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Myanmar army chief downplays exodus, says Rohingya Muslims not native

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Myanmar army chief downplays exodus, says Rohingya Muslims not native

The army chief, the most powerful person in the Buddhist-majority country, stated his uncompromising stance towards the Rohingya Muslims.

Downplaying the ongoing Rohingya crisis and one of recent days’ worst exoduses, the Myanmar army chief on Wednesday claimed that the minority Muslims, seeking shelter to escape ethnic unrest in the country, are not native to Myanmar. A report posted on the Facebook page of Senior General Min Aung Hlaing mentioned that the Army Chief addressed American Ambassador Scot Marciel on the continuing crisis in the country.

“As regards the history of Rakhine State, the Senior General said when the region fell under British colonialism in 1824 Bengalis from Bengal entered the region as farm labourers. The Bengalis were not taken into the country by Myanmar, but by the colonialists. They are not the natives, and the records prove that they were not even called Rohingya, but just Bengalis during the colonial period,” mentioned the report.

Depicting an insensitive approach towards the issue, the army chief, the most powerful person in the Buddhist-majority country, stated his uncompromising stance towards the Rohingya Muslims. Further speaking at the meeting with Scot Marciel, the senior General referred to the Rohingyas as Bengalis and blamed them for the ongoing ethnic unrest in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. He stated that the “Bengali terrorists” are responsible for the attacks being carried out at 30 police outposts and an army unit headquarters in the country on August 25.

The report posted on Facebook added, “According to information, about 4,000 Bengalis took part in the terrorist attacks. Bengali villagers followed the leadership of terrorists. Up to 8 October, the security forces now have exposed a list of 1,785 terrorists together with their names and villagers. The security forces have also information about the terrorist courses conducted before the occurrence of the attacks.”

Earlier on Wednesday, UN human rights office hit out at the Myanmar army stating that the armed security forces have driven out at least 500,000 Rohingyas and had also set ablaze their homes, farms and villages to stop their return to the country.Further urging powerful Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi to “stop the violence”, Jyoti Sanghera, head of the Asia and Pacific region of the UN human rights office, told in a news briefing, “If villages have been completely destroyed and livelihood possibilities have been destroyed, what we fear is that they may be incarcerated or detained in camps.”

Denouncing the role of the army, UN high commissioner for human rights Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, who had earlier described Myanmar’s action as “a textbook example of ethnic cleansing”, said in a report, “Credible information indicates that the Myanmar security forces purposely destroyed the property of the Rohingyas, scorched their dwellings and entire villages in northern Rakhine State, not only to drive the population out in droves but also to prevent the fleeing Rohingya victims from returning to their homes.”

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Lake Ontario name to stay, Mark Carney rejects Trump’s Lake America move

Canadian PM Mark Carney has rejected Trump’s move to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America, saying Canadians will continue using its historic name.

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Donald Trump

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has rejected US President Donald Trump’s decision to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America”, saying Canadians will continue to use the lake’s historic name.

Trump signed an executive order on Thursday changing the name for US federal usage. However, the order does not determine what Canada, international organisations or other authorities call the lake.

Carney said the name Lake Ontario predates both Canada and the United States as modern nations. He stressed that Canadians would continue to recognise the lake by its existing name.

“Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario — then, now and always,” Carney said in a social media post.

Why Trump renamed Lake Ontario

Trump announced that the lake would be renamed “Lake America” during remarks at the White House. The US president said the change would take effect immediately.

The move comes amid strained relations between Washington and Ottawa, including an ongoing dispute over trade and tariffs.

Lake Ontario is one of North America’s five Great Lakes and is shared by Canada and the United States. About 52 per cent of its surface area lies in Canada, while the remainder is in New York state.

Carney highlights Lake Ontario’s history

Carney also pointed to the Indigenous origins of the name Lake Ontario. The name is derived from the Wendat language and has been used for more than 400 years, predating the establishment of both countries in their present forms.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul also indicated that the state would continue referring to the body of water as Lake Ontario, highlighting that Trump’s order is limited to US federal usage.

