According to AFP, Myanmar’s junta has awarded death sentences to three high-ranking officers who were in charge when a strategic town on the Chinese border surrendered to ethnic minority fighters last month. Moreover, three brigadier generals were given life imprisonment for their role in the surrender of troops in Laukkai in the Shan State. In a significant setback to the junta, the Three Brotherhood Alliance made up of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), the Arakan Army (AA), and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), launched surprise offensives across Northern Myanmar in late October and captured several towns bordering China.
At the end of a two-day meeting on Afghanistan in Doha on Monday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the Taliban set unacceptable conditions to attend the UN-sponsored meeting on Afghanistan. The Taliban’s demands included the exclusion of Afghan civil society members and treatment that would lead to official recognition of the Taliban as the country’s legitimate rulers. While the Taliban did not attend the meeting as their demands were not met, UN member states and special envoys did participate.
The Chinese Coast Guard boarded a Taiwanese tourist boat near sensitive frontline islands, which triggered “panic” among Taiwan’s people, a government minister said on Tuesday. However, Taiwan’s military said it was not planning to get involved. The move comes after China, on Sunday, declared its coast guard’s initiation of routine patrols and establishment of law enforcement operations around the Taiwan-administered Kinmen islands. This decision came after two Chinese nationals lost their lives while attempting to evade Taiwan’s coast guard in restricted waters near Kinmen.
Dutch Trade Minister Geoffrey van Leeuwen highlighted concerns that ASML’s computer chip equipment could be utilised for Chinese military purposes. These apprehensions have led to recent refusals of export licences to the company. “China focuses on foreign expertise, including Dutch expertise in the field of lithography, to promote self-sufficiency in its military-technical development,” he wrote in a note seen by Reuters.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi said that revenue from the Suez Canal has dropped by at least 40%-50% as a result of recent developments in the Red Sea. “In particular, previously, the Suez Canal brought in some $10 billion per day, and now we register a 40-50% decrease in revenues,” the President remarked, adding that despite this, Egypt “still tries to meet its obligations to partners” in various sectors.
Canada will donate over 800 SkyRanger R70 multi-mission unmanned aerial systems to Ukraine to aid in its conflict with Russia, Defence Minister Bill Blair announced on Monday. According to the statement released by the Canadian government, the drones, sourced from Teledyne FLIR in Waterloo, Ontario, have automated navigation systems, allowing them to carry a number of camera systems and payloads for target detection and identification. “Canada is working with Ukraine on a training plan and delivery schedule, with delivery expected to begin this spring,” it added. “Canada will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes,” Blair remarked.