အရောင်ရင့်မှတ်တမ်း – အောက်တိုဘာ ၂၀၁၆
kaiPresident Obama lifts Myanmar trade sanctions
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7 October 2016
President Barack Obama has formally eased long-standing sanctions on Myanmar.
Mr Obama issued the executive order weeks after meeting Myanmar’s de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.
Myanmar’s access to trade benefits for poorer nations was suspended in 1989 over human rights abuses.
But the White House said substantial advances to promote democracy meant that it was no longer a threat to America’s national security.
Correspondents say the move is designed to coax the rapidly transforming South East Asian country from decades of economic isolation as Ms Suu Kyi’s government manages the difficult transition to democracy in Myanmar, also known as Burma.
“While Burma faces significant challenges, including the consolidation of its democracy, the United States can, and intends to, use other means to support the government and people of Burma in their efforts to address these challenges,” Mr Obama wrote in a letter to the US House and Senate speakers.
However, while many companies will now enjoy lower tariffs, there are some sanctions which remain in place.
A “blacklist” of at least 100 companies and individuals with links to the former military junta has been scrapped, although a few individuals will remain sanctioned.
Myanmar was run by an oppressive military junta from 1962 to 2011.
Ms Suu Kyi, who as opposition leader was kept under house arrest for 15 years, led her National League for Democracy party to victory in Myanmar’s first openly contested election for decades in November 2015.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37592380
Trump: ‘Zero chance I’ll quit’
New York (CNN)Donald Trump on Saturday vowed to “never” drop out of the presidential race as a growing chorus of Republicans urged him to do exactly that after sexually aggressive remarks he made in 2005 surfaced a day earlier.
The comments suggested that Trump was eager to fully turn away from the lewd and sexually aggressive terms he used to describe women in the 2005 conversation and instead pivot toward his political opponents, whoever they may be.
12 comments
Thint Aye Yeik
October 13, 2016 at 7:29 am
ကျွန်ုပ်သည် …ဤစာများအား လုံးစေ့ပတ်စေ့ နားမလည်ပါ။
ဤမှန်သော သစ္စာစကားကြောင့်…
ကျွန်ုပ်သည် ဤအင်းဂိတ်စာများအား ဖတ်၍ နားလည်လာသော အချိန်ထိ…. ဤစာသားများ ဤပိုစ့်များ ဤနေရာတွင် မပျောက်မပျက် ရှိနေပါစေသား
:k:
kai
October 13, 2016 at 1:11 pm
Worries Over King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s Health Shake Thailand
By RICHARD C. PADDOCKOCT. 12, 2016
BANGKOK — Concern for the health of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand on Wednesday prompted the country’s prime minister to return abruptly to Bangkok, caused Thai stocks to fall sharply and sent well-wishers to the hospital where the 88-year-old monarch was being treated.
A government spokesman said that Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, chief of the junta that runs the country, returned to meet with Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, the heir to the throne, who lives most of the time in Germany.
The country, which has been under military rule since 2014, is deeply polarized, but King Bhumibol has been a unifying figure, even in ill health. The military’s authority derives from the king, and there is a sense of national anxiety about his condition and what will happen when he dies.
All of the king’s children — the prince and his three sisters — were reported to have arrived on Wednesday at Siriraj Hospital, where King Bhumibol, one of the world’s longest-reigning monarchs, has been confined for most of the past few years. He last left the hospital in January.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/13/world/asia/thailand-king.html?_r=0
kai
October 13, 2016 at 4:19 pm
With Global Trials Expanding, More HIV Vaccines Are Put to the Test
By Rod McCullom
From TheBody.com
October 3, 2016
November will mark the beginning of the first large-scale clinical vaccine research trials in South Africa. That nation is on track to develop the world’s first licensed HIV vaccine. HIV Vaccine Trials Network 702 will enroll about 5400 participants — males and females aged 18 to 35 — across South Africa. Participants will receive five injections over one year. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is sponsoring and funding HVTN 702
http://www.thebody.com/content/78509/with-global-trials-expanding-more-hiv-vaccines-are.html
kai
October 14, 2016 at 2:10 am
Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej dead at 88
Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world’s longest-reigning monarch, has died after 70 years as head of state.
