International

Floods, mudslides kill over 200 in Myanmar

Published

3 days ago

September 17, 2024

Myanmar's military junta issued a rare appeal for foreign help at the weekend

Floods, mudslides kill over 200 in Myanmar

The number of people in Myanmar who have died in the wake of Typhoon Yagi rose to more than 220, with nearly 80 others still missing, the military government said.

The storm swept through northern Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar last week, killing more than 500 people across the region, according to official figures.

It triggered severe floods and mudslides in Myanmar, leaving at least 226 dead as whole villages were wrecked.

With hundreds of thousands of acres of crops destroyed, the UN also warned that more than half a million people in the war-torn country are in urgent need of food as well as drinking water, shelter and clothes.

The UN said the storm’s devastation spanned nine states and regions, including the the country’s capital Naypyidaw in the interior, as well as Mandalay to the north, Magway to the west, and Bago to the south – regions that lie along the Irrawady, Myanmar’s largest river.

Also hit were Shan State in the north-east and Mon, Kayah and Kayin states, which lie to its south.

A civil war has engulfed the country since early 2021, when the army sized power after ousting the democratically-elected government.

Since then thousands have been killed and millions forced from their homes as various armed resistance groups battle the ruling military junta.

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In the last year or so, the army has lost control of large parts of the country, creating an unstable patchwork of governance.

That, coupled with poor communication in remote areas, has meant information about casualties has been slow to emerge.

The United Nations said the floods are among the worst in Myanmar’s recent history. Its disaster response agency estimated that some 630,000 people have been affected by the flooding with blocked roads, damaged bridges and severed communication lines, all of which have severely hampered relief efforts.

Aid agencies also have little or no access to many parts of the country, including Shan State, one of the worst-hit by the flooding, which is now largely controlled by a rebel army.

A volunteer rescuer in the state’s south told BBC Burmese that entire homes had been buried under mudslides.

“We have collected over 100 dead bodies so far, including children and elderly people. We’re still searching for over 200 more,” he added.

“This flooding is the worst I have ever seen in my life,” said a resident in the east of Shan State.

The situaiton is just as dire more than 500 miles away, in the south-east: “People are in urgent need of food,” Khon Matia, a senior official in rebel-controlled Kayin State (formerly Karen State) told BBC Burmese.

“There is no offer of international aid. People are in a more difficult position here because everything is blocked because of the floods and the war. So it is very difficult to reach us.”

The ruling military junta issued a rare appeal for help at the weekend, with neighbouring India so far the only country to respond. It sent aid, including food, clothes and medicine.

Typhoon Yagi also caused 10 deaths in Thailand and one in Laos.

In Vietnam, the death toll stands at 292, with 38 missing, more than 230,000 homes damaged, 280,000 hectares of crops destroyed and major manufacturing hubs heavily damaged, according to authorities.

Floods, mudslides kill over 200 in Myanmar

BBC

International

Canada plans to cut foreign student visas

Published

1 hour ago

September 19, 2024

Trends Admin

Canada plans to cut foreign student visas

The Canadian government, led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, is set to implement new immigration restrictions beginning next year.

According to The Economic Times, these measures will reduce the intake of international students and impose stricter rules on foreign workers.

During a press briefing in Ottawa, Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced that Canada will slash international student permits by 10% for 2025 compared to current levels, continuing this reduction through 2026. This move represents a 36% decrease from the figures reported in 2023.

Universities Canada has noted that the country is already missing this year’s targets due to a drop in applications from foreign students.

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The new regulations are intended to manage the rapid increase in the temporary resident population, which includes international students, temporary workers, and asylum seekers. This surge, which has accelerated since the pandemic, has led to increased criticism of Trudeau’s immigration policies.

Miller emphasized the necessity for a sustainable immigration system, stating, “The reality is that not everyone who wants to come to Canada will be able to — just like not everyone who wants to stay in Canada will be able to. Our immigration system must preserve its integrity and be well-managed and sustainable.”

Initially, strong immigration was beneficial for Canada’s post-pandemic recovery and helped buffer the impact of high interest rates on economic growth.

However, the recent population increase—adding about three million people in three years—has strained housing and public services, affecting Trudeau’s popularity. In March, the government aimed to reduce the proportion of temporary residents to 5% within three years, down from 6.2% at that time. This proportion has now risen to approximately 6.8%.

Canada plans to cut foreign student visas

International

American govt approves Elon Musk’s Neuralink brain chip to restore vision

Published

13 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Trends Admin

Elon Musk

American govt approves Elon Musk’s Neuralink brain chip to restore vision

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has announced that Neuralink, his brain-chip startup company, has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an experimental implant device that will “enable even those who have lost both eyes and their optic nerve to see”.

“The Blindsight device from Neuralink will enable even those who have lost both eyes and their optic nerve to see. Provided the visual cortex is intact, it will even enable those who have been blind from birth to see for the first time,” the tech billionaire tweeted early Wednesday.

In the tweet on X (formerly Twitter), Musk posted a photo of Geordi La Forge, a character from the sci-fi TV series Star Trek, who is blind from birth but uses different technological devices that allows him to see.

“To set expectations correctly, the vision will first be at low resolution, like Atari graphics, but eventually it has the potential to be better than natural vision and enable you to see in infrared, ultraviolet, or even radar wavelengths, like Geordi La Forge”.

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Co-founded by Elon Musk in 2016, Neuralink specialises in developing innovative brain-computer interfaces to transform treatments for neurological disorders.

