#AceBreakingNews – A suicide attack at a tuition centre in the Afghan capital Kabul has killed at least 19 people, most of them female students, police and witnesses say.
Relatives and medical staff shift a wounded girl from an ambulance outside a hospital in Kabul
Nearly 30 others were wounded at the Kaaj education center in the Dasht-e-Barchi area in the west of the city.
Students had been sitting a practice university exam when the bomber struck. No group has yet claimed the attack.
Many of those in the area are minority Hazaras, who have often been targeted by Islamic State (IS) militants.
Footage on local TV and shared on social media appeared to show scenes from a nearby hospital, where rows of covered bodies were laid out on the floor. Other media reportedly from the site of the private college showed rubble and upturned tables in the damaged classrooms.
“We didn’t find her here,” a woman who was looking for her sister at one of the hospitals told AFP news agency. “She was 19 years old.”
Eyewitnesses told the BBC that most of the victims were girls. A student who was wounded told AFP that there were around 600 people in the room when the attack happened.
Friends and relatives have been looking for their loved ones in hospitals in the capital
The Kaaj tuition centre is a private college which teaches both male and female students. Most girls’ schools in the country have been closed since the Taliban returned to power in August last year, but some private schools are open.
The Hazaras are Afghanistan’s third largest ethnic group:
Hazaras, most of whom are Shia Muslims, have long faced persecution from IS and the Taliban, which both adhere to Sunni Islam.
On Friday the Taliban’s interior ministry spokesman said security teams were at the site and condemned the attack.
Abdul Nafy Takor said attacking civilian targets “proves the enemy’s inhuman cruelty and lack of moral standards”.
The attack was also strongly condemned by the United Nations and the US.
” Targeting a room full of students taking exams is shameful; all students should be able to pursue an education in peace and without fear,” said Karen Decker, charge d’affaires at the US mission to Afghanistan, in a tweet.
The security situation in Afghanistan, which had improved after the end of fighting following the Taliban takeover, has been deteriorating in recent months, with a number of attacks on civilians but also Taliban supporters. Some have been claimed by IS, which is a bitter rival of the Taliban.
Schools and hospitals have been targeted in the Dasht-e-Barchi area in a series of attacks, most of which are thought to have been the work of IS.
Last year – before the Taliban returned to power – a bomb attack on a girls school in Dasht-e-Barchi killed at least 85 people, mainly students, and wounded hundreds more.
Editor says โฆSterling Publishing & Media Service Agency is not responsible for the content of external site or from any reports, posts or links, and can also be found here on Telegram: https://t.me/acenewsdaily and all wordpress and live posts and links here: https://acenewsroom.wordpress.com/and thanks for following as always appreciate every like, reblog or retweet and free help and guidance tips on your PC software or need help & guidance from our experts AcePCHelp.WordPress.Com
#AceBreakingNews – Moscow tries to draft fleeing Russian men at the borders
LARSI, Georgia (AP) โ Long lines of Russians trying to escape being called up to fight in Ukraine continued to clog highways out of the country on Wednesday, and Moscow reportedly set up draft offices at borders to intercept some of them.
North Ossetia, a Russian region that borders Georgia, declared a state of โhigh alertโ and said that food, water, warming stations and other aid should be brought in for those who have spent days in queues. Volunteers on the Georgian side of the border also have brought water, blankets and other assistance.
North Ossetia restricted many passenger cars from entering its territory, and set up a draft office at the Verkhy Lars border crossing, Russian news agencies said. Some media outlets released photos at the crossing showing a black van with โmilitary enlistment officeโ written on it.
Another such draft checkpoint was set up in Russia along the Finnish border, according to the independent Russian news outlet Meduza.
Tens of thousands of Russian men have fled in the week since President Vladimir Putin announced a mobilization to bolster struggling Russian forces in Ukraine. Although Putin said the callup was โpartial,โ aimed at calling up about 300,000 men with past military service, many Russians fear it will be much broader and more arbitrary than that. There are numerous reports of men with no military training and of all ages receiving draft notices.
Aleksandr Kamisentsev, who left his home in Saratov for Georgia, described the scene on the Russian side of the border.
