CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M

Sacklers, States Near Bigger Purdue Pharma Opioid Settlement

Jeremy Hill
Mon, January 31, 2022


(Bloomberg) -- Members of the billionaire Sackler family that own Purdue Pharma LP are close to a deal to increase their contribution to the OxyContin maker’s sweeping opioid settlement, court papers show.

The family and a handful of state attorneys general that have been opposing Purdue’s opioid settlement are nearing a deal that would provide a “substantial” additional contribution on top of the $4.325 billion the company’s owners already pledged, according to the court documents.

The potential deal follows mediation sessions that spanned 100 phone calls and two lengthy in-person gatherings.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Shelley C. Chapman is overseeing the mediation and delivered the update in a written report Monday evening. She has spoken directly with members of the Sackler family, their lawyers, and attorneys general that worked to overturn the settlement on appeal, according to the report. The dissenting states include Washington, Connecticut and Maryland.

Chapman asked to extend the mediation until Feb. 7 so the parties can finish settlement negotiations. Purdue is due back in bankruptcy court on Tuesday.

The bankruptcy case is Purdue Pharma LP, 19-23649, U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York (White Plains).

Myanmar, climate activists among Nobel Peace Prize nominees


The civil disobedience movement in Myanmar has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, a Norwegian supporter says (AFP/Ye Aung THU)
Ye Aung THU

Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has surfaced as a likely Nobel Peace Prize nominee (AFP/Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD)



Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg is a likely nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize 


Pope Francis has long been touted as a likely nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize 

(AFP/Filippo MONTEFORTE)


British broadcaster and conservationist David Attenborough is a likely nominee for the Nobel Peace 


Pierre-Henry DESHAYES
Tue, 1 February 2022,

Myanmar's defenders of democracy, a Belarus opposition leader, the pope, and environmental activists like Greta Thunberg and David Attenborough have emerged as likely nominees for the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize.

Following the January 31 deadline for nominations, several names are believed to have made it onto this year's list, as those eligible to nominate are allowed to reveal their choice.

But the complete list is kept a well-guarded secret for 50 years, as stipulated by the Nobel statutes.

On Tuesday, the first anniversary of Myanmar's February 1, 2021 military coup that toppled Aung San Suu Kyi, a Norwegian lawmaker said he had nominated Myanmar's self-proclaimed shadow government, the "National Unity Government".

"It's the only legitimate government in Myanmar", Ola Elvestuen, a member of parliament for the small Liberal Party, told AFP.

The NUG was formed last April and is made up of dissident lawmakers in hiding or exile, many of them from Suu Kyi's party.

The country was plunged into chaos after the junta grabbed power by alleging massive fraud during elections in late 2020 which Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won by a landslide.

Myanmar's civil disobedience movement has also been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, proposed by a Norwegian university professor.

Thousands of people are eligible to submit nominations for the prestigious prize, including lawmakers and cabinet members of all countries, former laureates and some university professors.

The five members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee can also submit their own personal preferences at their first meeting of the year, on March 4.

- Knee-deep for the climate -

Many of the names believed to have been put forth this year have been in the running for several years, including Pope Francis, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, and tireless British environmentalist David Attenborough, who has been nominated together with UN biodiversity experts.

Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya is the favourite candidate of the Peace Research Institute of Oslo (PRIO).

She "has played a leading role in non-violently challenging (President Alexander) Lukashenko and the Belarusian authorities, calling both for fair elections and an end to violence against those demonstrating against the abuses of the current regime", said PRIO director Henrik Urdal.

Meanwhile, another Norwegian MP said he had nominated Tuvalu's Foreign Minister Simon Kofe, who made headlines for giving a speech to the COP26 climate summit while filmed knee-deep in ocean water.

"Tuvalu and the other Pacific island nations are doing an important job in waking us up to solve the world's greatest threat to long-term peace: The climate crisis", Guri Melby wrote in a post on Twitter.

Other names cited in Norwegian media include the Arctic Council, WikiLeaks, whistleblower Chelsea Manning, Iranian women's rights activist Masih Alinejad who campaigns against mandatory use of the hijab, and NATO, as tensions flare between the West and Russia over Ukraine.

The world's focus has been on the Covid-19 pandemic for two years, and individuals or organisations fighting for better health are also likely to have been nominated.

Being nominated for a prize is however in no way a sign of approval by the Nobel committee.

The name of this year's laureate will be announced in October in Oslo.

Last year, the prize went to two journalists fighting for freedom of information, Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Russia's Dmitry Muratov.

phy/po/lc

Israel to free Spanish aid worker jailed for funding militants

AFP , Tuesday 1 Feb 2022

An Israeli judge agreed Tuesday to the early release of Spanish aid worker Juana Rashmawi, who was jailed in November for illegally funding a Palestinian militant group, her lawyer said.

File Photo: Spanish aid worker Juana Rashmawi at the Israeli military court of Ofer near Jerusalem. AFPLinkedIn

Attorney Avigdor Feldman said he expected Rashmawi to be freed within a week, provided the state does not appeal the parole board decision to release her early from her 13-month sentence

"This was the right decision, it was supposed to be taken a month ago and the prosecution or the state has no grounds to appeal this decision," Feldman told AFP.

