The US should adopt a tougher line against Myanmar's ruling junta, including more punishing sanctions, a no-fly zone and supporting a recently formed unity government, the country's UN envoy said on Tuesday. 

Kyaw Moe Tun told the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee that the situation in the country is in the midst of "an unfolding tragedy that continues to escalate over time," stressing that Myanma people "are seriously suffering from the military’s brutality and inhumane acts day and night."

"We need the United States to take a decisive leadership role in helping resolve the Myanmar crisis," the ambassador, who represents the elected government, said in congressional testimony. "Please do not let killing continue. Please act now. We will always remember the help and support of the United States."

Tun implored Washington to sanction Myanmar's state-owned oil and gas company, the Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise, as well as a major state-owned bank.

The Biden administration has, to date, refrained from doing so, but has sanctioned top military officials, a handful of their close family members and enterprises that benefit from the military amid its ongoing bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.

The military overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, detaining her and other leaders of the National League for Democracy, and cracked down with lethal force on anti-coup protesters.

In the three months that followed, 766 people have been killed and more than 3,600 others jailed, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners local monitoring group.

The ambassador stressed that the crisis is not just a threat to Myanmar’s nascent democracy but said it is “threatening regional peace and security.”/aa

An arson attack was carried out on a mosque in France’s southeastern Albertville city on Monday night, the mosque said in a statement on social media.

According to the statement, the entrance of the mosque, run by the Milli Gorus Islamic Confederation (CIMG), was damaged in the attack and there were no injuries.

A person was seen on security cameras setting the door of the mosque on fire, it said, adding that the police were informed and a complaint was filed.

The statement said an investigation was launched into the incident and hoped that the perpetrators would be brought to justice.

The CIMG has been criticized by the government and politicians for refusing to sign the Charter of Islamic Principles of France on the grounds that it alienates Muslims.

The Arrahma Mosque in France’s Nantes city also came under an arson attack on April 9. Islamophobic graffiti was sprayed on the walls of a mosque in Rennes city twice in 20 days last month./aa

A white South Carolina restaurant owner, already serving a 10-year prison sentence for enslaving his Black cook, may have to pay hundreds of thousands more in restitution to his victim, according to a court.

Bobby Paul Edwards was sentenced to 10 years in prison after the Justice Department accused of him physically abusing John Christopher Smith and forcing him to work without pay or days off for five years.

Edwards pleaded guilty in 2019 and besides his prison sentence, was ordered to pay Smith $500,000 in damages.

That amount included nearly $273,000 in back pay that Smith never received.

The Justice Department later requested the $273,000 be doubled to around $546,000 to account for what's called "liquidated damages" -- the loss of the use of that money when Smith was not paid.

A district court originally rejected that request, but a higher court, the Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, is suggesting that it agrees with the Justice Department.

The Court of Appeals vacated Smith's original restitution amount and is asking for a recalculation.

Smith, who suffers from what prosecutors called a "mild cognitive impairment,” began working for the J&J Cafeteria in Conway, South Carolina as a 12-year-old in 1990.

Edwards, who took over management of the restaurant in 2009, allowed Smith to live in a back room of the restaurant, while spending five years hurling racial slurs, physical abuse and threats at him, according to prosecutors.

At Edwards' sentencing, the Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said he was appalled by the case.

"It is almost inconceivable that instances of forced labor endure in this country to this day -- A century and a half after the Emancipation Proclamation," said Eric Dreiband, referring to a slave-era proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln to free all slaves in rebellious states during the civil war./aa

Over 1.16 billion COVID-19 vaccine jabs have been given worldwide so far, according to data gathered by the Our World in Data website.

China is the world's most vaccinated country with 275.3 million vaccine jabs, said the site, followed by the US with nearly 245.6 million, India with 154.2 million, the UK with 49.8 million, Brazil with 43.2 million, Germany with 30.2 million, and Turkey with nearly 23.9 million vaccine jabs.

The list continues with France with 22.3 million vaccine jabs, followed by Italy with 20.8 million, Indonesia with 20.1 million, Russia with nearly 20.1 million, Mexico with 18.3 million, Spain with 16.4 million, Chile with 14.9 million, Canada with 13.8 million, and Poland with nearly 12 million.

Next comes the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with 10.6 million vaccine jabs and Israel with 10.5 million.

The country with the most doses of the vaccine in terms of the population was the East African island nation of Seychelles, with 128.98 doses per 100 people.

It was followed by Israel with 120.8 vaccine jabs, the UAE with 107.5 per 100 people, San Marino with 85.4, Chile with 77.7, Malta with 76.9, Bahrain with 74.3, and Maldives with 73.9.

