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Trump says believes Putin will 'fulfill his part' of Ukraine deal

By - Apr 01,2025 - Last updated at Apr 01,2025

This handout photograph taken and released by the Ukrainian State Emergency Service on March 31, 2025, shows a firefighter manning a hose as they work to extinguish a fire following an aerial guided bomb (KAB) in Zaporizhzhia region (AFP photo)

Washington — Donald Trump on Monday said he expects Russian President Vladimir Putin "to fulfill his part" of a deal to end the Ukraine war, after the US president voiced doubts over Moscow's commitment.
 
"I want to make sure that he follows through," Trump told reporters in the White House. "I think he's going to live up to what he told me, and I think he's going to fulfill his part of the deal now."
 
Trump on Sunday criticized both Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, as he pushes to end more than three years of conflict in Ukraine.
 
Trump told NBC he was "very angry" at Putin for questioning Zelensky's credibility as someone to negotiate with and for calling for new leadership in Ukraine.
 
Putin earlier this month rejected a US proposal of an unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine -- that Zelensky backed -- and has upped his rhetoric on Moscow wanting to install new leadership in Ukraine.
 
On Sunday, NBC News journalist Kristen Walker said Trump had called her to say he was "pissed off" with Putin and threatened tariffs on firms dealing with Russian oil.
 
The US leader later turned his ire on Zelensky, warning him Ukraine would have "big problems" if it got cold feet over a deal to sign over mineral rights to the United States.
 
The Kremlin on Monday said that Putin was still open to speaking to Trump.
 
There was no phone call scheduled between the two leaders, but that one could be "organized promptly," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
 
"We are... working on implementing some ideas, linked to resolving the Ukrainian (conflict)," Peskov said. "This process is time-consuming."

France's Le Pen defiant after five-year election ban

By - Apr 01,2025 - Last updated at Apr 01,2025

President of the far-right Rassemblement National (RN) parliamentary group Marine Le Pen is seen on monitors during a televised interview broadcasted on the evening news of French TV channel TF1, in Paris, on March 31, 2025 (AFP photo)

Paris — French far-right leader Marine Le Pen on Monday slammed a "political decision" and insisted she had not abandoned hope of standing in presidential elections in 2027 after a court handed her a five-year ban on running for office.
 
The verdict as part of a conviction for creating fake jobs at the EU parliament on behalf of her National Rally (RN) party -- charges she vehemently denied -- stunned Le Pen as the judge ordered the ban come into force with immediate effect.
 
If it stands, this would mean she would be unable to launch a fourth campaign to capture the Elysee, where analysts believe she had her best-ever chance of becoming president.
 
In a febrile international climate, the verdict was condemned by the Kremlin, billionaire tycoon Elon Musk and hard-right European politicians ranging from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to Geert Wilders of the Netherlands.
 
Le Pen was also given a four-year prison term by the Paris court but will not go to jail, with two years of the term suspended and the other two to be served outside jail with an electronic bracelet.
 
She was convicted over a scheme to take advantage of European Parliament expenses to employ assistants who were actually working for her far-right party in France.
 
Twenty-four people -- including Le Pen -- were convicted -- all of them RN party officials or assistants. 
 
‘Reserved for authoritarian regimes' 
 
Le Pen said she would appeal the "political decision", and vowed that in "no way" would she retire from political life, in a combative interview with the commercial French television network TF1.
 
"I'm not going to let myself be eliminated like this. I'm going to pursue whatever legal avenues I can. There is a small path. It's certainly narrow, but it exists," she said.
 
She said that the appeal would be lodged "as quickly as possible" and said that the judiciary should "get a move on" so it is heard in time.
 
Describing herself as the "favourite" to win the 2027 presidential elections, Le Pen characterised the judge who delivered the verdict as saying: "'I do not want Marine Le Pen elected'" and lashed out at "'practices we thought were for authoritarian regimes".
 
"I am going to appeal because I am innocent," Le Pen said, while acknowledging that as things stood now "I am eliminated" from the presidential race.
 
‘At the ballot box' 
 
Le Pen dramatically left the courtroom before the judge announced the prison sentence, and a crisis meeting was convened at the party's Paris headquarters.
 
With her RN emerging as the single largest party in France's parliament after the 2024 legislative elections, polls predicted Le Pen would easily top the first round of voting in 2027 and make the second round two-candidate run-off.
 
Incumbent President Emmanuel Macron cannot run in that election because of a constitutional two-term limit.
 
