WASHINGTON: Former President Donald Trump on Sunday (Feb 28) hinted at a possible run for president again in 2024, attacked President Joe Biden, and repeated his fraudulent claims that he won the 2020 election in his first major appearance since leaving the White House nearly six weeks ago.
"Our movement of proud, hard-working American patriots is just getting started, and in the end we will win. We will win," Trump said in a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida.
Refusing to admit he lost the Nov 3 presidential election to Joe Biden, Trump offered a withering critique of his Democratic successor's first weeks in office and suggested he might run again.
"They just lost the White House," the Republican former president said after criticising Biden's handling of border security. "But who knows, who knows, I may even decide to beat them for a third time."
Trump’s tumultuous final weeks in office saw his supporters launch a deadly attack on the US Capitol on Jan 6 in an attempt to block Congress from certifying Biden’s election victory, a win that Trump falsely claimed was tainted by widespread fraud.
A civil war has erupted within the Republican Party with establishment figures like Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell eager to put Trump in the rearview mirror and others, like Trump ally Senator Lindsey Graham, believing the party's future depends on the energy of the pro-Trump conservative base.
Trump declared the Republican Party is united and said he had no plans to try to launch a third party, an idea he has discussed with advisers in the last couple of months.
"We’re not starting new parties. We have the Republican Party. It's going to be united and be stronger than ever before. I am not starting a new party," he said.
The results of a straw poll of CPAC conference participants gave Trump a strong show of support with 55 per cent saying they would vote for him in the 2024 Republican presidential nomination race. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis came in second place with 21 per cent.
Without Trump, DeSantis led the field with 43 per cent, and other potential Republican candidates had single digits.
But not everyone supported Trump. A separate question on the poll asked whether Trump should run again in 2024 and it led to a mixed result, with 68 per cent saying he should run and 32 per cent saying opposed or having no opinion.
"It's tough to get seven out of 10 to agree on anything," pollster Jim McLaughlin told CPAC in explaining away the results.
Still, Trump fervor at the four-day CPAC event has been so strong that Trump's eldest son Donald Trump Jr declared it "T-PAC" and participants rolled out a golden statue of the former president.
In the short term, he is making plans to set up a super PAC political organisation to support candidates who mirror his policies, an adviser said.
Starting his speech more than an hour late, Trump said he wanted to save the culture and identity of the United States.
He sought to position himself as the lead critic of the new president, including on immigration and security along the US border with Mexico, and the slow reopening of schools closed due to the pandemic.
"Joe Biden has had the most disastrous first month of any president in modern history," Trump said.
Recent polls have given Biden a job approval rating well past 50 per cent, a strong showing from Americans.
The Biden White House has made it clear it plans to ignore Trump's speech.
“Our focus is certainly not on what President Trump is saying” at CPAC, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters last week.
Myanmar police fired on protests around the country on Sunday (Feb 28) in the bloodiest day of weeks of demonstrations against a military coup and at least 18 people were killed, the UN human rights office said.
Rescue workers told AFP that three men had been shot dead in southern Dawei city, while another two teenagers were killed in the town of Bago.
A sixth person died in Yangon, a lawmaker from Myanmar's ousted civilian government said in a Facebook post.
Myanmar has been in chaos since the army seized power and detained elected government leader Aung San Suu Kyi and much of her party leadership on Feb 1, alleging fraud in a November election her party won in a landslide.
The coup, which brought a halt to tentative steps towards democracy after nearly 50 years of military rule, has drawn hundreds of thousands onto the streets and the condemnation of Western countries.
In this image from a video, anti-coup protesters react as smoke from tear gas rises in Yangon, Myanmar Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021. (AP Phoro)
"Myanmar is like a battlefield," the Buddhist-majority country's first Catholic cardinal, Charles Maung Bo, said on Twitter.
Police were out in force early and opened fire in different parts of the biggest city of Yangon after stun grenades, tear gas and shots in the air failed to break up crowds. Soldiers also reinforced police, Reuters reported.
Several wounded people were hauled away by fellow protesters, leaving bloody smears on pavements, media images showed. One man died after being brought to a hospital with a bullet in the chest, said a doctor who asked not to be identified.
"Police and military forces have confronted peaceful demonstrations, using lethal force and less-than-lethal force that – according to credible information received by the UN Human Rights Office – has left at least 18 people dead and over 30 wounded," the UN office said.