"I hope she will be released in next seven days."

Rashmawi was sentenced in November after a military court convicted her of working with an organisation that it said was funding the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a leftist militant group blamed for previous attacks on Israelis.

She had already spent some months in custody awaiting trial which were counted towards her sentence, her lawyer said.

Rashmawi had been working for a Palestinian group, the Union of Health Work Committees, which Israel said funnelled European donations to the PFLP.

In 2020, Israel banned the aid group from working in the occupied West Bank.

In her November plea deal, Rashmawi claimed she did not know the health organisation had been funding the PFLP.

The deal required her to pay a fine of 50,000 shekels (nearly $16,000). She was arrested in April last year, and Feldman said she signed the deal to avoid a lengthy trial.

"In the indictment against her, it says very clearly that she was not aware that the money was transferred from the organisation to the PFLP, if it was transferred," Feldman said.

"It was not proven even that the money was transferred."

Rashmawi holds Spanish citizenship and the Spanish ambassador to Israel attended the parole board hearing in Nazareth on Tuesday at which the decision was handed down.

Judge Chanan Efrati wrote that he approved Rashmawi's early release in part because "the prisoner is an older woman and this is her first incarceration ... It's reasonable to assume that after her release she will leave Israel for Spain, where her family lives."

The military court sentenced Rashmawi just weeks after Israel outlawed six prominent Palestinian civil society groups, charging that they too were fronts for the PFLP -- an allegation the groups denied.

The United Nations and European governments which have donated funds to the banned groups have asked to see concrete evidence from Israel of the allegations against them.

Amnesty joins other rights group in condemning Israeli 'apartheid'

"Israel is not perfect, but it is a democracy committed to international law and open to scrutiny," said Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid 

(AFP/GIL COHEN-MAGEN)

Guillaume LAVALLÉE
Tue, February 1, 2022, 2:39 AM·3 min read

Amnesty International on Tuesday labelled Israel an "apartheid" state that treats Palestinians as "an inferior racial group," joining the assessment of other rights groups which the Jewish state vehemently rejects.

"Israel's cruel policies of segregation, dispossession and exclusion across all territories under its control clearly amount to apartheid," said Amnesty's secretary general Agnes Callamard.

"Whether they live in Gaza, east Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank, or Israel itself, Palestinians are treated as an inferior racial group and systematically deprived of their rights."

Israel's Foreign Minister Yair Lapid strongly rejected the claims as "divorced from reality" and charged that "Amnesty quotes lies spread by terrorist organisations".

A year ago, Israeli-based rights group B'Tselem drew fire when it asserted that Israeli policies had been designed to enforce "Jewish supremacy from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea" and met the definition of "apartheid".

New York-based Human Rights Watch in April last year became the first major international rights group to publicly level the controversial allegation.

The report by London-based Amnesty builds on those previous calls in asserting that Israeli-enforced apartheid exists in occupied Palestinians territories and within Israel itself, where Arab citizens make up more than 20 percent of the population.

Amnesty stressed it was not comparing Israel's treatment of Palestinians with conditions in apartheid-era South Africa but said Israeli conduct and policies met the criteria for the crime of apartheid under international law.

Israel's foreign ministry has called on Amnesty to "withdraw" the report.

"Amnesty was once an esteemed organisation that we all respected," said Lapid. "Today, it is the exact opposite."

- 'Open to scrutiny' -

"Israel is not perfect, but it is a democracy committed to international law and open to scrutiny," said Lapid, who is also Israel's alternate prime minister.

He also charged that Amnesty had an anti-Semitic agenda.

"I hate to use the argument that if Israel were not a Jewish state, nobody in Amnesty would dare argue against it, but in this case, there is no other possibility," he said.

The president of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald Lauder, said Amnesty's report "does absolutely nothing to offer a constructive way forward and has no real interest in promoting the human rights of Palestinians".

"It will only serve, like previous similar prejudiced reports, to fuel the fires of anti-Semites under the guise of political correctness."

Callamard countered that "a critique of the practice of the State of Israel is absolutely not a form of anti-Semitism.

"Amnesty International stands very strongly against anti-Semitism, against any form of racism," she said.

Briefing reporters on Tuesday, Callamard also dismissed charges that Amnesty "was singling out" Israel, highlighting the group's work on Israel's arch foe Iran and on China, among other places.

- 'Avenues to justice' -

Israel has controlled the West Bank and east Jerusalem since 1967. Some 700,000 Jews now live alongside Palestinians in both areas, in settlements regarded as illegal under international law.

The Palestinian Authority, which has civilian control over parts of the West Bank, praised Amnesty for its "courageous and fair" work on behalf of the Palestinian people.

Hamas, which has controlled Gaza since 2007 and is considered a terrorist organisation by much of the West, also welcomed the report and applauded Amnesty's "professionalism".

Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005 but has maintained a blockade of the coastal territory since the Hamas takeover.

The International Criminal Court has opened an investigation into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict expected to focus in part on possible war crimes committed during the 2014 conflict in Gaza.

Amnesty called on the ICC "to consider the crime of apartheid in its current investigation".

It also urged the United Nations Security Council to "impose targeted sanctions, such as asset freezes, against Israeli officials most implicated in the crime of apartheid".