"It's disgraceful! They've destroyed her," Jacqueline Bossuyt, 78, said in the northern town of Henin-Beaumont, the far-right's stronghold.
 
The reaction from Moscow was swift, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying: "More and more European capitals are going down the path of violating democratic norms."
 
Tesla's billionaire owner Musk, who has backed a far-right party in Germany and plays a major role in Trump's administration, said the move would "backfire, like the legal attacks against President Trump".
 
US President Donald Trump compared Le Pen's conviction to his own legal battles, telling reporters Monday: "She was banned from running for five years and she was the leading candidate. That sounds like this country."
 
There was also unease within the political mainstream in France, with the leader of MPs in parliament of the right-wing Republicans, Laurent Wauquiez, saying "political debates should be decided at the ballot box".
 
Prime Minister Francois Bayrou was meanwhile "troubled" by the verdict, a person close to him told AFP, asking not to be named.
 
‘Fictitious' posts' 
 
If Le Pen is unable to run in 2027, her backup plan is her 29-year-old protege and RN party leader Jordan Bardella, who is not under investigation in the case.
 
But there are doubts even within the RN over whether Bardella has the experience needed.
 
Le Pen took over the then-National Front (FN) from her father Jean-Marie Le Pen in 2011 and set about de-toxifying its image with voters. Her father, who died in January, was often accused of making racist and anti-Semitic comments. 
 
During the court case, prosecutors said the RN used the 21,000-euro ($23,000) monthly EU parliament allowance to pay staff in France, hiding the scheme behind "fictitious" posts in the European legislature's offices.
 
"It was established that all these people were actually working for the party, that their MEP had not assigned them any tasks," said the judge.

Myanmar declares week of mourning as quake toll passes 2,000

By - Mar 31,2025 - Last updated at Mar 31,2025

A bird flies above the rubble at the site of an under-construction building collapse in Bangkok on March 31, 2025, three days after an earthquake struck central Myanmar and Thailand (AFP photo)

Mandalay, Myanmar - Myanmar declared a week of national mourning on Monday over the country's devastating earthquake, as the death toll passed 2,000 and hopes faded of finding more survivors in the rubble of ruined buildings.

 

National flags will fly at half-mast until April 6 "in sympathy for the loss of life and damages" from Friday's massive quake, the ruling junta said in a statement.

 

The junta also announced a minute's silence on Tuesday, to begin at 12:51:02 pm (0621 GMT) -- the precise time the 7.7-magnitude quake struck.

 

People should stop where they are to pay tribute to the victims, the junta said, while media should halt broadcasting and show mourning symbols, and prayers will be offered at temples and pagodas.

 

The announcement came as the tempo and urgency of rescue efforts wound down in Mandalay, one of the worst-affected cities and the country's second-largest, with more than 1.7 million inhabitants.

 

"The situation is so dire that it's hard to express what is happening," said Aung Myint Hussein, chief administrator of Mandalay's Sajja North mosque.

 

People prepared to camp out in the streets across Mandalay for a fourth successive night, either unable to return to ruined homes or nervous about the repeated aftershocks that rattled the city over the weekend.

 

Some have tents but many, including young children, have been bedding down on blankets in the middle of roads, trying to keep as far from buildings as possible for fear of falling masonry.

 

The junta said Monday that 2,056 have now been confirmed, with more than 3,900 people injured and 270 still missing, but the toll is expected to rise significantly. 

 

Three Chinese nationals are among the dead, China's state media said, along with two French people, according to the foreign ministry in Paris.

 

At least 19 deaths have been confirmed hundreds of kilometres away in Thailand's capital Bangkok, where the force of the quake caused a 30-storey tower block under construction to collapse.

 

Outdoor hospital 

 

Mandalay's 1,000-bed general hospital has been evacuated, with hundreds of patients being treated outside.

 

Patients lay on gurneys in the hospital car park, many with only a thin tarpaulin rigged up to shield them from the fierce tropical sun.

 

Relatives did their best to comfort them, holding hands or waving bamboo fans over them.

 

"We're trying to do what we can here. We are trying our best," said one medic, who asked to remain anonymous.

 

The sticky heat has exhausted rescue workers and accelerated body decomposition, which could complicate identification.

 

But traffic began returning to the streets of Mandalay on Monday, and restaurants and street vendors resumed work. 

 

Hundreds of Muslims gathered outside a destroyed mosque in the city for the first prayer of Eid al-Fitr, the holiday that follows the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan.