The US followed with 73.4 jabs, the UK with 73.4, Hungary with 63.7, Bhutan with 62.3, Monaco with 62.2, Qatar with 55.7, Uruguay with 52.8, and Serbia with 51.8.

Turkey number 7 in number of vaccinations

According to Health Ministry data, Turkey has so far administered over 23.88 million coronavirus vaccine jabs since a nationwide immunization campaign began on Jan. 14.

More than 14.19 million people have received their first dose, while over 9.69 million people have been fully vaccinated.

Turkey ranks seventh in the world in terms of total number of vaccine doses administered, while the number of vaccines per 100 people was 27.28.

North-South divide

In the distribution of vaccine by continent, Asia ranked first with 550.8 million vaccines, followed by North America with 283.3 million and Europe with 230.4 million.

Unfortunately, the continent and regions in the Southern Hemisphere lagged behind those in the North.

Some 77 million vaccine jabs have been done in South America, 17.96 million in Africa, and 2.56 million in Oceania.

Most COVID-19 vaccines are administered in two jabs, so the number of vaccine jabs administered does not mean that the vaccination of the same number of individuals has been completed.

COVID-19 has become a global epidemic, spreading to more than 200 countries and regions.

According to the Worldometer website, the number of cases worldwide is nearly 153.7 million, while more than 3.21 million people have died due to the virus, and 90.37 million people have recovered./aa

A former terrorist told Anadolu Agency how he was "deceived" into joining the terrorist group PKK and how he regrets doing so now.

The former terrorist, identified as M.A., told how he joined around 2014, when the terrorist PKK was using the fight to free Ayn al-Arab (Kobani) in northern Syria from Daesh/ISIS to incite armed violence in Turkey.

That October, the PKK and its political extensions and supporters used Ayn al-Arab as a pretext to sow discord and bloodshed in Turkey.

“I took part in these events with my circle of friends. At first, I took part in the street demonstrations,” said M.A.

“Some of my friends got caught. One of my friends went to the office of Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) to ask about others who got caught,” he added, referring to a political party now facing possible closure over its reported ties to terrorists.

This contact with the HDP led him to PKK members hiding out in the countryside, said M.A.

“With intense propaganda, people were prepared to be sent to the rural ranks of the (PKK) organization. So I decided to participate, impressed by the events of Kobani,” he added.

HDP is terrorist PKK's political branch

Telling how he went to Syria illegally, joined the terrorist group, and got armed and ideological training, M.A. said he was a so-called “team commander” before he was appointed a bodyguard to Muzaffer Ayata, one of the PKK’s so-called leaders.

“The HDP and Democratic Regions Party (DBP) are the political branches of the PKK terrorist group,” he explained.

Top political figures in the HDP are chosen by the so-called “Presidential Council” of the PKK, he added, saying there is no independent process.

“Individuals identified by the PKK under the leadership of the HDP/DBP deliver the instructions of the leader of the terrorist organization, Abdullah Ocalan, to the organization in rural Iraq,” he said, referring to the PKK ringleader, who is serving a life sentence in Turkish prison.

He said these instructions are not brought in writing, they are transmitted orally.

“Leyla Guven, one of the deputies of the HDP, began and ended her hunger strike on the orders of the PKK. It wasn’t the decision of the HDP or Leyla Guven. These instructions are given openly or in code by the press organs of organizations affiliated with the PKK,” he explained.

I was deceived into joining

Stressing how his thoughts changed after he joined PKK terrorists, M.A. recalled: “They were agitating for the Kurds in my environment. I was impressed by this, went to Syria, and joined the terrorist group.”

He added: “A certain amount of time after joining, I realized that I had been deceived, used as a tool. As much as I wanted to escape, I couldn't escape because it was so strictly controlled.

“The last time I escaped, I surrendered to security forces of the Turkish Republic of my own free will. I regret joining the group.”

With the latest such surrender, on April 27, the number of terrorists who have laid down their arms through persuasion efforts in 2021 has risen to 58, according to Interior Ministry data.

Offenders in Turkey linked to terrorist groups who surrender are eligible for possible sentence reductions under a repentance law.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.

On March 17, Turkey's top prosecutor filed an indictment seeking dissolution of the HDP, calling it an undemocratic party that colludes with the terrorist group PKK and seeks to destroy the unity of the state.

The indictment accuses HDP leaders and members of acting in a way that flouts the democratic and universal rules of law, colluding with the terrorist PKK and affiliated groups, and aiming to destroy and eliminate the indivisible integrity of the state, country, and nation./aa

A senior Bangladeshi journalist has been fighting for justice for more than two years in a case brought by the government under the country's controversial Digital Security Act (DSA).