It said the international community needed to "face up to the reality of Israeli apartheid and pursue the many avenues to justice which remain shamefully unexplored".

Callamard also told AFP that international "fatigue" to address the plight of Palestinians was "not an option".

gl/bs/fz

Israel to remove two commanders over death of Palestinian-American


Palestinian-American Omar Asad is laid to rest in the village of Jiljilya in the occupied West Bank following his death in Israeli custody during a security operation last month (AFP/JAAFAR ASHTIYEH) (JAAFAR ASHTIYEH)

Tue, February 1, 2022, 

The Israeli army is to strip two officers of their commands and reprimand a third following the death of an elderly Palestinian-American detained during a security operation in the occupied West Bank, it said on Tuesday.

The Palestinian Authority welcomed the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death last month of 78-year-old Omar Assad, but called on Israel to probe all Palestinian deaths at the hands of Israeli troops, not just those involving US passport holders.

Assad's death had sparked calls for an investigation from the US State Department and from members of Congress from Wisconsin, where he had lived for decades, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

The Israeli army said his death during a late-night security operation in the village of Jiljilya, north of Ramallah, on January 12 was a result of "moral failure and poor decision-making".

It said Assad had no identification and "refused to cooperate" when he was stopped by troops. Soldiers tied his hands and gagged him and took him to a nearby building with three other detainees.

When troops released the detainees, they thought Assad was "asleep" and left him where he was, the army said.

A post-mortem found he died of a "stress-induced heart attack caused by the circumstances of his detention by Israeli soldiers," the Palestinians' official news agency Wafa reported.

"The investigation concluded that the incident was a grave and unfortunate event, resulting from a moral failure and poor decision-making on the part of the soldiers," the army said in a statement.

Armed forces chief of staff Lieutenant General Aviv Kochavi said: "Leaving Mr. Assad alone and without checking his condition was a careless act that runs contrary to the values of the Israel Defence Force, at the centre of which is the requirement to protect the sanctity of any human life."

The troops were part of the Netzah Yehuda Battalion of religious Jews.

- 'Faintest of rebukes' -

The investigation was carried out by the head of Central Command, which oversees operations in the West Bank.

As a result of the probe, the battalion commander will be reprimanded, while the platoon and company commanders will be stripped of their commands, but not their ranks, and will "not serve in commanding roles for two years."

The army said the military police are conducting a separate investigation into the case that could lead to criminal charges.

Palestinian Authority spokesman Ibrahim Melhem told AFP he welcomed the investigation but wanted to see broader accountability for Israeli actions.

"Israel makes this investigation because the martyr holds a US passport," Melhem charged.

"There are many more martyrs like Omar killed by the Israeli army but, because they hold only Palestinian identities, no one cares about them."

Israeli human rights group Btselem said Assad was 78 at the time of his detention and accused the army of issuing "the faintest of rebukes" to its officers over his death.

"The fundamental moral failure is that of Israel’s senior echelons, leading a regime of Jewish supremacy, one in which the human life of Palestinians has no value," the group said in a statement.

It said it had recorded 77 Palestinian deaths at the hands of Israeli security forces in the West Bank last year. More than half of those killed were not implicated in any attacks, it added.

dac/kir/dv

Rio Tinto admits culture of 'bullying, sexual harassment, racism'


Australian-based mining giant Rio Tinto released a searing internal report that describes a toxic, white- and male-dominated work culture 

(AFP/WILLIAM WEST)

Tue, February 1, 2022,

Australian-based mining giant Rio Tinto released a searing internal report Tuesday that found sexual assault, bullying and racial discrimination are rife "throughout the company".

Management ordered the investigation after a string of complaints and scandals, including the blowing-up of an ancient Aboriginal site in Western Australia to expand an iron ore mine.

The 85-page report -- based on information from 10,000 employees gleaned over eight months -- described bullying as "systemic" and racism as "common", while stating that sexual harassment occurs "at unacceptable rates".

It describes a toxic, white- and male-dominated work culture in which female employees were asked to perform oral sex, catcalled and forced to keep a list of male colleagues to avoid at night.

Rio's operations span mines, smelters and refineries often in remote Outback locations, with a significant number of the company's 45,450 workers living on-site and hired on fly-in, fly-out contracts.

Twenty-one women reported actual or attempted rape or sexual assault in the past five years and one third said they had been harassed, according to author Elizabeth Broderick, formerly sex discrimination commissioner of Australia.

"Bullying is systemic, experienced by almost half of the survey respondents," the report concluded.

Other Rio staff members reported widespread racism in what they described as a "Caucasian oriented" company.

"I've copped racism in every single corner of this company," said one respondent.

CEO Jakob Stausholm said the report's findings were "deeply disturbing".

"I offer my heartfelt apology to every team member, past or present, who has suffered as a result of these behaviours. This is not the kind of company we want to be."

The report made 26 recommendations, including changes to management oversight and training, and making sure "women and other minority groups are deployed to operational sites as part of a cohort".

Rio has tried to soften its public image in recent years, announcing plans to cut direct carbon emissions 50 percent by 2030 and vowing to overhaul a toxic workplace culture.