 

Humanitarian crisis 

 

The challenges facing the Southeast Asian country of more than 50 million people were immense even before the earthquake.

 

Myanmar has been ravaged by four years of civil war sparked by a military coup in 2021, with its economy shattered and healthcare and infrastructure badly damaged.

 

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the quake a top-level emergency as it urgently sought $8 million to save lives, while the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has launched an appeal for more than $100 million.

 

International aid and rescue teams have been arriving after junta chief Min Aung Hlaing made an exceptionally rare appeal for foreign assistance.

 

In the past, isolated Myanmar's ruling generals have shunned foreign assistance, even after major natural disasters.

 

Junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun thanked key allies China and Russia for their help, as well as India, and said the authorities were doing their best.

 

"We are trying and giving treatment to injured people and searching for missing ones," he told journalists.

 

But reports have emerged of the military carrying out air strikes on armed groups opposed to its rule, even as Myanmar grapples with the quake's aftermath.

 

One ethnic minority armed group told AFP on Sunday that seven of its fighters were killed in an aerial attack soon after the quake, and there were reports of more air strikes on Monday.

 

Myanmar's raging civil war, pitting the military against a complex array of anti-coup fighters and ethnic minority armed groups, has displaced around 3.5 million people.

 

In Bangkok, diggers continued to clear the vast pile of rubble at the site of the collapsed building.

 

Officials say they have not given up hope of finding more survivors in the wreckage, where 12 deaths have been confirmed and at least 75 people are still unaccounted for.

Clock ticks on Trump's reciprocal tariffs as countries seek reprieve

By - Mar 31,2025 - Last updated at Mar 31,2025

New vehicles are parked on the pier at there Mercedes Benz Vehicle Preparation Center (VPC) in Baltimore, MD on March 31, 2025 (AFP photo)

Washington — The clock is ticking down to Donald Trump's "Liberation Day" when the US president has threatened to unleash a wide range of tariffs against countries running persistent trade imbalances with the United States.

 

The move -- which comes as Trump has been making unprecedented use of presidential powers -- is driven by his insistence that the world's biggest economy has been "ripped off by every country in the world" and his conviction that reciprocal tariffs are needed to restore parity.

 

But critics warn that the strategy risks a global trade war, provoking further retaliation by major trading partners like China, Canada and the European Union.

 

The size of the levies to be announced on Wednesday will vary from country to country -- depending on the duties they impose on US goods through import tariffs and other factors like value-added taxes. But the precise plans remain murky.

 

"Expect the unexpected," said Ryan Sweet, chief US economist at Oxford Economics.

 

He expects the Trump administration to "take aim at some of the largest offenders."

 

But what matters ultimately is how broad-based the tariffs are and whether the tool is merely a negotiating tactic or part of a regime shift, he said.

 

Trump on Sunday dashed hopes he might scale back on his threatened tariffs, saying they would include "all countries."

 

"You'd start with all countries, so let's see what happens," the president told reporters onboard Air Force One.

 

"We've been talking about all countries, not a cutoff," he said, insisting however that his tariffs would be "far more generous" than those levied against the United States.

 

US trade partners have been rushing to minimize their exposure ahead of Trump's deadline, with reports suggesting India might lower some duties.

 

Besides the reciprocal country tariffs, Trump could also unveil additional sector-specific levies on the likes of pharmaceuticals and semiconductors.

 

These would come on top of new auto levies due to take effect Thursday.

 

Already, China and Canada have imposed counter-tariffs on US goods in response to Trump's earlier actions, while the EU unveiled its own measures due to start in mid-April.

 

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told Trump his government would impose retaliatory tariffs after Washington's action Wednesday.

 

‘Dirty 15' 

 

Before Trump's comments on Sunday, the upcoming salvo had been expected to target the 15 percent of partners that have persistent trade imbalances with the United States, a group that US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called a "Dirty 15."

 

The United States has its biggest goods deficits with parties including China, the EU, Mexico, Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Canada and India.

 

With countries seeking compromise, it is "entirely possible" for fresh tariffs to be swiftly reduced or put on hold, said Greta Peisch, partner at law firm Wiley Rein.

 

In February, she noted, steep levies on Mexican and Canadian imports were paused for a month as the North American neighbors furthered negotiations.

 

"There are many different scenarios: delays while talks continue, potential reductions or tariffs being put in place immediately," said Peisch, a former official at the US Trade Representative's office.

 

Trump has previously said the April 2 tariffs would be "very lenient," adding that "there'll be flexibility."