"Deaths reportedly occurred as a result of live ammunition fired into crowds in Yangon, Dawei, Mandalay, Myeik, Bago and Pokokku. Tear gas was also reportedly used in various locations as well as flash-bang and stun grenades."
Among the dead were three people in Dawei in the south, politician Kyaw Min Htike told Reuters from the town.
The Myanmar Now media outlet reported two people had been killed in a protest in the second city of Mandalay. Security forces fired again later in the day and one woman was killed, Mandalay resident Sai Tun told Reuters.
"The medical team checked her and confirmed she didn't make it. She was shot in the head," Sai Tun said.
In this image from a video, anti-coup protesters react as smoke from tear gas rises in Yangon, Myanmar Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021. (AP Phoro)
Police and the spokesman for the ruling military council did not respond to phone calls seeking comment.
The dead in Yangon included a teacher, Tin New Yee, who died after police swooped to disperse a teachers' protest with stun grenades, sending the crowd fleeing, her daughter and a fellow teacher said.
Police also hurled stun grenades outside a Yangon medical school, sending doctors and students in white lab coats scattering. A group called the Whitecoat Alliance of medics said more than 50 medical staff had been arrested.
Police broke up protests in other towns, including Lashio in the northeast, Myeik in the deep south and Hpa-An in the east, residents and media said.
Medicals students display images of deposed Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi during a street march in Yangon, Myanmar, Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021. (Photo: AP)
Students march during an anti-coup rally in Yangon, Myanmar, Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021. (Photo: AP)
"NEVER KNEEL"
Junta leader General Min Aung Hlaing said last week authorities were using minimal force to deal with the protests.
Nevertheless, at least 21 protesters have now died in the turmoil, Reuters reported. The army said a policeman has been killed.
The crackdown would appear to indicate determination by the military to impose its authority in the face of widespread defiance, not just on the streets but more broadly in the civil service, municipal administration, the judiciary, the education and health sectors and the media.
The crackdown would appear to indicate determination by the military to impose its authority in the face of defiance, not just on the streets but more broadly in the civil service, municipal administration, the judiciary, the education and health sectors and the media.
"The Myanmar security forces' clear escalation in use of lethal force in multiple towns and cities ... is outrageous and unacceptable," Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of New York-based Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.
The Canadian Embassy said it was "appalled by a trend of increased violence and use of force against protesters" and Indonesia, which has taken the lead within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in efforts to resolve the turmoil, said it was deeply concerned.
"The people of Myanmar have the right to assemble peacefully and demand the restoration of democracy," Ravina Shamdasani, spokeswoman for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said.
"These fundamental rights must be respected by the military and police, not met with violent and bloody repression."
The office of UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet also reiterated a call for the immediate release of all those arbitrarily detained, including members of the elected government.
"The police and security forces have targeted an ever-increasing number of opposition voices and demonstrators by arresting political officials, activists, civil society members, journalists and medical professionals," said Shamdasani.
"Today alone, police have detained at least 85 medical professionals and students, as well as seven journalists, who were present at the demonstrations.
"Over 1,000 individuals have been arbitrarily arrested and detained in the last month - some of whom remain unaccounted for - mostly without any form of due process, simply for exercising their human rights to freedom of opinion, expression and peaceful assembly.
"The international community must stand in solidarity with the protesters and all those seeking a return to democracy in Myanmar."
A UN spokesman said on Sunday that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemns the violent crackdown in Myanmar and is deeply disturbed by the increase in deaths and injuries.
"The use of lethal force against peaceful protestors and arbitrary arrests are unacceptable,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
"The Secretary-General urges the international community to come together and send a clear signal to the military that it must respect the will of the people of Myanmar as expressed through the election and stop the repression,” Dujarric said.
State-run MRTV television said more than 470 people had been arrested on Saturday when police launched the nationwide crackdown. It was not clear how many were detained on Sunday.
"INSTIL FEAR"
Youth activist Esther Ze Naw said people were battling the fear they had lived with under military rule.
"It's obvious they're trying to instil fear in us by making us run and hide," she said. "We can't accept that."
State television announced on Saturday that Myanmar's UN envoy has been fired for betraying the country, after he urged the United Nations to use "any means necessary" to reverse the coup.
The ambassador, Kyaw Moe Tun, remained defiant. "I decided to fight back as long as I can," he told Reuters in New York.
While Western countries have condemned the coup and some have imposed limited sanctions, the generals have traditionally shrugged off diplomatic pressure. They have promised to hold a new election but not set a date.
Suu Kyi's party and supporters said the result of the November vote must be respected.
