Anti-Coup Protests Continue in Myanmar as UN Urged to Hear 'Pleas'

Myanmar has been in uproar since a February 1 putsch ousting civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi from power, which triggered a massive uprising from hundreds of thousands angered to be returned under military rule | AFP
Myanmar has been in uproar since a February 1 putsch ousting civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi from power, which triggered a massive uprising from hundreds of thousands angered to be returned under military rule | AFP
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Anti-Coup Protests Continue in Myanmar as UN Urged to Hear 'Pleas'

Myanmar has been in uproar since a February 1 putsch ousting civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi from power, which triggered a massive uprising from hundreds of thousands angered to be returned under military rule | AFP
Myanmar has been in uproar since a February 1 putsch ousting civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi from power, which triggered a massive uprising from hundreds of thousands angered to be returned under military rule | AFP

Anti-coup demonstrators returned to the streets of Myanmar Saturday, a day after a United Nations envoy urged the Security Council to hear the nation's "desperate pleas" and take swift action to restore democracy.

The country has been in turmoil since a February 1 putsch ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi from power, triggering a massive uprising from hundreds of thousands angered to be returned to military rule.

Security forces have escalated an increasingly brutal crackdown on demonstrators -- killing more than 50 people since the coup -- but protesters rallied again on Saturday.

From the dusty roads of northern Lashio -- where young protesters stared down police behind homemade shields -- to central Loikaw city in view of Myanmar's eastern mountains, hundreds continued to march for democracy.

"Our revolution must win," chanted protesters in Loikaw, who included civil servants like teachers in their green and white uniforms.

The country's vital sectors have been crippled by an ongoing "Civil Disobedience Movement" -- a campaign urging civil servants to boycott working under a military regime.

The impact has been felt on every level of the country, with shuttered hospitals, empty ministry offices, and banks unable to operate.

On Saturday, state-run media announced that if civil servants continue to boycott work, "they will be fired" with immediate effect from March 8.

But protesters in Myanmar's commercial hub continued to defy authorities, gathering especially in San Chaung -- a once-buzzing township with cafes, restaurants, and bars that has emerged as a hotspot for unrest.

Activist Maung Saungkha said the movement will persist -- even as the security forces continue to step up their enforcement tactics -- as many remember the repression under the previous junta regime.

"In our past revolutions, we never won... this time we must fight to win," he told AFP.

"We must fight together with the younger generation to get victory."

- 'The repression must stop' -

The generals have shown no sign of heeding calls for restraint despite mounting international pressure, including targeted sanctions by Western powers.

The United Nations Security Council on Friday heard from UN special envoy on Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, who warned against any moves to grant legitimacy to the junta.

"The hope they have placed in the United Nations and its membership is waning and I have heard directly the desperate pleas -- from mothers, students, and the elderly," she said.

"Your unity is needed more than ever on Myanmar... The repression must stop."

But diplomats say it was unlikely that the Security Council would approve any international measures against the junta, and the session ended without any statement.

Condemnation against Myanmar's military has largely been unanimous, but veto-wielding China is still regarded as a key obstacle in getting consensus.

China's ambassador, Zhang Jun, said his country did not want to see instability in Myanmar.

But "the messages and measures of the international community should be conducive for the parties in Myanmar to bridge differences and resolve problems," he told reporters.

- Suu Kyi still detained -

The meeting came at the end of a day that saw one anti-coup protester shot in the neck in Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city.

His death adds to a toll of at least 55, according to the United Nations, with at least 38 killed on Wednesday in the bloodiest day of the protests so far.

Memorials were held Friday for three killed in Yangon's North Okkalapa, with hundreds of mourners holding up a three-finger salute as their coffins are carried through the funeral home.

The coffins of Arkar Moe, Zwee Htet Soe, and Phoe Chit were draped with the signature red flag of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy Party.

The Nobel laureate has not been publicly seen since she was detained on February 1.

Her party won November elections by a landslide, but the military alleged widespread electoral fraud, justifying it as a reason for seizing power.