 

‘Dark cloud' 

 

But Sweet of Oxford Economics warned that a "dark cloud of uncertainty" hangs over the economy.

 

Some domestic steel manufacturers and union leaders have welcomed Trump's recent tariff hikes on metals and autos.

 

But while his proposals are meant to revitalize American industry, they have alarmed many other industries.

 

The American Automotive Policy Council, which represents carmakers Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, cited a report Friday by economist Arthur Laffer, which noted that 25-percent auto tariffs stand to raise US vehicle costs and disrupt supply chains.

 

While stressing its commitment to Trump's economic vision, the council urged for "a fair and predictable trade environment."

 

In a letter Thursday, the International Fresh Produce Association cautioned that proposed US tariffs and other countries' retaliation threaten the stability of farmers and businesses.

 

And the National Retail Federation warned in February that reciprocal tariffs could prove "extremely disruptive," warning of higher costs to households and an erosion of their spending power.

 

More broadly, companies tend to hold off on investments when rules are unclear and this could weigh on hiring, Sweet said.

 

Economists also warn that sweeping tariffs could cause a spike in inflation if companies fail to absorb additional costs, passing them on to consumers.

 

When it comes to legal authorities, Peisch told AFP that Trump could invoke emergency economic powers again to impose reciprocal tariffs.

 

He could also tap Section 301 of the Trade Act to start country-by-country investigations, the same authority he used to target China in his first presidency.

Global aid effort begins for Myanmar quake relief

By - Mar 31,2025 - Last updated at Mar 31,2025

People ride a motorbike past damaged buildings in Mandalay on March 30, 2025 (AFP photo)

Bangkok — A powerful earthquake has killed more than 1,700 people in war-torn Myanmar and neighbouring Thailand and caused widespread damage.

 

Here is what we know about relief efforts:

 

China 

 

China sent an 82-person team of rescuers to Myanmar on Saturday, Beijing said. On Sunday, state-run Xinhua news agency said a 118-member search and rescue team had also arrived. 

 

A separate rescue team arrived in Myanmar's commercial hub Yangon on Saturday, state media said.

 

The Chinese government will also provide Myanmar with 100 million yuan ($13.8 million) in emergency humanitarian assistance, with shipments to begin Monday, its international aid agency said Saturday.

 

Hong Kong 

 

A 51-person team from Hong Kong has arrived in Myanmar, the financial hub's government said Sunday. The city also sent two search and rescue dogs and equipment, including life detectors.

 

The city has earmarked HK$30 million ($3.8 million) for emergency relief support to Myanmar, it said in a statement.

 

India 

 

An Indian aid flight landed in Myanmar on Saturday, with more on the way.

 

Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said a military transport plane had been dispatched carrying hygiene kits, blankets and food parcels.

 

"A search and rescue team and medical team is also accompanying this flight," he added.

 

Four more aircraft were being sent with personnel and equipment, as well as two navy ships, officials said.

 

WHO 

 

The World Health Organization has mobilised its logistics hub in Dubai to prepare trauma injury supplies and triggered its emergency management response.

 

On Sunday it said the quake was a top-level crisis and announced it was urgently seeking $8 million to save lives and prevent disease outbreaks over the next 30 days.

 

Red Cross 

 

The local Myanmar Red Cross Society has mobilised trained volunteers to provide help, launching search and rescue efforts, administering first aid, distributing emergency relief items and deploying mobile health teams.

 

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies launched an emergency appeal Sunday for more than $100 million to help 100,000 people with life-saving relief.

 

United Nations 

 

The UN humanitarian agency OCHA is mobilising emergency response efforts, alongside its partner organisations.

 

"A severe shortage of medical supplies is hampering response efforts, including trauma kits, blood bags, anaesthetics, assistive devices, essential medicines, and tents for health workers," OCHA said in a statement Saturday.

 

United States 

 

US President Donald Trump on Friday vowed Washington would assist Myanmar, describing the quake as "terrible".

 

"It's a real bad one, and we will be helping. We've already spoken with the country," Trump told reporters.

 

EU 

 

The European Union said it was providing 2.5 million euros ($2.7 million) in initial emergency aid and assessing the needs on the ground in order to mobilise further assistance.

 

Britain 

 

Britain pledged £10 million ($12.9 million) in humanitarian aid, with development minister Jennifer Chapman saying UK-funded local partners were already mobilising on the ground.

 

Ireland 

 

Ireland announced it would contribute an initial six million euros in aid, with half going to Red Cross organisations and the other half to UN agencies. 