โItโs all very scary โ tears, screams, a huge number of people. There is a feeling that the government does not know how to organize it. It seems that they want to close the border, but at the same time they are afraid that protests may follow, and they let people leave,โ he told the AP.
He said he decided at the last moment to leave โbecause I am not going to kill my Ukrainian brothers or go to prison.โ
Protesters carrying Georgian and Ukrainian flags and signs like โRussia Killsโ greeted Russians at the border Wednesday. Giga Lemonjava of the political party Droa, which organized the protest, said the evacuees threaten Georgiaโs security and economy.
One protester, Helen Khoshtaria, tweeted: โWe organized a protest at the border today so that the incoming Russians know how we feel about their `Russian world.โโ
Russians have been crossing by car, bicycle, scooter and on foot.
There also are long lines at the border with Kazakhstan, which has taken in more than 98,000 Russians in the past week.
Editor says โฆSterling Publishing & Media Service Agency is not responsible for the content of external site or from any reports, posts or links, and can also be found here on Telegram: https://t.me/acenewsdaily and all wordpress and live posts and links here: https://acenewsroom.wordpress.com/and thanks for following as always appreciate every like, reblog or retweet and free help and guidance tips on your PC software or need help & guidance from our experts AcePCHelp.WordPress.Com
#AceBreakingNews – Queen Elizabeth II died of old age, her death certificate has revealed: An extract from the National Records of Scotland released today revealed the 96-year-old monarch died at 3.10pm on September 8 at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland according to Deadline News by Jesse Whittock
The certificate was issued on September 16 and no other factors were listed in her death.
The Queenโs passing led to an official period of mourning in the UK that ended on September 19, the day of her state funeral at Westminster Abbey, which was one of the biggest broadcasting events in history and attended by the likes of Joe Biden,ย Killing Eveโsย Sandra Oh and Emmanuel Macron. A period of Royal mourning followed the funeral, ending this week.
The Queen ruled as monarch for 70 years, making her the longest-serving monarch in history.
King Charles succeeded her as monarch and has this week had his royal cypher (emblem) revealed, as the 73-year-old beds into his new role as the UKโs figurehead.
Editor says โฆSterling Publishing & Media Service Agency is not responsible for the content of external site or from any reports, posts or links, and can also be found here on Telegram: https://t.me/acenewsdaily and all wordpress and live posts and links here: https://acenewsroom.wordpress.com/and thanks for following as always appreciate every like, reblog or retweet and free help and guidance tips on your PC software or need help & guidance from our experts AcePCHelp.WordPress.Com
#AceBreakingNews – Apple removed all apps owned by VK, a Russian tech company that owns Russiaโs Facebook-like social network VKontakte, Mail.ru, Youla classifieds, and VK Music according to to Reclaim News
Apple confirmed that the apps were removed from the App Store to comply with new sanctions.
” These apps are being distributed by developers majority-owned or majority-controlled by one or more parties sanctioned by the UK government,โ a spokesperson for Apple said:
” In order to comply with these sanctions, Apple terminated the developer accounts associated with these apps, and the apps cannot be downloaded from any App Store, regardless of location. Users who have already downloaded these apps may continue to use them.โ
Earlier this week, the UK government enforced new sanctions on Russian oligarchs because of the recent referendums the Russian government held in some parts of Ukraine. The sanctions affect executives at Gazprombank, which is affiliated with VK. The companyโs CEO, Vladimir Kiriyenko, was sanctioned by the US back in February for being Putinโs ally.
Google is yet to remove VK apps from the Play Store.
VK is the second-largest internet company in Russia, after Yandex, the countryโs version of Google.
