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Senin, 22 Februari 2021

US Supreme Court allows release of Trump tax returns - CNA

WASHINGTON: The United States Supreme Court on Monday (Feb 22) paved the way for a New York City prosecutor to obtain former president Donald Trump's tax returns and other financial records as part of a criminal investigation, a blow to his quest to conceal details of his finances.

The justices without comment rebuffed Trump's request to put on hold an Oct 7 lower court ruling directing the former Republican president's long-time accounting firm, Mazars USA, to comply with a subpoena to turn over the materials to a grand jury convened by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, a Democrat.

"The work continues," Vance said in a statement issued after the court's action.

Vance had previously said in a letter to Trump's lawyers that his office would be free to immediately enforce the subpoena if the justices rejected Trump's request.

A lawyer for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority with three Trump appointees, had already ruled once in the dispute, last July rejecting Trump's broad argument that he was immune from criminal probes as a sitting president.

Unlike all other recent US presidents, Trump refused during his four years in office to make his tax returns public. The data could provide details on his wealth and the activities of his family real-estate company, the Trump Organization.

Trump, who left office on Jan 20 after being defeated in his Nov 3 re-election bid by Democrat Joe Biden, continues to face an array of legal issues concerning his personal and business conduct.

READ: Trump seeks return to spotlight with address to conservative meeting

READ: Trump 'offered Kim Jong Un a ride home on Air Force One'

Vance issued a subpoena to Mazars in August 2019 seeking Trump's corporate and personal tax returns from 2011 to 2018. Trump's lawyers sued to block the subpoena, arguing that as a sitting president, Trump had absolute immunity from state criminal investigations.

The Supreme Court in its July ruling rejected those arguments, but said Trump could raise other objections to the subpoena. Trump's lawyers then argued before lower courts that the subpoena was overly broad and amounted to political harassment, but US District Judge Victor Marrero in August and the New York-based 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in October rejected those claims.

Vance's investigation, which began more than two years ago, had focused on hush money payments that Trump's former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen made before the 2016 election to two women - adult-film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal - who said they had sexual encounters with Trump.

In recent court filings, Vance has suggested that the probe is now broader and could focus on potential bank, tax and insurance fraud, as well as falsification of business records.

In separate litigation, the Democratic-led US House of Representatives was seeking to subpoena similar records. The Supreme Court in July sent that matter back to lower courts for further review.

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2021-02-22 15:37:50Z
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Indonesia calls for Asean to hold Myanmar junta to election pledge - The Straits Times

JAKARTA (REUTERS) - Indonesia is pushing South-east Asian neighbours to agree on an action plan over Myanmar's coup that would keep the junta to its promise of holding elections, with monitors to ensure they are fair and inclusive, three sources familiar with the move said.

The proposal from the biggest regional nation falls short of the public demands of protesters and some Western countries for the immediate release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the recognition of the Nov 8 ballot her party won in a landslide.

Two senior officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters a diplomatically led solution had to focus on preventing bloodshed and helping the military to honour its commitment to hold a new election and hand power to the winner.

Protesters have scorned the junta's promise of a new election, saying it should recognise the one held last year. The army staged the coup after the electoral commission rejected its accusations of fraud in the November poll.

But the junta has not given a timetable for a fresh vote.

The UN Security Council, China, the European Union and the United States, among others, have urged the Asean regional grouping to help mediate in the crisis.

The Indonesian plan also calls for Asean to facilitate dialogue between the junta and protesters, according to the two officials, and a third source familiar with it.

An Indonesian foreign ministry spokesman declined to comment on the proposal, saying Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi "will make an announcement after she has completed her consultations with other Asean foreign ministers".

Ms Retno has been travelling across South-east Asia to rally support among Asean's disparate membership for a special summit of foreign ministers on the Myanmar crisis.

Indonesia's proposal has strong support from several Asean countries, but the diplomatic effort under way is challenging, the three sources said.

Asean is governed by consensus decision-making.