Suu Kyi, 75, who spent nearly 15 years under house arrest, faces charges of illegally importing six walkie-talkie radios and of violating a natural disaster law by breaching coronavirus protocols. The next hearing in her case is on Monday.
SINGAPORE - A Singapore Airlines (SIA) cargo plane is undergoing repairs in Brussels after holes were spotted on the bottom of the plane.
SIA said on Sunday evening (Feb 28) that the affected plane was a Boeing 747-400 freighter, which operated on the SQ7951 service from Dallas to Brussels on Feb 26.
The flight crew had conducted the necessary aircraft visual checks according to procedure, said SIA.
The flight then took off and landed in Brussels without incident, the carrier added.
But the plane was "found to have had some damage on its body during a post-flight inspection".
SIA said: "Investigations are underway to determine the cause of the damage.
"The aircraft is undergoing repairs at Brussels and will return to Singapore after the repairs have been completed."
Aviation news website The Aviation Herald had posted photos showing what it said were multiple punctures on the bottom of the plane.
In one photo, a rock is seen stuck in one of the holes.
The website suggested that the damage was caused by stones that were thrown upwards by aircraft wheels while the plane was landing on the runway.
It said initial information had suggested that the stones had fallen off a truck that was being used for renovation works at the Brussels Airport.
It recently said the global crunch in airfreight capacity as carriers cut flights has led to improvements in its cargo loads and yields, amid strong demand for pharmaceutical and e-commerce shipments.
The airline has also added capacity by stepping up the frequency of passenger aircraft operating cargo-only flights, and resumed more passenger services.
"The utilisation of the freighter fleet was also maximised to deliver more cargo capacity," SIA added.
BANGKOK: Police used water cannon and tear gas against protesters in Bangkok on Sunday (Feb 28), outside a military barracks containing the Thai prime minister's residence.
A youth-led protest movement calling for the resignation of Prayut Chan-o-cha's government has lost steam in recent months following a second wave of COVID-19 infections in the country.
But the recent detention of four prominent protest leaders on royal defamation charges has given it a shot in the arm.
The four are among 58 protesters facing lese majeste charges and the prospect of up to 15 years in jail per charge if convicted of insulting the monarchy.
People watch as protesters take part in a demonstration while preparing to march towards the residence of Thailand's Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha in Bangkok on Feb 28, 2021. (Photo: AFP/Jack Taylor)
An estimated 2,000 demonstrators marched from the major Bangkok intersection Victory Monument on Sunday to a nearby military barracks where Prayut lives.
Among the protesters were scores of Myanmar migrant workers rallying against the coup that ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in the neighbouring country at the start of February.
Some Thai protesters marched wearing hard hats and carried red flags. They later pushed through shipping containers and barbed-wire barricades leading to a confrontation with riot police guarding the entrance of the barracks.
Scuffles broke out between riot squad officers and protesters, while some demonstrators were seen pushing a police truck.
"They are preparing everything: Shields, baton, water with some chemical and rubber bullets," one protester at the front line told Thai media.
Amid the tense stand-off, officers used water-cannon trucks and let off tear gas in an attempt to disperse the crowd - the first use of non-lethal force at a Bangkok rally for several months.
Protesters shouted for water and saline as they were sprayed. Some wore raincoats while others held their bare hands in the air or raised three figures - a symbol of resistance.
Thailand's protest movement kicked off last July, and at its peak attracted tens of thousands of mostly young people.
Among the movement's demands are a rewrite of the army-drafted constitution and reforms to the monarchy - a taboo-smashing demand in a country where the ultra-wealthy royal family has long been untouchable.
Myanmar police fired on protests around the country on Sunday (Feb 28) in the bloodiest day of weeks of demonstrations against a military coup and at least 18 people were killed, the UN human rights office said.
Rescue workers told AFP that three men had been shot dead in southern Dawei city, while another two teenagers were killed in the town of Bago.
A sixth person died in Yangon, a lawmaker from Myanmar's ousted civilian government said in a Facebook post.
Myanmar has been in chaos since the army seized power and detained elected government leader Aung San Suu Kyi and much of her party leadership on Feb 1, alleging fraud in a November election her party won in a landslide.
The coup, which brought a halt to tentative steps towards democracy after nearly 50 years of military rule, has drawn hundreds of thousands onto the streets and the condemnation of Western countries.