 

Malaysia 

 

Malaysia's foreign ministry said it would send a team to Myanmar consisting of one commander and 49 rescue personnel "to support ongoing humanitarian and disaster relief operations".

 

Indonesia 

 

Indonesia said Sunday it will send a search and rescue team, medical team and logistical aid to Myanmar starting Monday.

 

The Indonesian military will send a hospital ship, three Hercules aircraft and four helicopters to assist emergency response, local media reported military spokesman Kristomei Sianturi as saying. 

 

Philippines 

 

The Philippines said Saturday it is sending a team of 114 people, including medics, firefighters and members of the armed forces. The team's tentative deployment date is Tuesday.

 

Vietnam 

 

Vietnam said Sunday it would send 80 rescuers to help search and recovery efforts.

 

The Public Security Ministry said it will send a team of police officers and medics, a ministry-run newspaper reported. All were to be deployed on Sunday.

 

South Korea 

 

South Korea said it would send $2 million in humanitarian assistance "to support urgent rescue and relief efforts" after the earthquake.

 

New Zealand 

 

New Zealand said it would give NZ$2.0 million ($1.1 million) to the International Red Cross for the emergency response.

Trump says 'there will be bombing' if Iran fails to make 'peace deal'

By - Mar 30,2025 - Last updated at Mar 30,2025

A man holds a portrait of the Iranian Supreme Leader and an anti-US sign as Iranians attend a rally marking Al-Quds Day (Jerusalem), a commemorative day held annually on the last Friday of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, in Tehran, on March 28, 2025. (AFP photo)

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump has threatened that Iran will be bombed if it persists in developing nuclear weapons.

 

"If they don't make a deal, there will be bombing," NBC News said the president told one of its correspondents in an interview late Saturday. It said he also threatened to punish Iran with what he called "secondary tariffs."

 

Trump's language represented a sharpening of his comment a few days earlier that if Tehran refused to negotiate a new nuclear agreement, "bad, bad things are going to happen to Iran."

 

It was not clear whether Trump was threatening bombing by US planes alone or in an operation coordinated with Israel.

 

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told Politico late last month that "in order to stop a nuclear Iranian program before it will be weaponized, a reliable military option should be on the table." 

 

Analysts have said Iran may be just weeks away from producing a deliverable nuclear weapon -- though Tehran denies it is building such arms. Either way, such an attack carries a risk of spreading to a wider conflict.

 

Trump in 2018 pulled the United States out of an agreement to relieve sanctions on Iran in return for curbs on its nuclear program. 

 

Now, in his second term, he has said he is open to talks on a new deal that could reduce the risk of military escalation.

 

Trump revealed in early March that he had sent a letter proposing such talks to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

 

Meantime, he has pushed ahead with his "maximum pressure" program of additional sanctions and the threat of military action. 

 

Tehran, deeply suspicious of the US administration after Trump's withdrawal from the original nuclear deal, has refused to negotiate directly with Washington.

 

On Thursday, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told the official IRNA news agency that he had delivered a letter responding to Trump's outreach to Oman, which has served as an intermediary in the past.

Aftershocks rattle Mandalay as rescuers search for survivors in Myanmar quake

By - Mar 30,2025 - Last updated at Mar 30,2025

People ride a motorbike past damaged buildings in Mandalay on Sunday (AFP photo)

MANDALAY, Myanmar — Residents scoured collapsed buildings on Sunday searching for survivors as aftershocks rattled the devastated city of Mandalay, two days after a massive earthquake killed at least 1,700 people in Myanmar and at least 18 in neighbouring Thailand.

 

The initial 7.7-magnitude quake struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a 6.7-magnitude aftershock.

 

The tremors collapsed buildings, downed bridges and buckled roads, with mass destruction seen in the city of more than 1.7 million people.

 

Tea shop owner Win Lwin picked his way through the remains of a collapsed restaurant on a main road in his neighbourhood early on Sunday, tossing bricks aside one by one.

 

"About seven people died here" when the quake struck, he told AFP.

 

"I'm looking for more bodies but I know there cannot be any survivors."

 

A small aftershock struck in the morning, sending people scurrying out of a hotel for safety, following a similar tremor felt late Saturday evening.

 

And around 2:00 pm (7:30 GMT), another aftershock -- of 5.1-magnitude according to the US Geological Survey -- sent people into the streets in alarm once again, temporarily halting rescue work.