Its members range in diversity from Indonesia, the world's third-biggest democracy, to communist one-party states Vietnam and Laos, and one of the world's last absolute monarchies, Brunei. Myanmar is also a member, as are Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

One of the senior officials said denouncing the coup was easy but concrete progress depended on engaging the secretive military, a task Asean was best placed to execute, given its regional standing and relationships.

"This is our family, so our approach will be different," the official added.

The two senior officials, and a regional diplomat, told Reuters that some Asean countries and Indo-Pacific nations were involved in "back channel" talks with some of the junta, urging compromise and no repeat of past bloody crackdowns on dissent.

"The message we want to send to Myanmar is, you are facing a different situation to the past," the senior official said.

But persuading Myanmar to participate in the proposed Asean special summit was proving difficult, the two senior officials said. Initially, it rejected an invitation from Asean chair Brunei, saying the coup could be discussed at a scheduled meeting of Asean foreign ministers in August.

Myanmar's government spokesman and foreign minister did not respond to requests from Reuters for comment.

One possible compromise was to hold the summit at the Asean secretariat in Jakarta and not explicitly say it was about Myanmar, the two officials said.

It was crucial for Asean to act strongly on Myanmar, said Dr Dewi Fortuna Anwar, a foreign policy analyst based in Jakarta.

"If Asean does nothing, it will lose credibility," she said. "Its claims to centrality in the Indo-Pacific will be shot down."

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2021-02-22 09:42:11Z
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Protests swell after Myanmar junta raises spectre of force - CNA

YANGON: Protesters gathered in Myanmar’s biggest city on Monday (Feb 22) despite the ruling junta’s thinly veiled threat to use lethal force if people answered a call for a general strike opposing the military takeover three weeks ago.

Despite roadblocks around the US Embassy in Yangon, more than a thousand protesters gathered there, while 20 military trucks with riot police had arrived nearby.

The crowds gathered after supporters of the Civil Disobedience Movement, a loosely organised group leading the resistance, called for people to unite on Monday's date for a "Spring Revolution".

For protester Kyaw Kyaw in the main city of Yangon, losing pay to join the strike was a small price to pay.

"Nothing's going to happen if my salary is cut but if we stay under a military dictatorship we'll be slaves," he said.

In the capital Naypyidaw, where the military is headquartered, a police water cannon truck and a fleet of other vehicles closed in to break up a procession of chanting protesters who scattered when police on foot rushed in, wrestling several to the ground.

The response of security forces this month has been less deadly than in earlier bouts of turmoil in almost half a century of direct military rule but three protesters have been killed - two shot dead in Mandalay on Saturday, and a woman who died on Friday after being shot more than a week earlier in Naypyidaw.

The army has said one policeman died of injuries sustained during the protests.

Many civil servants have been staying away from work as part of the civil disobedience campaign and government services have been crippled. The military has accused protesters of intimidation and provoking violence.

The junta warned against the general strike in a public announcement carried last Sunday on state television broadcaster MRTV.

"Protesters are now inciting the people, especially emotional teenagers and youths, to a confrontation path where they will suffer loss of life," the broadcaster said.

Facebook said on Monday it had removed MRTV's pages for violations of its standards, including its violence and incitement policy. On Sunday, it deleted the military's main page for the same reason.

READ: Myanmar protesters grieve as funeral rites held for woman who was shot in head

Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar Feb 22 — Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar on Feb 22, 2021. (Photos: Naung Kham)

The junta's statement also blamed criminals for past protest violence, with the result that "the security force members had to fire back". Three protesters have been shot dead so far.

The protest movement has embraced nonviolence and only occasionally got into shoving matches with police and thrown bottles at them when provoked.

In Yangon, trucks cruised the streets Sunday night blaring warnings against attending gatherings of five or more people. A ban on such gatherings was issued shortly after the coup but not widely enforced as cities saw large daily demonstrations.

READ: Myanmar protesters gather again after worst day of violence

Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar Feb 22 (2) — Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar on Feb 22, 2021. (Photos: Naung Kham)

The government warning did not put people off.