In this image from a video, anti-coup protesters react as smoke from tear gas rises in Yangon, Myanmar Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021. (AP Phoro)
"Myanmar is like a battlefield," the Buddhist-majority country's first Catholic cardinal, Charles Maung Bo, said on Twitter.
Police were out in force early and opened fire in different parts of the biggest city of Yangon after stun grenades, tear gas and shots in the air failed to break up crowds. Soldiers also reinforced police, Reuters reported.
Several wounded people were hauled away by fellow protesters, leaving bloody smears on pavements, media images showed. One man died after being brought to a hospital with a bullet in the chest, said a doctor who asked not to be identified.
"Police and military forces have confronted peaceful demonstrations, using lethal force and less-than-lethal force that – according to credible information received by the UN Human Rights Office – has left at least 18 people dead and over 30 wounded," the UN office said.
A woman died of a suspected heart attack after police swooped to break up a Yangon teachers' protest with stun grenades, her daughter and a colleague said.
Among the dead were three people in Dawei in the south, politician Kyaw Min Htike told Reuters from the town.
The Myanmar Now media outlet reported two people had been killed in a protest in the second city of Mandalay. Security forces fired again later in the day and one woman was killed, Mandalay resident Sai Tun told Reuters.
"The medical team checked her and confirmed she didn't make it. She was shot in the head," Sai Tun said.
In this image from a video, anti-coup protesters react as smoke from tear gas rises in Yangon, Myanmar Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021. (AP Phoro)
Police and the spokesman for the ruling military council did not respond to phone calls seeking comment.
The dead in Yangon included a teacher, Tin New Yee, who died after police swooped to disperse a teachers' protest with stun grenades, sending the crowd fleeing, her daughter and a fellow teacher said.
Police also hurled stun grenades outside a Yangon medical school, sending doctors and students in white lab coats scattering. A group called the Whitecoat Alliance of medics said more than 50 medical staff had been arrested.
Police broke up protests in other towns, including Lashio in the northeast, Myeik in the deep south and Hpa-An in the east, residents and media said.
Medicals students display images of deposed Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi during a street march in Yangon, Myanmar, Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021. (Photo: AP)
Students march during an anti-coup rally in Yangon, Myanmar, Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021. (Photo: AP)
"NEVER KNEEL"
Junta leader General Min Aung Hlaing said last week authorities were using minimal force to deal with the protests.
Nevertheless, at least 21 protesters have now died in the turmoil, Reuters reportd. The army said a policeman has been killed.
The crackdown would appear to indicate determination by the military to impose its authority in the face of widespread defiance, not just on the streets but more broadly in the civil service, municipal administration, the judiciary, the education and health sectors and the media.
The crackdown would appear to indicate determination by the military to impose its authority in the face of defiance, not just on the streets but more broadly in the civil service, municipal administration, the judiciary, the education and health sectors and the media.
"The Myanmar security forces' clear escalation in use of lethal force in multiple towns and cities ... is outrageous and unacceptable," Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of New York-based Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.
The Canadian Embassy said it was "appalled by a trend of increased violence and use of force against protesters" and Indonesia, which has taken the lead within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in efforts to resolve the turmoil, said it was deeply concerned.
State-run MRTV television said more than 470 people had been arrested on Saturday when police launched the nationwide crackdown. It was not clear how many were detained on Sunday.
"INSTIL FEAR"
Youth activist Esther Ze Naw said people were battling the fear they had lived with under military rule.
"It's obvious they're trying to instil fear in us by making us run and hide," she said. "We can't accept that."
State television announced on Saturday that Myanmar's UN envoy has been fired for betraying the country, after he urged the United Nations to use "any means necessary" to reverse the coup.
The ambassador, Kyaw Moe Tun, remained defiant. "I decided to fight back as long as I can," he told Reuters in New York.
While Western countries have condemned the coup and some have imposed limited sanctions, the generals have traditionally shrugged off diplomatic pressure. They have promised to hold a new election but not set a date.
Suu Kyi's party and supporters said the result of the November vote must be respected.
Suu Kyi, 75, who spent nearly 15 years under house arrest, faces charges of illegally importing six walkie-talkie radios and of violating a natural disaster law by breaching coronavirus protocols. The next hearing in her case is on Monday.
Myanmar police opened fire on Sunday (Feb 28) on protests against military rule, with at least six dead and several injured on the second day of a crackdown on demonstrations across the country.
Rescue workers told AFP that three men had been shot dead in southern Dawei city, while another two teenagers were killed in the town of Bago.