 

Myanmar's ruling junta said in a statement Sunday afternoon that about 1,700 people were confirmed dead so far, about 3,400 injured and around 300 more missing.

 

But with communications down in many areas, the true scale of the disaster remains unclear in the isolated military-ruled state, and the toll is expected to rise significantly.

 

At a destroyed Buddhist examination hall in Mandalay, Myanmar and Chinese responders worked to find buried victims on Sunday.

 

San Nwe Aye, sister of a 46-year-old monk missing in the collapsed hall, appeared in deep distress, and told AFP she has heard no news about his status.

 

"I want to hear the sound of him preaching," she said. "The whole village looked up to him."

 

At a collapsed apartment block in the city, rescuers thought they had saved the life of a pregnant woman trapped under rubble for more than 55 hours.

 

They even amputated her leg to free her, but after pulling her out they were unable to resuscitate her and she was pronounced dead.

 

Myriad challenges 

 

Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing issued an exceptionally rare appeal for international aid on Friday, indicating the severity of the calamity.

 

Previous military governments have shunned foreign assistance, even after major natural disasters.

 

Myanmar has already been ravaged by four years of civil war sparked by a military coup in 2021.

 

Reports have emerged of sporadic violence even after the quake, with one rebel group telling AFP on Sunday that seven of its fighters were killed in an aerial attack soon after the tremors hit.

 

Anti-junta fighters in the country have declared a two-week partial ceasefire in quake-affected regions starting Sunday, the shadow "National Unity Government" said in a statement.

 

The UN said overnight that a severe lack of medical equipment is hindering Myanmar's response to the quake, while aid agencies have warned that the country is unprepared to deal with a disaster of this magnitude.

 

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies on Sunday launched an emergency appeal for more than $100 million to help victims.

 

Some 3.5 million people were displaced by the raging civil war, many at risk of hunger, even before the quake struck.

 

Rescue teams and aid have been arriving from donor countries around the world, with Thailand on Sunday dispatching 55 military personnel and six rescue dogs, along with equipment including cranes and diggers.

 

Bangkok building collapse 

 

Across the border in Thailand, rescuers in Bangkok worked on Sunday to pluck out survivors trapped when a 30-storey skyscraper under construction collapsed after the Friday earthquake.

 

At least 18 people have been killed in the Thai capital, city authorities said late Sunday afternoon, with 33 injured and 78 still missing.

 

Most of the deaths were workers killed in the tower collapse, while most of the missing are believed to be trapped under the immense pile of debris where the skyscraper once stood.

 

The shock of the moment made 22-year-old survivor, Burmese worker Kyaw Lin Htet, feel like he "lost consciousness".

 

"I never expected this would happen to me as we only see this on TV," he told AFP at the site on Sunday.

 

Sniffer dogs and thermal imaging drones have also been deployed to seek signs of life in the collapsed building, close to the Chatuchak weekend market popular among tourists.

 

Authorities said engineers would be assessing and repairing the 165 damaged buildings around the city on Sunday.

 

Myanmar quake toll passes 1,000 as rescuers dig for survivors

By - Mar 29,2025 - Last updated at Mar 29,2025

Rescuers search for survivors amid the rubble of the collapsed Sky Villa Condominium building in Mandalay on March 29, 2025, a day after an earthquake struck central Myanmar (AFP photo)

Mandalay, Myanmar — The death toll from a huge earthquake that hit Myanmar and Thailand passed 1,000 on Saturday, as rescuers dug through the rubble of collapsed buildings in a desperate search for survivors.
 
The shallow 7.7-magnitude quake struck northwest of the city of Sagaing in central Myanmar early Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a 6.7-magnitude aftershock.
 
The quake destroyed buildings, downed bridges, and buckled roads across swathes of Myanmar, with massive destruction seen in Mandalay, the country's second biggest city and home to more than 1.7 million people.
 
"We need aid," said Thar Aye, 68, a Mandalay resident. "We don't have enough of anything."
 
At least 1,007 people were killed and nearly 2,400 injured in Myanmar, with 30 more missing, the junta said in a statement. Around 10 more deaths have been confirmed in Bangkok.
 
But with communications badly disrupted, the true scale of the disaster is only starting to emerge from the isolated military-ruled state, and the toll is expected to rise significantly.
 
In Mandalay, AFP journalists saw rescuers pull a woman alive from the remains of one apartment block where a Red Cross official said more than 90 people could be trapped. 
 
Several of the Sky Villa Condominium's 12 storeys were pancaked on top of each other.
 
