World Briefing: March 30, 2025
More than 1,700 people have been killed following a huge 7.7 magnitude earthquake on Friday, Myanmar's military chief says in an update. The UN warns a severe shortage of medical supplies is hampering the response to the disaster, as the search for survivors continues - BBC
Ravaged by four years of civil war, Myanmar is ill-prepared to cope with the destruction brought by the massive earthquake on Friday. The United Nations (UN) and aid agencies have warned that millions were already facing a dire humanitarian crisis before the quake, and are now in urgent need of yet more aid. Much of the country was already plagued by a punishing mix of conflict, poverty and instability after the civil war that left 3.5 million people displaced and smashed the economy. "We have estimated that 19.9 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, and this is just before the earthquake," said UN humanitarian coordinator in Myanmar Marcoluigi Corsi. "The situation will be further aggravated." Before the quake, the World Food Programme (WFP) said more than 15 million out of a population of 51 million were unable to meet their daily food needs. Just two days after the quake, the UN said the aid effort was being hampered by a severe lack of medical supplies, while rescuers on the ground have pleaded for more equipment to comb ruined buildings for survivors. The quake also struck Myanmar at a time when US President Donald Trump has slashed jobs and funding to Washington's foreign aid agency. Trump has promised US help but one million civilians in Myanmar face WFP aid cuts after he took an axe to the US Agency for International Development -= Channel News Asia
Despite a declared ceasefire aimed at facilitating earthquake relief efforts, Myanmar’s military junta continues to launch airstrikes, targeting several villages, the civilian shadow government said. On March 30, in Pauk Township, a Myanmar military helicopter dropped bombs. The extent of the damage remains unknown as investigations are still underway. “The National Unity Government (NUG) had announced a two-week suspension of offensive operations from March 30 to April 12 to focus on emergency aid and disaster relief for those affected by the recent earthquake. However, the military has disregarded this ceasefire, continuing its air raids.”
The death toll in Thailand from Friday's powerful earthquake in Myanmar has reached 17 on Sunday, with 77 people missing, and a Bangkok-Nonthaburi monorail remained halted due to a dislocated power rail. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration reported 17 fatalities and 32 injured people on Sunday morning. The death toll included 10 bodies at the collapsed site of the new State Audit Office compound in Chatuchak district, Bangkok. The 10th body was retrieved from the debris late Saturday night. Eight people were injured and 77 others were missing at the collapse site of the 30-storey building.- Bangkok Post
Denmark’s foreign minister has chided United States President Donald Trump’s administration for its “tone” in criticising Denmark over its role in Greenland, saying his country is already investing more into Arctic security and remains open to further cooperation with the US. Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen made the sharp remarks in a video posted to social media on Saturday, after US Vice President JD Vance’s visit to the strategic island. “Many accusations and many allegations have been made. And of course we are open to criticism,” Rasmussen said, speaking in English. “But let me be completely honest: we do not appreciate the tone in which it is being delivered. This is not how you speak to your close allies. And I still consider Denmark and the United States to be close allies.” On Friday, Vance, on a fleeting visit, accused Denmark of failing to keep Greenland protected and projected that the US would better protect the semi-autonomous Danish territory that Trump covets and has pressed to take over.