The dispute over the name adds another symbolic point of friction to already tense US-Canada relations.

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105 Indians among 400 travellers missing in Nepal flash floods, 46 dead

At least 46 people have died and 384 travellers, including 105 Indians, are missing after flash floods hit northern Nepal.

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At least 46 people have died after a massive flash flood in Nepal’s Bhote Koshi River swept through parts of the country’s northern districts.

The flooding affected Nuwakot and Dhading districts, with floodwaters coming from the Tibetan side of the border. Several villages were reportedly washed away, while roads and other infrastructure suffered extensive damage.

At least 105 Indians are among 384 travellers reported missing from the affected area. The missing travellers include people who were travelling towards Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet with different travel agencies.

384 travellers reported missing

According to the Nepal Tourism Board, 384 travellers are missing, including 291 foreigners and 93 Nepali nationals.

Of the foreign nationals reported missing, 105 are Indians. The travellers were on their way to the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra when the flash flood struck.

The disaster has also affected security personnel. At least 26 Nepal Police personnel remain missing in Rasuwa district, while the Armed Police Force has reported seven missing personnel.

The Nepal Army has deployed helicopters and disaster response personnel to the affected areas. Authorities are also collecting information about the damage caused by the floods.

Six hydropower facilities damaged

The floods have also damaged major power infrastructure in Nepal.

The Nepal Electricity Authority said six of its major hydropower and transmission facilities were damaged. These include Rasuwagadhi, Chilime, Trishuli 3A, Trishuli 3B Hub 220 kV Substation, Trishuli Hydropower Station and Devighat Hydropower Station.

The authority said the damage to production, transmission and distribution facilities has disrupted electricity supplies.

Several highways in Nepal have also been closed following the flooding.

Nepal PM convenes emergency meeting

Prime Minister Balendra Shah has convened an emergency meeting of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority to review the situation.

Mr Shah said work had begun to take necessary measures in coordination with medical teams, scouts and the Red Cross.

Videos shared by Nepal Police and others showed torrents of muddy water moving through mountain valleys in areas bordering Tibet.

Authorities have warned people living close to rivers to move to safer locations as rescue and assessment operations continue.

Monsoon rains between June and September regularly cause floods and landslides across South Asia. Scientists have also linked climate change to an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events in the region.

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US pauses visa interviews worldwide amid new screening training

The US has paused or rescheduled visa appointments worldwide as consular officers undergo training focused on comprehensive immigration screening.

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The Trump administration has paused or rescheduled visa appointments at US embassies and consulates worldwide as the State Department conducts a global training initiative for consular officers.

The State Department said visa service appointments are being adjusted to accommodate the training across its overseas diplomatic posts. The initiative is aimed at helping officers screen applicants who may be considered likely to become dependent on US public benefits and at ensuring visa applications are evaluated comprehensively and consistently.

There is currently no specific timeline for how long the changes to visa appointments will continue.

Visa applicants receive rescheduling notices

Some immigrant visa applicants who already had interviews scheduled at US embassies and consulates have reportedly received emails informing them that their appointments would be rescheduled.

The applicants were told that they would receive further communication regarding a new interview date.

The development comes as the Trump administration continues its broader immigration crackdown, which has included visa and green card revocations and rejection of applications on various grounds.

Trump administration steps up immigration scrutiny

The administration has also begun a White House review of a proposal to overhaul the H-1B visa programme. The proposal has been classified as economically significant and could affect the employment-based immigration route used by thousands of Indian professionals.

Separately, the administration plans to revoke the visas of around 200,000 foreigners who entered the US for tourism or business but later sought to remain in the country by applying for asylum, according to the report.

The immigration crackdown has also faced legal challenges. A US judge recently struck down a policy that suspended the issuance of immigrant visas to applicants from 75 countries, ruling that the policy exceeded Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s statutory authority.

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