Neuralink’s technology includes a brain implant that reads neural signals and wirelessly transmits them to external devices, including computers and mobile devices.

Business World reported that Neuralink is also developing an implant that enables paralysed individuals to control digital devices with their thoughts.

Neuralink is also reported to be conducting a clinical trial with three participants to evaluate the device’s effectiveness in aiding individuals with spinal cord injuries.

In August 2024, it was widely reported that Neuralink successfully implanted its brain-computer interface in a second patient, who is now able to control video games and create 3D designs using just their thoughts.

American govt approves Elon Musk’s Neuralink brain chip to restore vision

International

Major US labour union declines to endorse Harris, Trump

Published

14 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Trends Admin

Former President Donald Trump and United States Vice President Kamala Harris

Major US labour union declines to endorse Harris, Trump

One of America’s most influential labour unions, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, has declined to issue a US presidential endorsement for the first time since 1996.

The union, which boasts some 1.3 million members across the US and Canada, said it had received “few commitments on top Teamsters issues” from either Democratic nominee Kamala Harris or Republican nominee Donald Trump.

It also claimed that polling of its rank-and-file members found “no definitive support” for either candidate, though two of its recent polls indicated lopsided support for Trump.

The move is a major blow to the Harris campaign’s efforts to win over working-class voters with less than 50 days before election night.

An endorsement had the potential to mobilise thousands of Teamsters who live, work and vote in the crucial battleground states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Shortly after the announcement, some Teamsters regional councils representing more than half a million members in Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada and California, said they would be endorsing Harris.

In a statement, the Harris campaign touted its support from “the overwhelming majority of organised labour” and noted that many Teamsters locals have gotten behind her candidacy.

“While Donald Trump says striking workers should be fired, Vice-President Harris has literally walked the picket line and stood strong with organized labour for her entire career,” campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt said.

The union’s rank-and-file – a coalition of members that includes freight drivers, warehouse workers and airline pilots – has long been considered politically diverse.

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General President Sean O’Brien has sought to build inroads with Republicans since he took over leadership of the executive board in 2022.

He has reached out to more populist figures within the party, such as US senators Josh Hawley of Missouri and JD Vance of Ohio, who is now Trump’s running mate.

Mr O’Brien also met privately with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in January, shortly before the former president attended a roundtable with the union’s board at its headquarters in Washington DC.

Following that meeting, Trump said he believed he had a “good shot” at receiving the union’s endorsement.

The board also met with President Joe Biden before he stepped aside as the Democratic nominee, as well as third-party candidates Robert F Kennedy Jr and Cornel West.

But the union alarmed Democrats when it made its first financial contribution to their opponents in years, donating $45,000 (£34,000) – the maximum allowed contribution – each to both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions in February.

Mr O’Brien also became the first Teamsters boss ever to address the Republican National Convention (RNC).

Invited to deliver a prime-time address at the event in Milwaukee, the union head praised Trump as “one tough SOB” but declined to endorse him.

He also later criticised Trump and top campaign surrogate and billionaire businessman Elon Musk over comments in which the two discussed firing workers who threaten to go on strike.

After his decision to speak at the RNC, Mr O’Brien did not receive an invitation from Democrats to address their party convention last month.

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The party instead invited rank-and-file members to represent the organisation and to speak from the convention stage.

Some members of the Teamsters have expressed anger with Mr O’Brien over his right-wing outreach.

Last month, the Teamsters National Black Caucus and six union locals defied national leadership by endorsing Harris on their own and urging members to get behind her.

On Monday, Harris met with the Teamsters board in a long-delayed roundtable that lasted an hour and a half.

A New York Times report described the sit-down as “sometimes tense”, but a Teamsters spokesperson disputed this characterisation when asked by the BBC.

During their meeting, the Times added, Harris told Teamsters leaders: “I’m confident I’m going to win this. I want your endorsement, but if I don’t get it, I will treat you exactly as if I had gotten your endorsement.”

Speaking to reporters after Harris had made her pitch, Mr O’Brien noted that “there wasn’t a whole lot of difference” between the answers she and her predecessor, Biden, had provided.

Biden has routinely touted himself as “the most pro-labour president ever”, pointing to policies that have made it easier for US workers to organise and that have prioritised union labour for federal government projects.

Last September, he made history as the first US president to walk a picket line, when he joined the United Autoworkers in Michigan in a strike against the Big Three US auto companies: General Motors, Ford and Stellantis.

The Biden administration also shored up the Teamsters pension fund to the tune of $36bn, which it says prevented cuts to the retirement incomes of over 600,000 members.

Mr O’Brien and other leaders have also acknowledged on several occasions that Biden has been “great for unions”.

But before he dropped out in July, some reports suggested that the Teamsters did not plan to endorse Biden’s bid for re-election.

Correction: An earlier version of this story was updated to reflect that the Teamsters are the fourth largest, not the largest, US union.

On Wednesday, ahead of its announcement that it would not endorse Harris or Trump, the union released polling data for its members.

In an electronic poll conducted after the RNC, rank-and-file Teamsters voted 59.6% for the union to endorse Trump compared to 34% for Harris.

A separate poll, commissioned in the past week, found Teamsters again backing Trump by a lopsided margin – 58% to 31%.

In spite of those results, the union said in a statement that its “extensive member polling showed no majority support for Vice President Harris and no universal support among the membership for President Trump”.

The Trump campaign quickly lauded the poll numbers on Wednesday.

“While the Teamsters Executive Board is making no formal endorsement, the hardworking members of the Teamsters have been loud and clear – they want President Trump back in the White House,” campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.