‘Started shaking' 
 
This was the biggest quake to hit Myanmar in decades, according to geologists, and the tremors were powerful enough to severely damage buildings across Bangkok, hundreds of kilometres (miles) away from the epicentre.
 
In Mandalay, AFP journalists saw a centuries-old Buddhist pagoda that had been reduced to rubble.
 
"It started shaking, then it started getting serious," said a soldier at a checkpoint on the road outside the pagoda. 
 
"The monastery also collapsed. One monk died, some people were injured, we pulled out some people and took them to the hospital." 
 
Guards at Mandalay Airport turned away journalists. 
 
"It has been closed since yesterday," said one. "The ceiling collapsed but no one was hurt." 
 
Damage to the airport would complicate relief efforts in a country whose rescue services and healthcare system have already been ravaged by four years of civil war sparked by a military coup in 2021. 
 
Rare junta plea for help 
 
Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing issued an exceptionally rare appeal for international aid on Friday, indicating the severity of the calamity. Previous military governments have shunned foreign assistance, even after major natural disasters.
 
The country declared a state of emergency across the six worst-affected regions after the quake, and at one major hospital in the capital, Naypyidaw, medics were forced to treat the wounded in the open air.
 
Offers of foreign assistance began coming in, with President Donald Trump on Friday pledging US help.
 
An initial flight from India carrying hygiene kits, blankets, food and other essentials landed in the commercial capital Yangon on Saturday. 
 
China said it sent more than 80 rescuers to Myanmar and pledged $13.8 million in emergency humanitarian assistance.
 
Aid agencies have warned that Myanmar is unprepared to deal with a disaster of this magnitude. Some 3.5 million people were displaced by the raging civil war, many at risk of hunger, even before the quake struck.
 
Bangkok building collapse 
 
Across the border in Bangkok, rescuers were continuing to work Saturday as a second night drew in, searching for survivors trapped when a 30-storey skyscraper under construction collapsed.
 
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt told reporters that eight people had been confirmed dead in the building collapse so far, while at least eight others were rescued.
 
But he said 79 were still unaccounted for at the building, close to the Chatuchak weekend market that is a magnet for tourists.
 
"I can't describe how I feel -- it happened in the blink of an eye," said construction worker Khin Aung.
 
"All my friends and my brother were in the building when it collapsed. I don't have any words to say."
 
The city's governor had previously told AFP that around 10 people had been confirmed killed across Bangkok, most in the skyscraper collapse.
 
Thermal imaging drones were deployed to seek signs of life in the rubble -- Chadchart said that the locations of about 30 people could be ascertained by radar.
 
Early on Saturday evening, a team of diggers was attempting to uncover piles of debris and reach victims under floodlights, while rescue dogs had also been brought in.
 
Bangkok city authorities said they will deploy more than 100 engineers to inspect buildings for safety after receiving over 2,000 reports of damage.

Trump asks Supreme Court to lift ban on deportations under emergency law

By - Mar 28,2025 - Last updated at Mar 28,2025

US President Donald Trump points a map reading 'Gulf of America' as he speaks to the press after signing an Executive Order, alongside US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (left), at the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on February 25 (AFP photo)

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump on Friday appealed to the Supreme Court to overturn a lower court ban on his use of an obscure wartime law to deport alleged gang members without due process.

 

The appeal sets up a showdown over one of the most glaring examples of Trump's unprecedented attempts to increase presidential power since returning to the White House in January.

 

Trump invoked the little-known 1798 Alien Enemies Act to justify rounding up alleged Venezuelan gang members, some of whom were sent to a notorious prison set up by the right-wing government in El Salvador.

 

The Trump administration has used images of the alleged Tren de Aragua gang members being shackled and having their heads shaved in the Central American prison as proof that it is serious about cracking down on illegal immigration.

 

Rights advocates say some of the deportees had nothing to do with gangs and that even potential criminals are required to be given court hearings before expulsion, in line with the US Constitution.

 

A senior federal judge, James Boasberg, issued an injunction barring further flights of deportees under the Alien Enemies Act. He has been asked by the American Civil Liberties Union to extend the restraining order when it expires Saturday.

 

An initial appeal by the Trump administration was turned down Wednesday.

 

In its appeal to the Supreme Court, which is dominated by conservative justices, the White House said the case is a key test of presidential authority over the courts.

 

"This case presents fundamental questions about who decides how to conduct sensitive national-security-related operations in this country" -- the president or judges, the administration said.

