The US increased sanctions on Myanmar’s military junta on Wednesday, with measures against two adult children of armed forces commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing and businesses under their control.
“We will continue to work with a broad coalition of international partners to promote accountability for coup leaders, those responsible for this violence and other abuses and those who benefit financially from the regime,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
“We will not hesitate to take further action against those who instigate violence and suppress the will of the people.
"These sanctions are directed at those responsible for the coup, in support of the people of Burma.”
The sanctions were placed on Gen Hlaing’s children, Aung Pyae Sone and Khin Thiri Thet, and six companies they control.
They are A & M Mahar, Sky One Construction, The Yangon Restaurant, The Yangon Gallery, Everfit Company and Seventh Sense.
“The indiscriminate violence by Burma’s security forces against peaceful protesters is unacceptable,” said Andrea Gacki, the director of the Treasury Department office overseeing sanctions.
“The United States will continue to work with our international partners to press the Burmese military and police to cease all violence against peaceful protesters, and to restore democracy and the rule of law in Burma.”
US President Joe Biden signed an executive order in February imposing sanctions on Burmese coup leaders and their family members after the removal of Myanmar’s democratically elected government and imprisonment of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint.
The initial sanctions focused on Gen Hlaing and nine other coup leaders, and three companies. The US also imposed trade sanctions on the military last week.
Mr Blinken said that the military has killed 53 people since the coup and detained more than 1,7000 people.
“The United States calls on the international community to speak with one voice in support of the people of Burma who, in spite of the brutal violence perpetrated by Burmese security forces, continue to demonstrate courage and determination in their efforts to reject the military coup,” Mr Blinken said.
“We urge the military to restore the democratically elected government, cease all attacks on peaceful protesters, immediately release all those unjustly detained and stop attacks on and intimidation of journalists, civil servants and activists.”
The announcement came as he gave his first testimony as Secretary of State before Congress on Wednesday.
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Name: Cofe
Year started: 2018
Based: UAE
Employees: 80-100
Amount raised: $13m
Investors: KISP ventures, Cedar Mundi, Towell Holding International, Takamul Capital, Dividend Gate Capital, Nizar AlNusif Sons Holding, Arab Investment Company and Al Imtiaz Investment Group
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Catchweight 60kg: Mohammed Al Katheeri (UAE) beat Mostafa El Hamy (EGY) TKO round 3
Light Heavyweight: Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) no contest Kevin Oumar (COM) Unintentional knee by Oumer
Catchweight 73kg: Yazid Chouchane (ALG) beat Ahmad Al Boussairy (KUW) Unanimous decision
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Middleweight: Yousri Belgaroui (TUN) beat Sallah Eddine Dekhissi (MAR); Round-1 TKO
Lightweight: Abdullah Mohammed Ali Musalim (UAE) beat Medhat Hussein (EGY); Triangle choke submission
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Lightweight: Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Saleem Al Bakri (JOR); Unanimous decision
Bantamweight: Ali Taleb (IRQ) beat Nawras Abzakh (JOR); TKO round-2
Catchweight 63kg: Rany Saadeh (PAL) beat Abdel Ali Hariri (MAR); Unanimous decision
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Industry: E-grocery
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What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
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High profile Al Shabab attacks
- 2010: A restaurant attack in Kampala Uganda kills 74 people watching a Fifa World Cup final football match.
- 2013: The Westgate shopping mall attack, 62 civilians, five Kenyan soldiers and four gunmen are killed.
- 2014: A series of bombings and shootings across Kenya sees scores of civilians killed.
- 2015: Four gunmen attack Garissa University College in northeastern Kenya and take over 700 students hostage, killing those who identified as Christian; 148 die and 79 more are injured.
- 2016: An attack on a Kenyan military base in El Adde Somalia kills 180 soldiers.
- 2017: A suicide truck bombing outside the Safari Hotel in Mogadishu kills 587 people and destroys several city blocks, making it the deadliest attack by the group and the worst in Somalia’s history.
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Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
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Investors: Founder's friends and Family
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
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Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
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- 1917– 3
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Profile of Udrive
Date started: March 2016
Founder: Hasib Khan
Based: Dubai
Employees: 40
Amount raised (to date): $3.25m – $750,000 seed funding in 2017 and a Seed round of $2.5m last year. Raised $1.3m from Eureeca investors in January 2021 as part of a Series A round with a $5m target.
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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