More than 800,000 Afghans who fled Afghanistan after the Taliban’s takeover in 2021 live without papers in neighboring Pakistan. These undocumented Afghan refugees and migrants face a rapidly approaching deportation order issued by Islamabad requiring them to leave the country by March 31. Another 1.4 million Afghans who are formally registered with the Pakistani government and who hold a Proof of Residence card issued by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) have until June 30 to return to their homeland. Many have lived in Pakistan for decades. The fate of an additional 40,000 Afghans who are waiting to be resettled to third countries, mostly in the West, is unclear. Pakistan initially said these at-risk Afghans, a group that includes activists, journalists, and former members of the defunct Western-backed Afghan government and its armed forces, must leave or face deportation by March 31. But a source at the Pakistani Interior Ministry told RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal that the deadline for them to leave the country has been extended to June 30 - RFE/RL
Tesla facilities worldwide have been the target of protests objecting to Tesla CEO Elon Musk's influential role in the Trump administration. On Saturday, anti-Musk protesters gathered again in what were their most ambitious and widespread rallies yet. As part of the "Tesla Takedown" campaign, nonviolent demonstrations took place across the U.S. and even abroad on Saturday. Organizers called it a "global day of action" and said protests occurred in at least 253 cities around the world. For weeks, the movement's organizers have been encouraging people to boycott the EV maker by selling their Tesla cars and stocks. According to Tesla Takedown, thousands of grassroots groups and individuals worldwide are driving the decentralized effort - NPR
Democratic countries are now in the minority, freedom of expression is declining, and high levels of disinformation and polarization fuel democratic backsliding. According to the latest Democracy Report from the V-Dem Institute at the University of Gothenburg, the wave of democratic backsliding, or autocratization, has been ongoing for 25 years and shows no sign of slowing down. Forty-five countries are autocratizing in 2024, an increase from only twelve countries 20 years ago, or 42 countries last year. Many are influential regional powers with large populations, such as Argentina, India, Indonesia, and Mexico. The report launches a watchlist of countries showing early signs of improving or declining democracy to keep an eye on in the near future. Among the seven countries showing signs of deterioration are Slovakia, Slovenia and Cyprus. Even if events in 2025 are not included in the V-Dem data the report builds on, adding to the bleak picture is therecent events in the USA. “The USA now seems to be heading towards a transition away from democracy under President Trump. In my view, the reverberations of this are and will be enormous across the world,” says Staffan I Lindberg.
Italy's government tightened its citizenship laws on Friday, preventing people from delving deep back into their family history to try to claim a much sought-after Italian passport. Under existing rules, anyone who can prove they had an Italian ancestor who was alive after March 17, 1861, when the Kingdom of Italy was created, can seek citizenship. However, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the system was being abused, with would-be Italians swamping consulates abroad for requests for passports, which provide visa-free entry to more countries than almost any other nationality. As a result, in future only individuals with at least one parent or grandparent born in Italy, a European Union member state, will automatically qualify for citizenship by descent. “Being an Italian citizen is a serious thing. It's not a game to get a passport that allows you to go shopping in Miami," Tajani told a press conference. The foreign ministry said there had been a surge in people abroad being granted citizenship, particularly in South America, where millions of Italians emigrated in the 19th and 20th centuries, often to escape grinding poverty back home. Between 2014 and 2024, the number of Italians living abroad rose by 40%, from 4.6 million to 6.4 million, many registering thanks to their newfound nationality. In Argentina alone, citizenship recognitions jumped to 30,000 in 2024 from 20,000 in 2023, while Brazil saw a rise to 20,000 from 14,000. Tajani said companies were making a fortune by helping people track down their long-forgotten ancestors and seek birth certificates needed for applications - clogging up municipal offices with their demands for documentation - Reuters
IShowSpeed, a YouTube sensation from the US, is being hailed by Chinese government officials and state media as evidence of a growing desire for mutual understanding between Americans and Chinese amid escalating trade frictions. The 20-year-old influencer, with over 37 million YouTube followers, went viral after live-streaming his visits to Beijing and Shanghai non-stop for six hours in the two major cities. The online star, who hails from the midwestern state of Ohio and whose real name is Darren Watkins Jnr, is seen in the lengthy productions praising the people who greeted him enthusiastically, clean streets and internet connectivity that remains fast and stable on subway rides. The streams, which initially ran on Monday and Tuesday, featuring the influencer doing a backflip on the Great Wall, visiting the Forbidden City and trying Chinese street. Some Chinese viewers commented that, for many new fans in the country, the streams have helped to reverse decades of anti-Chinese propaganda promulgated in the West - SCMP