King Charles Hosts Macron in First European State Visit to UK Since Brexit

France's President Emmanuel Macron, Britain's King Charles III, Britain's Queen Camilla and Brigitte Macron stand during a ceremonial welcome at Windsor Castle, in Windsor west of London, on July 8, 2025, on the first day of a three-day state visit to Britain. LUDOVIC MARIN/Pool via REUTERS
France's President Emmanuel Macron, Britain's King Charles III, Britain's Queen Camilla and Brigitte Macron stand during a ceremonial welcome at Windsor Castle, in Windsor west of London, on July 8, 2025, on the first day of a three-day state visit to Britain. LUDOVIC MARIN/Pool via REUTERS
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King Charles Hosts Macron in First European State Visit to UK Since Brexit

France's President Emmanuel Macron, Britain's King Charles III, Britain's Queen Camilla and Brigitte Macron stand during a ceremonial welcome at Windsor Castle, in Windsor west of London, on July 8, 2025, on the first day of a three-day state visit to Britain. LUDOVIC MARIN/Pool via REUTERS
France's President Emmanuel Macron, Britain's King Charles III, Britain's Queen Camilla and Brigitte Macron stand during a ceremonial welcome at Windsor Castle, in Windsor west of London, on July 8, 2025, on the first day of a three-day state visit to Britain. LUDOVIC MARIN/Pool via REUTERS

King Charles welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron to Britain on Tuesday for the first state visit by a European leader since Brexit, their warm greeting symbolising the return of closer ties between the two countries.

Macron, treated to a British state visit for the first time, enjoys a strong personal relationship with the king, and there were smiles as the pair met alongside their wives, Brigitte and Queen Camilla, and watched over by soldiers on horseback, in ceremonial uniform of blue tunics and scarlet plumes.

Charles is expected to emphasise "the multitude of complex threats" both countries face in a speech he will deliver at a state dinner at Windsor Castle later, while Macron posted on X on his arrival that "there is so much we can build together".

Kicking off the trip in that spirit, the two countries jointly announced that French nuclear energy utility EDF would invest £1.1 billion ($1.5 billion) in a project to build a nuclear power station in eastern England.

In Windsor, accompanied by heir to the throne Prince William and his wife Princess Catherine, the group climbed into several horse-drawn carriages for a procession which finished in the medieval castle's courtyard, west of London.

Since Prime Minister Keir Starmer's centre-left Labour Party swept back to power last year, Britain has been trying to reset ties with its European allies, and Charles will help set the tone of Macron's visit before the political talks get underway.

"Our two nations share not only values, but also the tireless determination to act on them in the world," the 76-year-old monarch, who is still undergoing treatment for cancer, will say at the banquet later.

While Macron's three-day trip is filled with talks on economic issues and foreign affairs, the first day of the state visit, which comes 16 years after the late Queen Elizabeth hosted then French president Nicolas Sarkozy, is largely focused on pageantry, and heavy in symbolism.

The monarch's right eye was noticeably red when he met Macron. A Buckingham Palace source said he had suffered a burst blood vessel in one eye which was unrelated to any other health condition

Macron is due to address the British parliament in central London later on Tuesday before heading back to Windsor Castle for the state dinner, where he and the king will speak before some 150 guests.

"It's wonderful that we're going down the path of welcoming European leaders once again," Alastair King, the Lord Mayor of the City of London, who will host a banquet in Macron's honour on Wednesday, told Reuters.

MIGRANTS DEAL

Later in his trip, Macron and Starmer's discussions will focus on a range of issues, including how to stop people-smuggling and improve economic and defence ties at a time when the United States is retrenching from its traditional role as a defender of European security.

Although there have been tensions over the shape of post-Brexit ties and how to stop asylum seekers from crossing the Channel in small boats, Britain and France have been working closely together to create a planned military force to support Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire with Russia.

British officials are hoping that Macron will agree to a pilot of an asylum seekers' returns deal. This would involve Britain deporting one asylum seeker to France in exchange for another with a legitimate case to be in Britain, thereby disrupting the business model of people-smuggling gangs.

A record number of asylum seekers have arrived in Britain on small boats from France in the first six months of this year.

Starmer, whose party is trailing behind Nigel Farage's right-wing Reform UK party in the polls, is under pressure to come up with a solution.

France has previously refused to sign up to such an agreement, saying Britain should negotiate an arrangement with all EU countries.