The revelation in 2020 that Rio had blown up the 46,000-year-old rock shelters at Juukan Gorge in Western Australia sparked a public backlash and investor revolt that led then CEO Jean-Sebastien Jacques and two top executives to resign.

arb/mcc/leg

Israel’s $10 Billion Answer to Stripe Wants to Crack U.S. Market
Yaacov Benmeleh
Mon, January 31, 2022


(Bloomberg) -- Israel’s most valuable private technology company is in talks to buy a U.S.-based business to establish a foothold in the world’s biggest economy ahead of an initial public offering.

Breaking into the U.S. is part of plans by payments startup Rapyd, last valued at $10 billion in August, to increase its attractiveness to American investors for a potential listing in two to three years, according to Chief Executive Officer Arik Shtilman.

It’s a move that would put the company up against the likes of Stripe Inc., the digital payments company worth $95 billion and among the most valuable startups in the world. Rapyd wants the U.S. to account for 20% of its revenue to address the risk that investors will have a home bias when looking to participate in the company’s eventual share sale, Shtilman said.

“I don’t want to explain to a pension fund looking to invest in my IPO what I’m doing in Brazil,” Shtilman, 42, said in an interview. “Just explaining to Americans where Brazil is on the map is complicated enough.”

Founded in 2015 by Shtilman, Arkady Karpman and Omer Priel, the company’s platform facilitates digital cross-border transactions. It also built a payment network that allows businesses to choose from 900 locally preferred methods in more than 100 countries.

Rapyd raised $600 million in less than a year to fuel its growth, a standout during what was a banner year for Israel’s tech industry.

But the outlook for the sector has become more challenging amid a broader slump in tech shares by investors spooked by the looming rise in U.S. interest rates.

The value of companies like PayPal Holdings Inc., Robinhood Markets Inc., and Block Inc., which surged as businesses and consumers increasingly adopted e-commerce during the pandemic, has taken a beating the past few months.

Undeterred, Rapyd is exploring M&A opportunities to bolster sales in Brazil, Shtilman said.

Backed by funds including BlackRock and Fidelity in its last financing round, the Tel Aviv-based company was already on the cusp of an agreement with a U.S. business until it halted negotiations just before the new year, arguing that the recent equity selloff made the price no longer relevant, Shtilman said, without disclosing the name of the target.

The deal was supposed to be Rapyd’s biggest, “well north” of the $100 million it spent on the Icelandic company Valitor last year, he said. Talks restarted earlier this month, whereby Shtilman said the price will ultimately be “cut in half.”

The company it’s looking to acquire clocked in about $100 million in U.S.-based revenue last year, part of the drive to push sales to between $550 million and $620 million this year, he said. That would be four to five times what Rapyd generated in 2021 when excluding contributions of businesses it acquired, according to Shtilman.

War for Talent

One of the flashiest and most aggressive startups in Israel, Rapyd has also spent big in order to attract tech talent that is in short supply.

In October, Rapyd flew in some of the world’s most renowned DJs for a private party of 1,400 people on its roof deck in Tel Aviv, garnering some criticism for the event’s lavishness.

Read more: Dubai Is Bait in War for Coder Talent Fought by Israel Firms

The buzz around the party created so much interest that Rapyd hired 102 engineers in Israel in one quarter, boosting the workforce by 20%, Shtilman said.

The company is planning another large event in March on Purim, a Jewish holiday that features costumes among other traditions.

To mark the occasion, Rapyd is planning a bash that “will make the last event look like a kindergarten party,” Shtilman said.

Two Killed, 38 Injured In Myanmar Rally Attack On Coup Anniversary


By Ben Sheppard
01/31/22

Myanmar Coup Timeline 2021: Former Leader Aung San Suu Kyi Charged

Two people were killed and 38 injured in a grenade attack on a pro-military rally in eastern Myanmar on Tuesday, a security official told AFP, as anti-coup protests were held across the country on the first anniversary of the military's power-grab.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place as anti-coup activists marked the coup's anniversary with a silent strike and clapping protests, defying junta orders.

The military takeover that ended the Southeast Asian country's brief democratic interlude and toppled civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi has triggered mass protests and a crackdown on dissent.

Struggling to contain the backlash and contending with daily clashes, the junta has killed more than 1,500 civilians, according to a local monitoring group. Swathes of the country are under the control of anti-coup fighters.

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi could face sentences tallying more than 100 years in prison Photo: AFP / STR

Residents across commercial hub Yangon and in the city of Mandalay clapped en masse at 4 pm (0930 GMT), AFP correspondents and locals said, marking the end of a "silent strike" against the coup.

"We were clapping," one Mandalay resident said. "Other houses in my neighbourhood clapped as well."

Ten people were arrested for taking part in the clapping protest in Yangon, local media reported.

The junta had ordered shops to stay open Tuesday but the streets of Yangon began emptying at 10 am, a scene that was repeated in Mandalay and the southern Tanintharyi region.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said 'The Tiananmen demonstrations are echoed in the struggle for democracy and freedom in Hong Kong' Photo: AFP / Peter PARKS

Mandalay's famous jade market had opened in the morning but saw little traffic, a resident told AFP.

"I'm staying at home playing online games to participate in the silent strike."


