Thein Zaw and BBC journalist Aung Thura, among other media personnel, were released recently from detention in Myanmar. Their release comes after mounting pressure from the international community to release all journalists and cease the media crackdown. Since the February 1 coup that saw the overthrow of its democratically-elected government, a military government controls Myanmar which has cracked down on independent press coverage of protests resisting the new government, ABC News reports.

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