Rashidul Islam is one of dozens of journalists charged under the act, which was passed by the government in October 2018, just two months before the country's general elections.

Human rights defenders and experts say the law has vague provisions. One of the clauses of the law on “Digital or Electronic Fraud” says: “If any person commits fraud by means of any digital or electronic medium then that activity of that particular person will be an offense under the Act.”

Islam was charged formally in connection with a story about election results from the southeastern district of Khulna in the 2018 elections. He said his story was based on the administrative head of the district's declaration, but that was not enough to satisfy the government.

In one constituency, there were 22,419 more votes cast than the total number of eligible voters, indicating an overall irregularity and ballot staffing, he said, adding: "I have a recording of the result announcement.”

He added that the results were changed in the government's written sheets the next morning.

Despite the fact that he wrote another updated news report, Islam told Anadolu Agency that the "district administration filed a case against me and another journalist on the charge of making false, fabricated, and provocative information."

“Police arrested my colleague Hedait Hossain Mollah, and I went into hiding for 22 days before securing court bail,” he said, adding: “It was the most suffocating period of my life.”

"It's a black law," Mohammad Abdullah, president of a local journalists' union, told Anadolu Agency, asking for the release of journalists charged under the act, comparing its provisions to “asking a swimmer to swim after his hands and legs have been tied.”

Abdullah said that the government is repeatedly misusing such provisions of the law just to harass journalists and critics.

Press Freedom Day

“At least 247 journalists were reportedly subjected to attacks, harassment, and intimidation by state officials and others affiliated with Bangladesh government in 2020," said Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a statement on Monday marking World Press Freedom Day.

According to the rights group, more than 900 cases have been filed under "the draconian Digital Security Act," with nearly 1,000 people prosecuted and 353 arrested, many of them journalists.

“Media critical of the ruling Awami League party is frequently censored,” it added.

The act is being used "to harass and indefinitely detain journalists, activists, and others critical of the government, resulting in a chilling impact on freedom of dissent," the statement said.

“The UN and donors should continue to take every opportunity to call on the government to repeal the Digital Security Act and release all those detained under it,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) said in a separate statement that the media in Bangladesh has turned into “government property,” despite the fact that the theme of this year's Press Freedom Day is "Information as a Public Goods."

“Due to the failure of professional journalism in Bangladesh, not only growth but also people’s trust in the media is being halted,” said Dr Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of TIB.

Government blames media outlets

Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, a media advisor to Banglades’s prime minister, told Anadolu Agency that "journalists are not free to write and speak," adding that most media outlets are owned by various corporate houses, businessmen, and politicians and “they, not professional journalists, are in control of the media."

“Media owners are gaining financial and political interests, and journalists are hardly willing to risk losing their jobs,” according to Chowdhury, a onetime journalist.

“Whenever a journalist is subjected to the Digital Security Act, we see regular reports and complaints from rights organizations,” he said, “but we don't see any voice when dozens of journalists are fired or lose their jobs because of the owners.”

He said there is no government censorship and that the media houses enforce their own restrictions./aa

Turkish security forces arrested nine people for their suspected links to the PKK terror group, a security official said on Tuesday.

Based in the eastern Bitlis province, gendarmerie teams conducted simultaneous operations in Istanbul, southeastern Siirt and Diyarbakir provinces to arrested 10 suspects involved in “abetting and supporting the separatist terrorist organization.”

The search for the remaining suspect continues.

During the raids at the suspects' houses and business places, security forces also seized shotguns and digital materials.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants./aa

After years of strained relations, East African countries Kenya and Tanzania have signed a multimillion-dollar gas pipeline deal.

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu made her first maiden trip to Kenya on Tuesday on the invitation of Kenyan counterpart Uhuru Kenyatta to ink the agreement.

“We are friends in East Africa. Kenya leads in investments in my country Tanzania, and has invested in 513 projects worth $1.7 billion, providing employment to 51,000 Tanzanians,” Suluhu told a joint news conference in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

“We also signed a gas pipeline deal today, which will transport gas between the coastal town of Mombasa in Kenya and Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.” The project will cost 121 billion Kenya shillings ($1.1 billion) and cover 600 kilometers (373 miles).

Kenyatta said they have committed to reenergize a joint commission of cooperation, adding that “today we engaged in bilateral talks with President Samia Suluhu about issues that involve our two countries. We are not just neighbors geographically, but share culture, language and heritage.”

According to the Kenyan presidency, Suluhu and Kenyatta witnessed the signing of MoUs on natural gas transportation, animal health and sanitary measures, culture, arts, social integration and national heritage.

The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral ties by boosting trade and people-to-people contact./aa