A similar shutdown in December emptied the streets of cities and towns across the country, but Tuesday's was also marked by violence against the junta.

Two people were killed and 38 injured in a grenade attack as crowds returned from a pro-military rally in the eastern town of Tachileik a security official told AFP.

Before the coup -- a rally in support of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2019 as she prepared to defend Myanmar at the International Court of Justice in The Hague against accusations of genocide against Rohingya Muslims Photo: AFP / STR

Local media also reported the incident that took place around noon in eastern Shan state, a region of the country that has seen comparatively little coup-related violence.



Ahead of the anniversary, the junta had threatened to seize businesses that shutter and warned that noisy rallies or sharing anti-military "propaganda" could lead to treason or terrorism charges.

"If the strike is shaping up as is reported, it is a thunderous silence, a resounding rebuke of military rule," David Mathieson, an analyst formerly based in Myanmar, told AFP.

Factfile on Myanmar's detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Photo: AFP / John SAEKI

On Tuesday morning, local media showed isolated flash mobs in Yangon and Mandalay, where protesters unfurled pro-democracy banners and set off flares.

Photos released by the junta's information team on Tuesday painted a picture of normalcy in the country, including competitors finishing a marathon in the southern Bago region and a religious celebration.

Undated video handouts showed pro-military demonstrations in unspecified parts of the country, some holding national flags and chanting slogans in support of the army.

Others held banners denouncing the "People's Defence Forces" that have sprung up to fight the military and dealt painful blows to junta troops with guerilla ambushes and mine attacks.

The United States, Britain and Canada unveiled coordinated sanctions on Myanmar officials Monday, including those involved in the trial of ousted leader Suu Kyi.

Washington sanctioned Attorney General Thida Oo, Supreme Court Chief Justice Tun Tun Oo and Anti-Corruption Commission chairman Tin Oo, all of whom it said were closely involved in the "politically motivated" prosecution of Suu Kyi.

Citing "unspeakable violence against civilians", the undermining of regional stability and "rampant" corruption, US President Joe Biden said he was working with allies to "hold accountable" those responsible.

But the UN's Special Rapporteur on Myanmar said the international community needed to do more.

"The fact that one year has elapsed with no Security Council Resolution imposing a comprehensive arms embargo -- as arms continue to flow to the junta and kill innocent people -- is unacceptable," said Tom Andrews.

"The people of Myanmar deserve better from the United Nations."

Suu Kyi has been detained since the coup, and faces a raft of charges from election fraud to breaching the official secrets act, and faces over 100 years in jail.

The day before the anniversary, the junta announced the Nobel laureate will face a new trial for electoral fraud during 2020 polls in which her National League for Democracy party trounced a military-backed rival.

Several senior members of the national electoral commission have also been arrested since the coup, accused of masterminding the NLD's landslide victory.

The junta cancelled the results of the 2020 election in July last year, saying it had found some 11.3 million instances of fraud.

Independent monitors said the polls were largely free and fair.

Myanmar coup anniversary: Government in exile urges France to act against junta

Tue, 1 February 2022, 


One year ago, the military seized power in Myanmar by force. The country has since descended into civil war fraught with human rights violations, but the international community has resisted imposing measures against the military regime. Members of Myanmar's exile government spoke in Paris on January 31 about the role France and other countries can play against the junta.

In the weeks after the coup in Myanmar, on February 1, 2021, the international community unanimously condemned the military seizure of power. French president Emmanuel Macron even sent a Tweet in Burmese, declaring his support for the people of Myanmar and calling for an “immediate end to suppression”.

One year later, the country is in the midst of a civil war in which the military regularly meets popular resistance to its regime with extreme violence. More than 1,500 civilians have been killed and nearly 9,000 arrested, charged or sentenced by the junta according to figures from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners Burma, which has also reported cases of rape, torture and extrajudicial execution. Yet the international community has stalled in taking concrete measures against the junta leader, general Min Aung Hlaing.

Aung Myo Min, the minister for human rights in Myanmar's government-in-exile, the national unity government (NUG), emphasized that point repeatedly at press conference in Paris on Monday, January 31.

“The international community needs to increase pressure on the junta," he said. “There have been a lot of words. Unfortunately without follow-up action, they are just hot air.”

The UN made a similar appeal on Friday, January 28. “It is time for an urgent, renewed effort to restore human rights and democracy in Myanmar and ensure that perpetrators of systemic human rights violations and abuses are held to account,” said Michelle Bachelet, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, in a statement.

The same day, multiple NGOs, including Human Rights Watch, also called on the UN Security Council to adopt a global arms embargo, a measure that China and Russia have so far refused.

In Myanmar, the NUG asked the international community to provide humanitarian aid as the country now risks falling into economic crisis and hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced due to fighting.

‘The legitimate government of Myanmar’

For Aung Myo Min the priority is international recognition of the NUG. Formed shortly after the coup, the exile government is made up of MPs from the National League for Democracy (NLD) party formed by Aung San Suu Kyi, representatives from ethnic minority groups and civilians. With most members exiled abroad, the members work remotely to restore democracy in Myanmar.

