Myanmar's ruling military has declared a temporary ceasefire with insurgent groups until April 22 to enable relief efforts following last week's deadly earthquake, state-run media reported.
The temporary ceasefire, announced by the MRTV channel in its nightly news bulletin on Wednesday, follows criticism of the military leadership for continuing attacks on rebel groups amid rescue and relief operations for survivors of the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck on Friday.
The death toll rose to 2,886 on Wednesday in Myanmar, with another 4,639 injured, according to MRTV. More than three million people have been displaced, according to the United Nations.
Two of the major groups fighting the military had already declared ceasefires because of the earthquake. The Three Brotherhood Alliance, one of a powerful group of militias that has taken a large swathe of the country from the military, announced a unilateral one-month ceasefire on Tuesday to facilitate the humanitarian response. The shadow opposition National Unity Government, founded by lawmakers ousted in the military's 2021 coup, also declared a ceasefire by its forces.
The army statement announcing its ceasefire said these groups must refrain from attacking the state or regrouping, or else the military would take “necessary” measures, MRTV said.
Countries have sent rescue teams and aid to Myanmar, which had been become internationally isolated following the coup. At least three people were pulled alive from the rubble of collapsed buildings on Wednesday.
In the capital, Naypyitaw, a team of Turkish and local rescue workers used an endoscopic camera to locate a man trapped on a lower floor of the hotel where he worked and pulled him out alive. MRTV reported later that another man was pulled out alive from the same building, more than 121 hours after the quake struck.
Another man was rescued by a team of Malaysian and local crews from a collapsed guesthouse in the Sagaing township, near the epicentre of the earthquake, close to Myanmar's second-largest city Mandalay.
The earthquake also rocked neighbouring Thailand, causing the collapse of a high-rise building under construction in Bangkok. One body was removed from the rubble early on Wednesday, raising the death toll in Bangkok to 22 with 35 injured, primarily at the construction site.
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The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
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Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
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