Editor says โฆSterling Publishing & Media Service Agency is not responsible for the content of external site or from any reports, posts or links, and can also be found here on Telegram: https://t.me/acenewsdaily and all wordpress and live posts and links here: https://acenewsroom.wordpress.com/and thanks for following as always appreciate every like, reblog or retweet and free help and guidance tips on your PC software or need help & guidance from our experts AcePCHelp.WordPress.Com
#AceDailyNews says here are today’s Newspaper Headlines: It all about ‘ Blunder Truss ‘ as ‘ Clueless PM ‘ as ‘ BOE Buys Gilt Bonds of Debt ‘ to avert a crisis in ‘ Debt Markets ‘ that affects people’s Pensions Kindness & Love XX says ๐๐’s to ‘ God For Common Sense ‘ to prevail Amen
The economic turmoil following the government’s mini-budget continues to dominate the papers. The Mirror leads with the ยฃ65bn programme of bond-buying launched by the Bank of England on Wednesday, saying the intervention stopped the country’s pension funds “going bust” and that the whole episode has left Britain “on the brink”.The Financial Times says the programme – which involves the injection of billions of pounds of newly-minted money into the economy – was intended to prevent a vicious cycle in which pensions funds have to sell bonds held as assets to pay their creditors, pushing the price further down and triggering more sell-offs. It quotes one senior banker saying: “I was worried [Wednesday] was the beginning of the end. It was not quite a Lehman moment. But it got close.”“Squeaky fund time”, reads the headline in The Sun. The paper describes Wednesday as “the day ยฃ1,000,000,000,000 was nearly wiped off our pensions”.The Telegraph says the crisis has sparked public and private alarm among Tory back benchers, but that Downing Street has dismissed any suggestion the chancellor will have to resign. It also quotes Gerard Lyons, an economist and informal advisor to the prime minister, saying he warned both her and the chancellor about the need to “make sure the markets fully understood what they were doing and that they mustn’t spook the markets”.The prime minister is facing pressure from her MPs to sack the chancellor and reverse the abolition of the 45p tax rate because it has gone down badly with voters, the Guardian reports. The paper also quotes Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accusing the government of “losing control of the economy” and calling for Parliament to be recalled ahead of the Conservative Party conference this weekend.Government departments have been ordered to draw up “efficiency plans” to help reduce the deficit, the i reports, adding that public sector cuts are now “on the way”.The Star carries a picture of Mr Kwarteng at a meeting with senior bankers, but with an added red nose. A speech bubble reads: “So, does ANYONE have a clue what I’m doing?”Former chancellor and runner-up for the Tory leadership Rishi Sunak will not attend the Conservative Party conference, the Metro reports. Mr Sunak said repeatedly during televised debates with Ms Truss that her economic plans were “irresponsible” and risked defeat at the next election. The paper quotes a source saying Mr Sunak wants to “give Truss all the space she needs to own the moment”. It is, the paper says, “a Rish best served cold”.And the Mail reports that a smartphone allegedly used by David Norris, one of the killers of Stephen Lawrence, to send texts and selfies from his prison cell was found inside his body after an X-ray. The paper says specialist equipment was used to scan Mr Norris after it tipped off the Ministry of Justice and that a “large rectangle object” was located in an “intimate place”.
Most of the front pages feature the figure ยฃ65bn – the size of the package announced by the Bank of England on Wednesday to protect Britain’s pension funds.
The Guardian says the emergency move was needed to halt what it calls a “doom loop” in the bond markets, and a 2008-style financial crisis, in the wake of last week’s mini-budget.
A senior City banker tells the Financial Times that he thought Wednesday morning was “the beginning of the end” because there were no buyers for long-dated government bonds. “It was not quite a Lehman moment, ” he says, “but it got close”.
In its editorial, the paper says the central bank is having to pick up the pieces from what it calls a reckless mini-budget. It warns that while the Bank can prop up markets for now, the government must urgently restore Britain’s economic credibility.
The Sun says markets were spooked by the decision to cut taxes for the richest, but that Prime Minister Liz Truss and Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng have “inexplicably left a void for critics to fill” by not providing independent forecasts on the impact of the tax cuts.
The Times describes the Bank’s action as highly unusual and says economists are warning the decision to buy billions of pounds of government debt could fuel inflation. The paper also says borrowers could have to prove that they can afford interest rates of up to 7% to qualify for a mortgage because markets now expect the Bank of England to increase the cost of borrowing further and faster, with the base rate forecast to peak at 5.5% next spring.