“We are the legitimate government of Myanmar… Many members of our government were elected democratically during the last elections, and we have the support of the people”, said Aung Myo Min, who is also an advocate for LGBT rights in the country.

So far, France is one of just a handful of countries, also including the Czech Republic and Canada, to have initiated the process of formally recognising the NUG as Myanmar's official government. On October 5, 2021, the French Senate passed a motion confirming this intention and the issue is now under discussion in the Assemblée nationale, the lower house of parliament.

‘France could play a key role’

“France could play a key role in the fight against the military junta,” said Alex Aung Khant, representative for the exile government in France and grandnephew of Aung San Suu Kyi, speaking at Monday’s press conference. The two countries share strong ties. French people represent the largest group of western expatriates in Myanmar, and some French businesses including Bouygues, JCDecaux and TotalEnergies have offices located in the country, some of which have now closed.

“The Senate made a courageous choice. Now the government must follow,” he said. “At a time when France has taken on the presidency of the European Union, it could really take a leadership role on this issue”.

If the NUG were recognised as Myanmar's official government, one notable change is that it would be able to formally demand aid from the UN. “And it would be a strike against the military, which is trying to impose itself at the international level,” added Alex Aung Khant.

Until then, the NUG is limited in the action it can take. “We work mainly via social media to keep in contact with civilians on the ground” said Aung Myo Min. “We are increasing communication campaigns to encourage members of the military to quit the army. We are trying to send basic necessities to help resistance groups. And the rest of the time we concentrate on amplifying the voices of the Burmese people overseas.”

<<'I couldn’t kill innocent people': Myanmar soldiers defect to join resistance

Hitting the junta in the wallet

Beyond diplomacy, both men called for an increase in economic sanctions against the junta, an embargo on supplying it with weapons and for arrest warrants for some junta generals.

In the build-up to the 12-month anniversary of the coup, some private companies have introduced their own sanctions. On January 21, TotalEnergies announced it would cease all activities in Myanmar, a move strongly supported by the pro-democracy movement. Shortly after, others followed their lead including American energy company Chevron and Australian petroleum company Woodside. However, few other large companies have followed suit, despite pressure from NGOs.

“These departures will only have a limited impact on the junta,” said Alex Aung Khant. Revenue from natural gas is the military’s main source of funds, bringing in around one billion US dollars each year. “To really hit them in their wallets, countries need to introduce targeted sanctions that stop this income”, Alex Aung Khant added.

One year after the coup, some countries are starting to do so.

On Monday, January 31, the US announced new economic sanctions against the junta, blocking its property and transactions on US soil. The restrictions, which were part of a joint action with the UK and Canada, target the highest legal powers in Myanmar: public prosecutor Thida Oo, the president of the Supreme Court, Tun Tun Oo, and the head of the anti-corruption commission, Tin Oo, according to a summary from the US Department of the Treasury.

Two companies and four other individuals were also named as targets for their role in providing the junta with weapons, equipment and financial support.

“The United States, along with allies in the United Kingdom and Canada, stands with the people of Burma as they seek freedom and democracy,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Brian E. Nelson, in a statement.

This article was translated from the original in French.

‘Leave or die’: Myanmar refugees recount how they fled the junta

Cyrielle CABOT

One year after Myanmar’s military coup, the country has been plunged into civil war. Facing escalating violence and an uncertain future, tens of thousands of people have fled their homes since the February 1 coup. FRANCE 24 spoke to refugees trying to rebuild their lives abroad, from Thailand to France.

© AFP

“The hardest part was learning French!” says Yadanar with a laugh. The 34-year-old Burmese artist has spent the last three months learning her way around Perpignan, a mid-sized city on France’s Mediterranean coast, near the border with Spain. She divides most of her time between work projects, administrative appointments and her grammar textbooks.

Yadanar left her native Yangon for Germany on April 21, 2021. A few weeks later, she settled in France. “I already travelled a lot, over the last ten years or so, to exhibit my work internationally,” she told FRANCE 24. “The coup just made up my mind to leave for good.”

When General Min Aung Hlaing first staged the coup in Myanmar on February 1, Yadanar wanted to fight. But after three months of protesting almost daily, she decided she would rather leave it all behind. She was able to get a visa quickly thanks to her job.

“At that time, all the foreigners were trying to leave the country. The hardest part was to find a plane ticket,” she says. “But I was among the lucky ones who left early. Today, it’s much more dangerous. The junta makes you fill out a ton of documents to keep track of who’s leaving.”
‘I wanted to learn how to handle weapons. I wanted to fight’

Recently, one of her best friends, Kolat, joined her in France. For a long time, he held out against the idea of fleeing Myanmar. Around the time Yadanar got a on a plane to Germany, “I was leaving for the jungle to train with ethnic armed militias”, he tells FRANCE 24. “I wanted to learn how to handle weapons. I wanted to fight.”

Kolat left his familiar city surroundings for a rebel camp. “Training started at dawn every day. It was extremely demanding, physically. Sometimes, they made us stay three hours in freezing water to test our endurance,” he recalls. “But I was motivated. I thought it was the only way to get rid of the military.”