"We need to come out," said San San Maw, 46, at a main rallying point in Yangon.

Later, riot police lined up, apparently preparing to disperse protesters from outside a UN office, but the crowd broke up after singing a festive song that features the line: "Goodbye, we're going."

Crowds elsewhere in Yangon melted away by late afternoon.

As well as local stores, international chains announced closures on Monday, including Yum Brands KFC and delivery service Food Panda, owned by Delivery Hero. Southeast Asian company Grab stopped delivery services too, but left its taxis running.

Authorities were "exercising utmost restraint", the foreign ministry said. It rebuked some countries for remarks it described as interference in Myanmar's internal affairs.

The ominous signs of potential conflict drew attention outside Myanmar, with the US reiterating that it stood with the people of Myanmar.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Twitter the US would take firm action "against those who perpetrate violence against the people of Burma as they demand the restoration of their democratically elected government".

“We call on the military to stop violence, release all those unjustly detained, cease attacks on journalists and activists, and respect the will of the people,” spokesman Ned Price said on Twitter.

READ: Myanmar protesters' call for general strike draws junta threat

Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar Feb 22 (3) — Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar on Feb 22, 2021. (Photos: Naung Kham)

Britain, Germany and Japan have condemned the violence and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the military to stop the repression.

The generals put up with years of sanctions after crushing the 1988 protests and are likely to shrug off pressure again.

The army seized power after alleging fraud in Nov 8 elections in which Aung San Suu Kyi's party trounced a pro-military party, detaining her and much of the party leadership. The electoral commission dismissed the fraud complaints.

Myanmar's Assistance Association for Political Prisoners said 640 people have been arrested, charged or sentenced since the coup, including former members of government and opponents of the coup.

Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar Feb 22 (6) — Police are seen in Yangon, Myanmar on Feb 22, 2021. (Photos: Naung Kham)

Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar Feb 22 (7) — Police are seen in Yangon, Myanmar on Feb 22, 2021. (Photos: Naung Kham)

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2021-02-22 09:18:47Z
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Protests swell after Myanmar junta raises spectre of force - CNA

Despite roadblocks around the US Embassy in Yangon, more than a thousand protesters gathered there, while 20 military trucks with riot police had arrived nearby.

The crowds were gathering after supporters of the Civil Disobedience Movement, a loosely organised group leading the resistance, called for people to unite on Monday's date for a "Spring Revolution".

The junta warned against the general strike in a public announcement carried last Sunday on state television broadcaster MRTV.

“It is found that the protesters have raised their incitement towards riot and anarchy mob on the day of 22 February. Protesters are now inciting the people, especially emotional teenagers and youths, to a confrontation path where they will suffer the loss of life,” the onscreen text said in English, replicating the spoken announcement in Burmese.

READ: Myanmar protesters grieve as funeral rites held for woman who was shot in head

The junta's statement also blamed criminals for past protest violence, with the result that "the security force members had to fire back". Three protesters have been shot dead so far.

The protest movement has embraced nonviolence and only occasionally got into shoving matches with police and thrown bottles at them when provoked.

READ: Myanmar protesters gather again after worst day of violence

The authorities overnight also tried to block off key streets with barriers including tractor-trailers with flattened tires, but they were swept aside by protesters.

The ominous signs of potential conflict drew attention outside Myanmar, with the US reiterating that it stood with the people of Myanmar.

READ: Myanmar protesters' call for general strike draws junta threat

Earlier Sunday, crowds in Myanmar’s capital attended a funeral for the young woman who was the first person confirmed to have been killed in the protests, while demonstrators also mourned two other protesters who were shot dead on Saturday.

Demonstrators turned out in force in Mandalay, the country’s second-biggest city, where security forces shot dead two people on Saturday near a dockyard where the authorities had been trying to force workers to load a boat. The workers, like railway workers and truckers and many civil servants, have joined the civil disobedience campaign.

