From food insecurity to the UN’s future: What we’re watching at the UNGA
The world’s biggest diplomatic event is back – well, kind of. The 76th session of the UN General Assembly kicked off at UN headquarters in New York on 14 September, and the headline-grabbing General Debate – featuring high-profile speeches from heads-o…
Coronavirus Pandemic Forces Myanmar’s ‘Neck-Coil’ Women Home From Thailand
Hundreds of ethnic Kayan women who used to sell textiles and crafts in Thailand have returned to Myanmar in recent months, forced to leave when the coronavirus pandemic triggered the collapse of the Thai tourism sector, with only grueling farmwork available back home. The returnees, famous for wearing stacked brass neck coils that appear […]
Next Year’s Academy Awards Ceremony May be Postponed Due to Pandemic – Report
Next year’s Academy Awards telecast may be postponed because of the disruption to theatrical releases caused by the coronavirus pandemic. A story published Tuesday in the entertainment magazine Variety quotes an anonymous source who says it’s “likely” the annual awards ceremony, which is scheduled to air February 28 on ABC-TV, will be postponed. But the source also […]
ANOTHER INTER-ETHNIC CONFLICT BREWING?: Naga territorial expansion urge and Shanni rejection
Indications are that another inter-ethnic conflict might be brewing in the north-west corner of the country, namely in Sagaing Region, part of the adjacent territories, Hkamti and Homalin Townships, to the Naga Self-Administered Zone (SAZ).Kyi 750×375…
Rights Group Finds Myanmar Makes No Headway Curbing Abuses by Military
Myanmar’s military continued to carry out serious human rights violations in 2019, while the government made no progress addressing the pervasive impunity of soldiers who committed abuses, London-based Amnesty International said Thursday in a new repor…
Consequences of Eastern Shan State Gold Mining ‘Getting Worse Everyday’
Villagers in Tachileik District, eastern Shan State have had to relocate their homes as a result of negative environmental impact of gold mining on the area.Some residents in Na Hai Long village, in Tar Lay sub-township, have said that sand and sedime…
GOVERNMENT AND EAOS RELATION: Restarting peace process with four-point agreement agenda
On the heels of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement-Signatory-Ethnic Armed Organizations (NCA-S-EAO) three-day meeting that ended on October 12, the Peace Commission (PC), under the government National Peace and Reconciliation Center (NRPC), flew to Ch…
Shan State Human Rights Activists Say They Are Being Threatened Over Facebook
Human rights activists in northern Shan State have reported receiving threats over social media in recent days regarding their work.The recent pattern of intimidating messages has coincided with the assassination of the highly respected and socially c…
The Evolution of Chinese and Asian Faces in Hollywood
LOS ANGELES – One of the first stops for a tourist in Los Angeles is the TCL Chinese Theatre next to the Hollywood Walk of Fame.Originally called Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, it opened in 1927 and is a remnant of Hollywood’s fascination with the Orient i…