The 88-year-old king was widely revered but had been in poor health in recent years, making few public appearances.
He was seen as a stabilising figure in a country hit by cycles of political turmoil and multiple coups.
Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn will be the new monarch, the prime minister has said.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37643326
kai
October 14, 2016 at 2:27 pm
China Boosts Regional Ties With Milestone Xi Visit to Dhaka
Arun Devnath
October 13, 2016 — 10:27 PM PDT
Updated on October 13, 2016 — 11:52 PM PDT
Loans worth $23 billion to fund seaport, power plants, roads
Projects part of China’s ambitious ‘belt and road’ initiative
China is expected to sign off on more than $23 billion in loans to Bangladesh to fund a series of large-scale infrastructure projects, as President Xi Jinping starts his visit to Dhaka Friday.
Xi’s visit, the first by a Chinese head of state to Bangladesh in 30 years, is part of the Asian economic giant’s ambition to advance its ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative — a grand plan devoted to reviving the ancient Silk Road trading route from Asia to Europe by boosting economic ties and investing in transport hubs. He last visited Bangladesh in 2010 as vice-president.
“Bangladesh, with its favorable geographic location and huge population, market potential and cooperation space, is an indispensable partner for China to advance the Belt and Road initiative,” Xi wrote in the Daily Star, a leading Bangladesh newspaper.
However, as the loans do not cover military cooperation — an integral part of the ties between Bangladesh and India — relations between the two neighbors would be unaffected by China’s loan package, Ahsan H. Mansur, executive director of Dhaka-based Policy Research Institute, said by phone.
“China has done it in Africa and Myanmar. It has done in Sri Lanka. It’s doing it in Pakistan. Now it’s in Bangladesh. From China’s point of view, it’s a good return on investment,” Mansur said.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-14/china-boosts-regional-influence-with-milestone-xi-visit-to-dhaka
kai
October 17, 2016 at 2:23 pm
Russia Is Building Fallout Shelters to Prepare for a Potential Nuclear Strike
Russia’s preparing for war. Is this self-defense, an implied threat to the West, an excuse for political repression, or all of the above?
Anna Nemtsova
10.16.16 10:00 PM ET
MOSCOW — Managers of the Zenit Arena, a giant half-built stadium in St. Petersburg, received an official letter from the Ministry of Emergency Situations last week demanding that they immediately create shelter facilities for wartime. The stadium, under construction for the upcoming World Cup 2018, is located outside of the city boundaries, the letter said, but in case of nuclear attack it is in the potential “zone of war destruction and radiation fallout.“
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/10/17/russia-is-building-fallout-shelters-to-prepare-for-a-potential-nuclear-strike.html
kai
October 17, 2016 at 2:33 pm
CIA reportedly preparing major cyber assault against Russia in wake of hack attacks
Published October 15, 2016 FoxNews.com
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Report: CIA prepping for possible cyberattack against Russia
The Central Intelligence Agency reportedly is preparing a major cyber attack against Russia in response to the theft of records from the Democratic National Committee and its affiliates, allegedly by Moscow-backed hackers.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/10/15/cia-reportedly-preparing-major-cyber-assault-against-russia-in-wake-hack-attacks.html
kai
October 18, 2016 at 1:25 pm
China positive on BRICS despite global uncertainty
Published time: 17 Oct, 2016 10:36
Chinese President Xi Jinping remains upbeat about the long-term prospects for the BRICS countries of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa despite a precarious global economy.
Read more
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Speaking at the BRICS summit in India, Xi referred to the slowdown in economic growth among the group, saying its potential and strength was “unchanged” due to resources and workforces.
The five major emerging economies comprise about half of the world’s population and 30 percent of world economic output. Their share of global trade is around 17 percent.
British economist Jim O’Neill who coined the term BRICS, told the BBC he remained confident of the grouping’s success. It is “bigger today than even in the most optimistic scenario I thought 15 years ago, and it’s primarily because of China,” he said.