>> Myanmar democracy movement undeterred despite sentencing of ousted leader Suu Kyi

His hopes faded on returning to Yangon. “We simply didn’t have the weapons to fight,” he says. Anxious that the military would come looking for him, he cut off contact with his family and went from one hideout to another. “I couldn’t do anything. I was stuck.”

With Yadanar’s help, he eventually found a way to follow her to Perpignan. “Thankfully, I had used my artist pseudonym all year,” Kolat says. “Otherwise I could never have showed up at the airport with a passport bearing my real name. I would have been arrested.”

“Today, all my friends have left or want to leave,” Yadanar says. “For those who have stayed, life is hell. The military reigns by fear, prices keep going up and most public services are still shut down by strikes. Children can’t go to school, hospitals aren’t operating….”

International observers share her concern at the economic crisis brought on by Myanmar’s coup. Hundreds of thousands of jobs have been lost and inflation is spiralling. The World Bank expects virtually no growth in 2022, after an estimated 18 percent contraction of the economy in 2021.
Hundreds of thousands displaced

Yadanar and Kolat are among relatively few Burmese citizens who own a passport, a precondition to get on a flight. But across the country, hundreds of thousands have found other ways to flee. Altogether, at least 19,000 have left the country since last February, while more than 400,000 people have been internally displaced, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Myanmar has been plunged into civil war. In several states, especially in border regions, there is daily fighting between the military and ethnic rebel groups, aided by citizens’ militias. The military has confronted these pockets of resistance with brutal force, sometimes attacking entire villages.

On December 25, a local militia discovered the charred remains of more than 30 people including two members of Save the Children on a highway in eastern Kayah state, which borders Thailand. The massacre shook the international community, but human rights groups say it is far from being an isolated incident.

“The situation has severely deteriorated since the fall. War crimes and crimes against humanity have become common,” says Salai Za Uk, executive director of the NGO Chin Human Rights, in a video call with FRANCE 24. The organisation documents attacks on the Chin people, a Christian minority living along the border with India.

“On the ground, our volunteers have seen villagers kidnapped by the military, used as human shields or forced to guide soldiers into the jungle,” he says. “Those who stay are fighting for survival, fleeing from village to village as troops advance. And the military is blocking humanitarian convoys, making it very hard to access basic necessities.”
‘We’re headed straight for a humanitarian catastrophe’

Za Uk, 44, was one of the first to leave his village for the neighbouring Indian state of Mizoram after the February 1 coup. “I lived through the 1988 coup. I knew what to expect,” he says. “I knew the military wouldn’t hesitate to attack the population. And as a defender of minority ethnic rights, I was a target of the junta. It was leave or die.”

Immediately after the coup, he ordered the NGO’s offices closed and packed his bags to leave with his wife. They took refuge among resistance fighters, steps from the river which separates Myanmar from India.

“We spent several weeks there,” Za Uk says. “We didn’t want to go to India, which was in the middle of its Covid-19 crisis. What good would it do escaping the military to die of disease?”

Since then, his village has been entirely destroyed. Watchdog groups say the military has targeted it 14 times, destroying nearly 800 homes and burning down multiple churches.

In Mizoram, Za Uk joins his brother, who stayed there after the 1988 coup. He has resumed his work from a safe distance. Every day, he sees a “continuous flow” of refugees crossing the border. “At first, we saw people like me arriving: politicians, NGO leaders and activists, as well as police and military who defected from the junta,” he says. “Now, we’re welcoming many civilians, especially families, who wanted to flee the violence.”

>> ‘I couldn’t kill innocent people’: Myanmar soldiers defect to join resistance

While the numbers are difficult to count with any precision, Chin Human Rights estimates that 20 percent of Chin state – one of seven states in Myanmar where ethnic minorities predominate – have fled their homes over the last twelve months. That would amount to 80,000 people, of whom 30,000 are now in India, according to the group.

Officially, the Indian authorities do not recognise them as refugees, leaving them without any government assistance.

“In practice, Mizoram has a long history with the Chins. We share a common culture, and many people have family here. A large mutual aid network has taken shape and the local authorities look the other way,” Za Uk says. “But if this influx of refugees continues, we’re headed straight for a humanitarian catastrophe. We won’t have the resources to help everyone.”

‘Even after leaving, we don’t feel free’

Hundreds of kilometres away, Sophia* is hiding out in Thailand. She, too, left Myanmar out of fear, along with her brother and boyfriend.

Lacking documentation, she spoke to FRANCE 24 from a building maintained by the Red Cross, not far from the border.

“I don’t have any money so I can’t buy anything. I eat only what people bring me, often rice,” she said, keeping her voice low. “Anyway, leaving here would be too dangerous. I could be arrested and sent back to my country.”

Before being brought to the small house, she was one of hundreds of villagers living in tents along the Moei river, which separates the two countries.

Thailand has categorically refused any new refugees, with authorities stepping up surveillance along the border in an attempt to stop crossings. In January, the UN Refugee Agency called on the Thai government to allow it access to the area, in order to provide much-needed humanitarian aid.

“From one day to the next, I found myself without anything – no work, no money, no clothes, no home,” Sophia says. “I’m 26 years old, and I no longer have any hopes for the future. Who knows when I’ll be able to leave here?"

Sophia, like all the refugees who spoke to FRANCE 24, hopes for only one thing: to see the junta dissolved so she can return to Myanmar.