A sixth person died in Yangon, a lawmaker from Myanmar's ousted civilian government said in a Facebook post.
Myanmar has been in chaos since the army seized power and detained elected government leader Aung San Suu Kyi and much of her party leadership on Feb 1, alleging fraud in a November election her party won in a landslide.
The coup, which brought a halt to tentative steps towards democracy after nearly 50 years of military rule, has drawn hundreds of thousands onto the streets and the condemnation of Western countries.
In this image from a video, anti-coup protesters react as smoke from tear gas rises in Yangon, Myanmar Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021. (AP Phoro)
"Myanmar is like a battlefield," the Buddhist-majority country's first Catholic cardinal, Charles Maung Bo, said on Twitter.
Police were out in force early and opened fire in different parts of the biggest city of Yangon after stun grenades, tear gas and shots in the air failed to break up crowds. Soldiers also reinforced police, Reuters reported.
Several wounded people were hauled away by fellow protesters, leaving bloody smears on pavements, media images showed. One man died after being brought to a hospital with a bullet in the chest, said a doctor who asked not to be identified.
A woman died of a suspected heart attack after police swooped to break up a Yangon teachers' protest with stun grenades, her daughter and a colleague said.
Police also opened fire in Dawei in the south, killing three and wounding several, politician Kyaw Min Htike told Reuters from the town.
The Myanmar Now media outlet said two people had been killed in a protest in the second city of Mandalay, Reuters reported.
In this image from a video, anti-coup protesters react as smoke from tear gas rises in Yangon, Myanmar Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021. (AP Phoro)
Police and the spokesman for the ruling military council did not respond to phone calls seeking comment.
Police broke up protests in other towns, including Lashio in the northeast and Myeik in the deep south, residents and media said.
Medicals students display images of deposed Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi during a street march in Yangon, Myanmar, Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021. (Photo: AP)
Students march during an anti-coup rally in Yangon, Myanmar, Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021. (Photo: AP)
"NEVER KNEEL"
Junta leader General Min Aung Hlaing said last week authorities were using minimal force to deal with the protests.
Nevertheless, at least 10 protesters have now died in the turmoil, Reuters reported. The army said a policeman has been killed.
The crackdown would appear to indicate determination by the military to impose its authority in the face of widespread defiance, not just on the streets but more broadly in the civil service, municipal administration, the judiciary, the education and health sectors and the media.
"The Myanmar security forces' clear escalation in use of lethal force in multiple towns and cities ... is outrageous and unacceptable," Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of New York-based Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.
Hundreds of protesters refused to leave the streets by early afternoon in Yangon. Many set up barricades while others chanted slogans and sang protest songs.
"If they attack us, we'll defend. We'll never kneel down to the military boots," said Nyan Win Shein from one Yangon protest.
Early in the day, police swooped to disperse a teachers' protest with stun grenades, sending the crowd fleeing. One teacher, Tin New Yee, died of a suspected heart attack, her daughter and a fellow teacher said.
Police also hurled stun grenades outside a Yangon medical school, sending doctors and students in white lab coats scattering. A group called the Whitecoat Alliance of medics said more than 50 medical staff had been arrested.
State-run MRTV television said more than 470 people had been arrested on Saturday when police launched the nationwide crackdown. It was not clear how many were detained on Sunday.
"INSTIL FEAR"
Youth activist Esther Ze Naw said earlier that people were battling to overcome the fear they had lived with for so long.
"This fear will only grow if we keep living with it and the people who are creating the fear know that. It's obvious they're trying to instil fear in us by making us run and hide," she said. "We can't accept that."
The police action came after state television announced that Myanmar's UN envoy had been fired for betraying the country after he urged the United Nations to use "any means necessary" to reverse the coup.
MRTV said he had been fired in accordance with civil service rules because he had "betrayed the country" and "abused the power and responsibilities of an ambassador".
The ambassador, Kyaw Moe Tun, was defiant. "I decided to fight back as long as I can," he told Reuters in New York.
UN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews said he was overwhelmed by the ambassador's "act of courage", adding on Twitter, "It's time for the world to answer that courageous call with action."
Myanmar's generals have traditionally shrugged off diplomatic pressure. They have promised to hold a new election but not set a date.
Aung San Suu Kyi's party and supporters said the result of the November vote must be respected.
Aung San Suu Kyi, 75, spent nearly 15 years under house arrest during military rule. She faces charges of illegally importing six walkie-talkie radios and of violating a natural disaster law by breaching coronavirus protocols.