According to the i, Ms Truss and Mr Kwarteng now face “Tory fury”. The Telegraph says it has been told by a former Tory cabinet minister that the pair are pursuing a “cowboy-style economic policy”. The paper says Downing Street has dismissed any suggestion that Mr Kwarteng could resign.
Editor says โฆSterling Publishing & Media Service Agency is not responsible for the content of external site or from any reports, posts or links, and can also be found here on Telegram: https://t.me/acenewsdaily and all wordpress and live posts and links here: https://acenewsroom.wordpress.com/and thanks for following as always appreciate every like, reblog or retweet and free help and guidance tips on your PC software or need help & guidance from our experts AcePCHelp.WordPress.Com
#AceBreakingNews – Markets up after Bank of England bond-buying pledge according to BBC Business Today
The announcement came after Friday’s mini-budget sparked financial market turmoil and the pound plunged: Investors also demanded higher returns on government bonds, or “gilts,” causing some to slide in value.
Speaking in New York on Wednesday, new UK trade secretary Kemi Badenoch defended the government’s economic policies.
However, gains early in the trading day tapered off towards the close with Japan’s benchmark Nikkei index ending 0.9% higher, Australia’s ASX 200 up by 1.4% and the Kospi in South Korea less than 0.1% higher.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng reversed earlier gains to trade 0.8% lower.
That came after New York’s main stock indexes rebounded from a six-day losing streak to end Wednesday’s trading day around 2% higher.
The pound was down by around 1% at below $1.08, after earlier making strong gains on Wednesday after the Bank of England’s bond-buying announcement.
The currency hit a record low on Monday after chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng unveiled plans to tax cuts, funded by borrowing, in a push to boost economic growth.
Analysts said the Bank’s pledge to buy government bonds at an “urgent pace” to help restore “orderly market conditions” had helped to calm market volatility.
“The Bank of England’s intervention has supported market optimism,” Jun Bei Liu, portfolio manager at Tribeca Investment Partners in Sydney, told the BBC.
“It reversed a previous view of the UK going into a hard landing and debt spiralling out of control,” she said.
Yeap Jun Rong, market strategist at online trading platform IG, said the move had “provided some much-needed relief to recent market jitters.”
In New York, the UK’s international trade secretary used her first visit to the US since taking the role to try to shore upk investor confidence.
“You would by now have heard the Bank of England is taking short-term measures to provide stability, as is their job,” Ms Badenoch said.
“And we must look at all of this in the context of the fundamentals, which are that the UK economy is strong and we have a plan, a growth plan to cut taxes, promote enterprise, and cut red tape for business,” she added.
Editor says โฆSterling Publishing & Media Service Agency is not responsible for the content of external site or from any reports, posts or links, and can also be found here on Telegram: https://t.me/acenewsdaily and all wordpress and live posts and links here: https://acenewsroom.wordpress.com/and thanks for following as always appreciate every like, reblog or retweet and free help and guidance tips on your PC software or need help & guidance from our experts AcePCHelp.WordPress.Com
#AceBreakingNews – Energy Bills: Householders urged to read meters before October price rise: This will stop suppliers from from estimating usage and charging a higher rate for energy used before 1 October: From next month, the price cap for the average annual household energy bill will rise from ยฃ1,971 to ยฃ2,500 – an increase of 27%.
By Marita Moloney BBC News
The cap, frozen by the government, determines the cost per unit, but bills are calculated by how much energy is used: The government announced the energy price cap would be frozen until 2024, to limit soaring energy costs.
It means that bills for an average household – one that uses 12,000 kWh (kilowatt hours) of gas a year, and 2,900 kWh of electricity a year – will not rise above ยฃ2,500…………………However, if you use more gas or electricity than that, you will pay more.
Energy UK, the industry body, said customers should check the best way to submit their meter readings before 1 October.
Most suppliers will allow for a few days on either side of that date to send their readings without penalizing people in light of the “unprecedented” situation.
It added that high call volumes and website traffic were expected, and service providers had offered numerous channels for people to submit their readings.
“This week, every household across the UK must make sure it submits a meter reading to their energy firm to avoid paying a penny more than they absolutely have to when prices go up on 1 October,” said Energy Action Scotland boss Frazer Scott.