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The junta prevented Parliament from convening Feb 1, claiming the elections last November, won by Aung San Suu Kyi's party in a landslide, were tainted by fraud. The election commission that affirmed the victory has since been replaced by the junta, which says a new election will be held in a year’s time.

The coup was a major setback to Myanmar’s transition to democracy after 50 years of army rule that began with a 1962 coup. Aung San Suu Kyi came to power after her party won a 2015 election, but the generals retained substantial power under a military-drafted constitution.

Under the junta, 640 people have been arrested, charged or sentenced, with 593, including Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, still in detention, according to the independent Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

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Protests swell after Myanmar junta raises spectre of force - CNA

Despite roadblocks around the US Embassy in Yangon, more than a thousand protesters gathered there, while 20 military trucks with riot police had arrived nearby.

The crowds were gathering after supporters of the Civil Disobedience Movement, a loosely organised group leading the resistance, called for people to unite on Monday's date for a "Spring Revolution".

The junta warned against the general strike in a public announcement carried last Sunday on state television broadcaster MRTV.

READ: Myanmar protesters grieve as funeral rites held for woman who was shot in head

The junta's statement also blamed criminals for past protest violence, with the result that "the security force members had to fire back". Three protesters have been shot dead so far.

The protest movement has embraced nonviolence and only occasionally got into shoving matches with police and thrown bottles at them when provoked.

READ: Myanmar protesters gather again after worst day of violence

The authorities overnight also tried to block off key streets with barriers including tractor-trailers with flattened tires, but they were swept aside by protesters.

The ominous signs of potential conflict drew attention outside Myanmar, with the US reiterating that it stood with the people of Myanmar.

READ: Myanmar protesters' call for general strike draws junta threat

[embedded content]

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Minggu, 21 Februari 2021

Japan requests airlines avoid Boeing 777 with certain engines as US aviation authority issues new directive - CNA

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2021-02-21 23:59:33Z
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Australia starts COVID-19 vaccine roll-out amid controversy - CNA

MELBOURNE: Australia launched its public roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine on Monday (Feb 22) amid protests over the campaign, including a vocal show of opposition by crowds at the final of the Australian Open.

Around 60,000 doses are set to be given this week, starting with frontline workers - from healthcare staff to hotel quarantine employees and police - and residents of aged care homes.

Morning television news programmes showed the first shots being administered to medical and quarantine staff in Melbourne and Sydney, a day after Prime Minister Scott Morrison received his jab in a "curtain-raiser" event aimed at convincing Australians the vaccine was safe.

The launch was overshadowed by scattered but vocal anti-vaccine protests in major cities, capped by an outburst by tennis fans at the men's final of the Australian Open on Sunday night.

During the awards ceremony after Novak Djokovic won his ninth Australian Open title, Tennis Australia chair Jayne Hrdlicka sparked a loud chorus of boos from the crowd of 7,500 when she mentioned hopes that the vaccine roll-out would help end the disruption of professional sports caused by the pandemic.

The fans also jeered loudly when Hrdlicka thanked authorities in Melbourne and surrounding Victoria state for helping to ensure that the season's first Grand Slam could go ahead.

READ: Australia won't advertise COVID-19 vaccine on Facebook but vows publicity

READ: New Zealand begins COVID-19 vaccinations programme, Australia starts Monday

The tournament was unsettled by the COVID-19 crisis from the start, with players forced to quarantine for two weeks on arrival in Australia and fans barred from attending matches during a five-day mid-tournament lockdown ordered by Victoria to contain a small coronavirus outbreak.

Despite the protests, public opinion polls indicate that some 80 per cent of eligible Australians are willing to be vaccinated.

Australia has been one of the world's most successful countries in containing the coronavirus thanks to the quick closure of the country's borders and aggressive measures to clamp down on outbreaks through lockdowns and intensive testing and contact tracing programmes.

The vaccination campaign is beginning with imported doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and a later phase will use locally manufactured AstraZeneca shots.

The government says it will complete the vaccination drive in the country of 25 million by October.

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments

Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram

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2021-02-21 23:00:19Z
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