For now, besides adapting to her new life, she has to grapple with being far from family and friends, and worrying for their safety. “I’m terrified at the idea that my mother could be arrested, or worse. Soon, it will be the rainy season and it will be even harder to find food and shelter,” she adds.

Yadanar, for her part, is convinced that her parents “never could have adapted to life in France”.

“Even after leaving, we don’t feel free,” she says. “In reality, we are people on the run, stuck in this situation that we didn’t really choose.”

Za Uk tries to stay optimistic, despite everything. “I’ll return to Myanmar soon. I’m sure of it,” he says. “For me, this anniversary brings hope. It shows that, a year later, the population is still resisting. The military doesn’t have control. They won’t win.”

*Name changed

This article has been adapted from the original in French.

The FTC is set to review Microsoft's $68.7 billion Activision takeover

Mariella Moon
·Associate Editor
Tue, February 1, 2022,

Microsoft

Microsoft was most likely ready for rigorous anti-trust scrutiny around the world when it decided to purchase Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion. The deal is the tech giant's biggest yet, and it's also set to become the largest all-cash acquisition ever. In the US, the proposed acquisition will be reviewed the Federal Trade Commission instead of the Justice Department, according to Bloomberg. The two agencies are in charge of investigating mergers in the country and typically decide between themselves which one will take charge of a case.

FTC's investigation will reportedly take a close look at how Microsoft's ownership of Activision could harm rivals by limiting access to the developer's biggest games. Activision owns hugely popular IPs, including Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and Candy Crush. It's unclear if Microsoft has plans to release titles exclusive to Xbox and Window PCs in the future, but it's worth noting Sony is still ahead of Microsoft in terms of gaming hardware sales and that a large chunk of Activision's revenue comes from PlayStation gamers.

Microsoft expects to close the acquisition by June 2023, and it's probably not going to be easy for the company. As Bloomberg notes, the FTC vowed to adopt a more aggressive approach towards investigating mergers and acquisitions last year under new chairperson Lina Khan. In December, the FTC sued to block NVIDIA's $40 billion purchase of ARM over concerns that the deal would stifle competition for various technologies, such as those for data centers and car computers.

A more recent Bloomberg report said NVIDIA is making preparations to walk away from the deal and that current ARM-owner SoftBank is looking to take the company public if the acquisition falls through. Still, the Microsoft seems to be confident that the acquisition will take place — Reuters says the tech giant committed to paying a $3 billion break fee if the deal fails to go through.

Europe’s Renewables Are Crowding Out Gas as Coal Phase-Out Slows

Todd Gillespie
Mon, January 31, 2022




(Bloomberg) -- The European Union’s renewable energy sources are helping reduce its dependence on natural gas that’s still costing the region dearly.

Renewables growth has helped reduce the EU’s dependence on gas, which has soared in price since the middle of last year as the region grapples with a supply crisis that’s dealt blows to industries as well as ordinary consumers’ pockets. More than half of new renewable generation since 2019 has replaced gas power, according to a study by London-based climate think tank Ember, with the rest replacing mainly nuclear and coal sources.

“These are moments and paradigm shifts when governments and businesses start taking this much more seriously,” said Charles Moore, the lead author on the study. “The alternatives are available, they are cheaper, and they are likely to get even cheaper and more competitive. Renewables are now an opportunity, not a cost.”

The high price of gas relative to coal has meant utilities are leaning more on coal as a back-up for renewable generation, which risks the trajectory of Europe’s phase-out of the dirtiest fossil fuel. Last year, the EU’s coal use jumped disproportionately high relative to the rise in power generation as high gas prices boosted the relative profitability of burning coal instead.

Europe Coal Use Jumps as Costly Gas Turns Firms to Dirty Fuel

EU power generation from renewables reached a record high in 2021 of 547 terawatt-hours last year, accounting for an 11% increase compared to two years before, according to Ember’s Europe Electricity Review. It’s more than doubled in a decade, representing a 157% increase since 2011.

Gas use declined last year for the second year in a row, reaching a level 8.1% lower than 2019. By contrast, coal use fell just 3.3% in the same period. Put simply, wind and solar did a great job of replacing coal during 2011-2019 but since then renewables have mostly been nudging out gas-fired power stations.

Ember’s Moore warned that the slowing phase-out of coal might require legislation to accelerate. The International Energy Agency recommends OECD countries cease using coal by the end of the decade to ensure alignment with the Paris Agreement target of keeping the world’s temperature increase below 1.5 Celsius.

“Europe can accelerate the phasing out of coal by building more renewable energy and faster,” said Felicia Aminoff, an energy-transition analyst at BloombergNEF. “Wind and solar have no fuel costs, so as soon as you have made the initial investments to build wind and solar capacity it will start replacing generation that uses any kind of fuel, whether it is coal or gas.”

Overall, EU power sector emissions fell at less than half the rate required to hit that target, Ember’s report said. Spain produced the largest emissions reduction in the last two years, with renewables adding about 25 TWh and gas falling 15 TWh. In contrast, heavy use of coal dragged down the bloc’s climate progress in Poland, where coal use rose about 8 TWh and renewables gained only 4 TWh.