“Fuel poverty is at record levels, levels of energy efficiency improvements are simply too low to provide respite and financial support is just a sticking plaster on the deepest of wounds.”
Every household in the UK will receive a one-off ยฃ400 fuel bill discountfrom next month. This will be paid directly to customers’ energy accounts over six months in instalments of ยฃ66 and ยฃ67.
A first instalment of ยฃ326 has already been paid to low-income households on certain benefits and tax credits.
On Tuesday, energy regular Ofgem published a review which found that most energy suppliers need to improve how they help struggling customers pay their bills.
Campaigners have warned millions of people will still face fuel poverty this winter – meaning a household spends 10% or more of its income on energy.
Citizens Advice recommends that customers who are not able to pay their bills should contact their supplier directly and offer to come up with a payment plan.
Editor says โฆSterling Publishing & Media Service Agency is not responsible for the content of the external site or for any reports, posts, or links, and can also be found here on Telegram: https://t.me/acenewsdaily and all WordPress and live posts and links here: https://acenewsroom.wordpress.com/and thanks for following as always appreciate every like, reblog or retweet and free help and guidance tips on your PC software or need help & guidance from our experts AcePCHelp.WordPress.Com
#HurricaneIan batters Florida coast with high-speed winds: Hurricane Ian made landfall at around 15:10 local time (19:10 GMT) on Wednesday, smashing into the coast with wind speeds of 241km/h (150mph).
The town of Fort Myers Beach was almost submerged by floodwaters, and some homes could be seen floating downstream, along with cars after Hurricane Ian made its way through Florida
Dramatic scenes saw a hospital roof blown off, cars submerged and trees ripped out of the ground.
Ian has now been downgraded from a category four to a category one storm.
However, Floridians have been warned that the most dangerous 24 hours lay ahead and the mayor of Tampa has urged people to shelter in place through the night into Thursday morning.
“We are going to get the majority of the rain and the higher winds starting about 20:00, and they are going to last throughout the night,” Jane Castor said during a Wednesday evening briefing.
In Lee County – the south-west region where Ian made landfall – police were prevented from responding to reports of looting at a petrol station because of the storm damage.
As a result, a curfew has been declared “until further notice”.
Lee County Manager Roger Desjarlais said that the Fort Myers community “has been – to some extent – decimated”. According to news agency AFP, some neighbourhoods in the city of 80,000 had been left resembling lakes.
State Governor Ron DeSantis described Hurricane Ian as the “biggest flood event” south-west Florida had ever seen, and announced that 7,000 National Guard troops are ready to lead rescue operations in flood zones.
President Joe Biden will receive a briefing on Thursday from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
A flooded street in Fort Myers, Florida
Hurricane Ian is now continuing to move north through Florida. Jacksonville International Airport, based in north-east Florida, cancelled all flights scheduled for Thursday.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Ian is going at around eight miles per hour, and is forecast emerge into the Atlantic by Thursday morning.
It is expected to reach Georgia and South Carolina on Friday and will still be at hurricane strength when it does, the NHC said.
Virginia has also joined Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida by declaring a state of emergency.
Cuba’s western coast was hit by Hurricane Ian on Tuesday. Power has now been restored in some areas after the island was plunged into a total blackout. Two people are understood to have been killed in Cuba and more than 20 Cuban migrants are believed to be missing at sea.