During the eighth annual BRICS summit held over the weekend in the Indian state of Goa, the leaders of the five countries agreed to strengthen cooperation and expand the role of emerging economies.
https://www.rt.com/business/363008-brics-nations-prospects-economy/
kai
October 18, 2016 at 1:28 pm
As India meets China at BRICS, Myanmar’s Suu Kyi has much to achieve in Goa
Rajiv Bhatia | Updated: Oct 15, 2016 22:51 IST
At the Brics-Bimstec (Bimstec is Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) outreach summit in Goa, there will only be one Nobel Laureate among the 11 participants: Aung San Suu Kyi, the de facto leader of Myanmar. She is neither president nor prime minister, but she is treated as an equal by other heads of government. Her participation in the summit and her visit to India could have long-term implications.
At the summit, Suu Kyi will be meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi together in a room — for the first time. Since becoming state counsellor, foreign minister and virtually the head of the Myanmar government six months ago, she has been engaged in a fine balancing act involving the nation’s external partners: China, the US and India. Everything she says and does will be calibrated to promote Myanmar’s interests, and designed to avoid taking sides on sensitive issues.
Read: Myanmar’s Suu Kyi to meet PM during maiden to India after taking office
She may have a delicate role to play, especially now when India-China relations are under marked stress. The two nations disagree on a host of issues: ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative, terrorism, South Asia integration, South China Sea, etc. Myanmar’s position will be watched closely — both in New Delhi and Beijing.
kai
October 21, 2016 at 4:06 pm
Duterte Announces Philippine ‘Separation’ from US
October 20, 2016 11:57 AM
BEIJING —
In what could be a serious setback for Washington and its pivot to Asia, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has announced his country’s “separation” from the United States, following high-level talks with Chinese leaders in Beijing.
“In this venue, your honors, I announce my separation from the United States, both in military, not maybe social, but economics also,” he said, speaking at a business forum late Thursday. His remarks to the crowd of business people and officials triggered a roaring round of applause.
“America has lost now. I have realigned myself in your ideological flow, and maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world, China, Philippines and Russia. It is the only way.”
http://www.voanews.com/a/duterte-declares-philippine-separation-from-us/3559129.html
kai
October 21, 2016 at 4:55 pm
Scientists Just Accidentally Figured Out How To Turn CO2 Into Fuel In A Breakthrough Study
Katy Evans
By Leanna Garfield
20/10/2016, 12:17
cientists in Tennessee claim that, somewhat serendipitously, they converted carbon dioxide into ethanol.
The researchers, who work at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, developed a process that adds “nano-spikes” — essentially tiny bursts — of carbon and copper to CO2 to transform it into ethanol, the type of alcohol found in hand sanitizer and alcoholic drinks.
Ethanol can also be turned into fuel — gasoline in Brazil contains more than 25% ethanol — which is why the scientists are calling the discovery a “twist to waste-to-fuel technology.”
The discovery is a major breakthrough, considering the process turns carbon dioxide — one of the air pollutants contributing to climate change — into fuel, which in turn generates more CO2that could be turned into more fuel. (Burning a gallon of diesel fuel produces about 22 pounds of CO2.)
http://www.iflscience.com/technology/scientists-just-accidentally-figured-out-how-to-turn-co2-into-fuel-breakthrough-study/
kai
November 2, 2016 at 3:11 pm
Millions of Americans can’t vote for president because of where they live
PRI’s The World
November 01, 2016 · 2:45 PM EDT
Four million. That’s how many Americans the US Census Bureau estimates live on five island territories of the United States.
Millions of them are of voting age. Many are veterans or active military. But they cannot vote to elect their commander in chief.
People born in Guam, the Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, and Puerto Rico are all Americans. They vote in US congressional elections and presidential primaries. This year, voting rights advocate and lawyer Neil Weare says they were “even heavily courted by both parties … they went to the [Democratic and Republican] conventions.”
But Americans born in these territories can’t vote for president. Not unless they move to the mainland.
This is in spite of the fact that they’re all US citizens (except for American Samoans, who are only US nationals. More on that in a moment.)
So, why is this — why can’t all US citizens vote in general elections? The short answer: Because the Electoral College says so. Bryan Whitener, spokesperson for the Election Assistance Commission, a government agency, quoted the National Archives on the matter:http://www.pri.org/stories/2016-11-01/millions-americans-cant-vote-president-because-where-they-live