 

The appeal said Boasberg's injunction was "flawed" and threatens "the government's sensitive negotiations with foreign powers".

 

The Supreme Court should "vacate the district court's orders. In addition, the Acting Solicitor General respectfully requests an immediate administrative stay of the district court's orders pending the Court's consideration of this application".

 

Trump has campaigned relentlessly on social media against Boasberg, even calling for him to be removed from his post by Congress.

Massive quake kills nearly 150 in Myanmar, Thailand

By - Mar 28,2025 - Last updated at Mar 28,2025

People stand past the debris of a collapsed building in Mandalay on March 28, 2025, after an earthquake

NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar - A huge earthquake hit Myanmar and Thailand on Friday, killing nearly 150 people and injuring hundreds, with dozens trapped in collapsed buildings and the death toll expected to rise.

The shallow 7.7-magnitude early afternoon tremor hit northwest of the city of Sagaing in central Myanmar, and was followed minutes later by a 6.4-magnitude aftershock.

The quake flattened buildings, downed bridges, and cracked roads across swathes of Myanmar, and even demolished a 30-storey skyscraper under construction hundreds of kilometres away in Bangkok.

While the full extent of the catastrophe is yet to emerge, the leader of isolated Myanmar, in the grip of a civil war, issued a rare plea for international aid.

Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing said 144 people had been killed, with 732 confirmed injured, but warned the toll was "likely to rise". Three deaths have been confirmed so far in Thailand.

"In some places, some buildings collapsed," he said in a televised speech, after visiting a hospital in the capital Naypyidaw.

"I would like to invite any country, any organisation, or anyone in Myanmar to come and help. Thank you."

He urged massive relief efforts in the wake of the disaster and said he had "opened all ways for foreign aid".

'Mass casualty area' 

Four years of civil war sparked by the military seizing power have ravaged Myanmar's infrastructure and healthcare system, leaving it ill-equipped to respond to such a disaster.

Myanmar declared a state of emergency across the six worst-affected regions after the quake, which the World Health Organisation described as a "very, very big threat to life and health".

Hundreds of casualties arrived at a major hospital in Naypyidaw where the emergency department entrance had collapsed on a car.

A hospital official described it as a "mass casualty area" with medics treating the wounded outside.

"I haven't seen [something] like this before. We are trying to handle the situation. I'm so exhausted now," a doctor told AFP.

As night fell, AFP journalists saw rescuers trying to extract a mother and son from the ruins of a collapsed building in Naypyidaw.

Both were seriously injured but rescuers were unable to reach them, a Red Cross worker told AFP.

Skyscraper collapse

Across the border in Thailand, a 30-storey skyscraper under construction collapsed to a tangled heap of rubble and dust in a matter of seconds.

Officials have said three workers are confirmed dead with dozens more still unaccounted for, many believed trapped in the rubble.

"I heard people calling for help, saying 'help me'," Worapat Sukthai, deputy police chief of Bang Sue district, told AFP.

"We estimate that hundreds of people are injured," he said.

As night fell, around 100 rescue workers assembled at the scene to search for survivors, illuminated by specially erected floodlights.

Visiting the site, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said "every building" in Bangkok would need to be inspected for safety, though it was not immediately clear how that would be carried out.

An emergency zone was declared in Bangkok, where some metro and light rail services were suspended.

The streets of the capital were full of commuters attempting to walk home, or simply taking refuge in the entrances of malls and office buildings.

City authorities said parks would stay open overnight for those unable to sleep at home.

Strong quakes are extremely rare in Thailand, and across Bangkok and the northern tourist destination of Chiang Mai, where the power briefly went out, stunned residents hurried outside, unsure of how to respond.

Sai, 76, rushed out of a minimart in Chiang Mai when the shop started to shake.

"This is the strongest tremor I've experienced in my life."

The quake was felt across the region, with China, Cambodia, Bangladesh and India all reporting tremors.

India, France and the European Union all offered to provide assistance, while the WHO said it was mobilising its logistics hub in Dubai to prepare trauma injury supplies.

Pope Francis said he was "deeply saddened by the loss of life and widespread devastation" in a telegram published by the Vatican.

Earthquakes are relatively common in Myanmar, where six strong quakes of 7.0 magnitude or more struck between 1930 and 1956 near the Sagaing Fault, which runs north to south through the centre of the country, according to the United States Geological Survey.

A powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake in the ancient capital Bagan in central Myanmar killed three people in 2016, also toppling spires and crumbling temple walls at the tourist destination.

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