Editor says โฆSterling Publishing & Media Service Agency is not responsible for the content of the external site or from any reports, posts, or links, and can also be found here on Telegram: https://t.me/acenewsdaily and all WordPress and live posts and links here in: https://acenewsroom.wordpress.com/and thanks for following as always appreciate every like, reblog or retweet and free help and guidance tips on your PC software or need help & guidance from our experts AcePCHelp.WordPress.Com
For many years l was not involved in ‘ Reading News ‘ in fact l found it quite ‘ Heart-Breaking ‘ it was written to evoke a response and it evoked many responses from Me – Anger – Sorrow – Laughter – Sorry – To name but a few but just to say Feelings
But God had a purpose for Me a reason for Me to become able one day in My Heart to provide the News as it Happens across the World and so many many years ago l started surfing the web – l mean to Me surfing was all about ‘ Water and a Board on the Waves ‘ that people’s was How Naive l was – Oh l understood that people used the internet and that at the time it was a method of using a phone line on ‘ Dial Up ‘ and that is how it started for Me
Now l called this blog post ‘ Breaking ‘ – l suppose l should have said News but l knew that l was a ‘ Knowledge Seeker ‘ and wanted needed to provide best possible information to people and above all the Truth – But in the beginning, the Truth eluded Me l read many thousands of emails signing up for every news provider l came across following every link and yes clicking it and learning as God was teaching Me
A few years later l was just Beginning to Understand l was a ‘ News Provider ‘ some call ‘ News Hound ‘ looking and searching for not the News only but the ‘ Breaking News ‘ and it took a lot of work finding what was the Truth and people l found had there were many versions of the Truth and l learned ‘ Nobody Was Right or Wrong ‘ now this was ‘ Breaking News ‘ – l suppose l should say My first Breaking News and l realized that it was simply an interpretation of facts and eventually the subject line very often bore no resemblance to the article or post l was reading – So l set about writing my learning and being taught as always by the hand of God – Yes l call it that as l found what l wrote came through Me, not from Me – Let Me Explain
Some people write from the Head and others write from the Heart and up to that second l wrote from My Head – l suppose l should call it My Mind (well God had asked through Adam for My Mind) so he must have had a purpose and that was l learned to use My knowledge and then one day this day it would come through Me not from Me and so it did and here l am today writing to you Readers about How l got Here and that is Breaking with Kindness & Love In Peace & Truth
#AceBreakingNews – Australian economist Sean Turnell sentenced to three years in prison in a secret trial in Myanmar
Australian economist Sean Turnell, pictured with his wife Ha Vu, has been detained in Myanmar for more than 18 months. (Supplied)none
Australian economist Sean Turnell has been sentenced to three years in a Myanmar jail for violating the country’s official state secrets act.
The Sydney economist was working in Myanmar as an adviser to former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, but was arrested in February 2021 when the country’s military seized power in a coup.
He has always denied the charges against him.
His trial was held behind closed doors in a military court in the capital Naypyidaw.
Australian officials and the media were banned from the court room and lawyers were gagged from speaking publicly.
Ha Vu, Turnell’s wife, said the news was “heartbreaking”.
“It’s heartbreaking for me, our daughter, Sean’s 85-year-old father, and the rest of our family to hear that my husband, Professor Sean Turnell, was convicted and sentenced to 3 years’ imprisonment,” she said in a statement.
“Sean has been one of Myanmar’s greatest supporters for over 20 years and has worked tirelessly to strengthen Myanmar’s economy.
“My husband has already been in a Myanmar prison for almost two-thirds of his sentence. Please consider the contributions that he has made to Myanmar, and deport him now.”
Sean Turnell’s wife Ha Vu says the news of his conviction is heartbreaking.(Supplied)none
Turnell has been in detention for almost 20 months.
It was not immediately clear if the time Turnell has spent in detention would be deducted from his sentence.
He was arrested five days after the military takeover by security forces at a hotel in Yangon, the country’s biggest city, while waiting for a car to take him to the city’s international airport.
He had arrived back in Myanmar from Australia to take up a new position as a special consultant to Ms Suu Kyi less than a month before he was detained.
Myanmar’s colonial-era official secrets act criminalises the possession, collection, recording, publishing, or sharing of state information that is “directly or indirectly, useful to an enemy”.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison.
According to local media reports, Turnell was accused of having classified documents in his possession.
He reportedly told the court these were not classified, but simply his economic advice to the civilian government.
Ms Suu Kyi was also sentenced to three years for violating the official state secrets act.
She had already been sentenced to 17 years’ jail for other offences.Turnell was charged alongside Aung San Suu Kyi.(LinkedIn)none
A case of ‘hostage diplomacy’
Prior to the verdict, a source close to the court told the ABC Turnell had been in good health, both physically and mentally, during the trial.
His reaction to the military court’s decision is not yet known.
Observers have frequently described his case as one of “hostage diplomacy”, which the Myanmar embassy in Australia has denied.
For months he was held in the country’s notorious Insein prison in Yangon, before being relocated to a special military court inside a prison compound in the capital Naypyidaw, where Suu Kyi is also being held.Prior to the verdict, Sean Turnell a court source told the ABC he was in a good condition physically and mentally.(Supplied: Myanmar state media)none
‘A nice bloke on trumped up charges’
Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, called for the economist’s immediate release.
“The politically motivated conviction of Australian Sean Turnell is a cruel injustice,” she said.
“He was convicted after a trial in closed court without proper access to legal counsel.
“It’s critical that the Australian government take all necessary steps to pressure Myanmar’s junta to immediately release Turnell and send him home.”Tim Harcourt says Turnell’s focus was on reducing poverty.(Supplied: Tim Harcourt)none
Friend Tim Harcourt, an economist and professor at the University of Technology Sydney, has known Turnell for 40 years.
“He’s a great economist, nice bloke and a great human being,” he said.
“His main cause in life is to reduce poverty around the world and he’d developed particular expertise in Myanmar.”
He said Turnell had been detained on “trumped up charges”.
“Hopefully common sense and justice can prevail and Sean can return to his wife and family in Australia soon.”
Both Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, as the ASEAN chair, and UN special envoy on Myanmar Noeleen Heyzer made appeals to junta leader Min Aung Hlaing at the request of the Australian government.
Australia’s top priority in Myanmar
In a statement, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the Australian government rejected Thursday’s court ruling and called for his immediate release.
“The Australian Government has consistently rejected the charges against Professor Turnell during the more than 19 months he had been unjustly detained by the Myanmar military regime.”
“We will continue to take every opportunity to advocate strongly for Professor Turnell until he has returned to his family in Australia.”
She said Australia’s Chargรฉ d’Affaires and consular officials in Myanmar “made every effort to attend the verdict but were denied access to the court”.
In the wake of the coup, the Australian government has ended military cooperation with the Myanmar army, also called the Tatmadaw, and downgraded diplomatic relations.
Australia has imposed no new sanctions since the coup, although Foreign Minister Penny Wong has said targeted economic sanctions are under active consideration.Multiple appeals have been made to Myanmar military Senior General Min Aung Hlaing for Turnell’s release. (AP: Aung Shine Oo)none
She has repeatedly said that Turnell is Australia’s top priority in Myanmar.
The Foreign Minister said consular assistance would continue to be provided and asked that his family’s privacy be respected.
Since the military coup, more than 2,300 people have been killed by the junta, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.
More than 15,000 have been arrested, more than 1.3 million people have been displaced, 28,000 homes have been destroyed and villages had been burned.
The ABC has also approached the Myanmar Embassy in Australia and the Myanmar Information Ministry.
Previously the embassy in Canberra said Turnell had consular phone access to his family and to Australian officials in Yangon, but did not answer the ABC’s questions about why consulate staff were unable to observe the proceedings.
“[The] State Administration Council has never practised such a kind of hostage diplomacy,” the embassy told the ABC in an email this week.
On the “unwanted” anniversary of Turnell’s imprisonment in February, his wife Ha Vu said “in our wildest dream or imagination, we never ever thought we would face this kind of challenge”.
The day after the military’s takeover, he posted a message on Twitter that he was: “Safe for now but heartbroken for what all this means for the people of Myanmar. The bravest, kindest people I know. They deserve so much better.”
The last interview Turnell gave was to the BBC. He was forced to cut the call short as he was being detained “and perhaps charged with something, I don’t know what that would be, could be anything at all of course”.
The last thing he said was: “Yes, I’m OK,” before hanging up.
Editor says โฆSterling Publishing & Media Service Agency is not responsible for the content of external site or from any reports, posts or links, and can also be found here on Telegram: https://t.me/acenewsdaily and all wordpress and live posts and links here: https://acenewsroom.wordpress.com/and thanks for following as always appreciate every like, reblog or retweet and free help and guidan3ce tips on your PC software or need help & guidance from our expertsAcePCHelp.WordPress.Com
