The Speaker News Journal

Paris at your fingertips: Louvre digitizes its collection, 500k items now available free for the world to see

March 30, 2021 by The Speaker Editors

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From the Mona Lisa to the least-known of the famous museum’s treasures are available to be viewed on computers and cell phones around the world on a revamped Louvre homepage designed for easy cellphone viewing, with translations in English, Spanish, and Chinese, announced the Louvre in a press release.

According to the museum, every image is accompanied by scientific data: “title, artist, inventory number, dimensions, materials and techniques, date and place of production, object history, current location, and bibliography. … These documentary entries, drawn up by museum curators and researchers, come from two museum collection databases, and are updated on a daily basis.”

“I am sure that this digital content is going to further inspire people to come to the Louvre to discover the collections in person,” said the museum’s director in the announcement.

By Milan Sime Martinic

60 houses in Mandalay burn

March 30, 2021 by The Speaker Editors

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YANGON, Myanmar – Sixty houses in the Pyigyitagon township of Mandalay caught fire during the night. As yet, the cause of the fire is unknown.

When the local fire department responded, security forces opened warning fire.

The day before, there had been a clash between protesters and military that resulted in casualties.

While locals mourned their losses, coup leader Min Aung Hlaing visited the attractions of Mandalay such as Mandalay Palace and the Maharmuni Buddha statue.

By Htay Win

India’s Manipur security forces expel IDPs from Myanmar

March 30, 2021 by The Speaker Editors

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YANGON, Myanmar – Myanmar citizens from Tamu who had fled across the border into India were expelled back to Myanmar, according to Imphal Free Press.

Manipur’s government also published a letter March 26 urging local Civil Society Organizations not to give shelter to Myanmar IDPs, although the people on both sides of the border often have existing relationships.

India’s federal government is putting more pressure on the northeastern states to not accept IDPs, too. Mizoran state, however, has refused and is trying to persuade the federal government to accept Myanmar IDPs.

By Htay Win
Photo credit CN

Fully automated convenience stores open in São Paulo

March 29, 2021 by The Speaker Editors

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SÃO PAULO – French multinational Carrefour, an operator of retail and grocery stores in Brazil, announced this week the launch of its first two autonomous neighborhood markets.

The convenience stores will operate without humans at checkout counters and without customer service, a model that goes a step beyond Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology which runs partially automated stores in some US and UK cities.

The Brazilian stores do not have employees to assist with purchases nor automatic cashiers. Instead, clients use an app to enter the stores and customers pay as if on an e-commerce website and receive a code to leave the store.

The stores have been operating since mid-December, but have just now been announced, according to the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo.

By Milan Sime Martinic

Myanmar military fighter jets shell KNU headquarters

March 29, 2021 by The Speaker Editors

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YANGON, Myanmar – The fighter jets shelled the headquarters of Kayin National Union, located in Mutayaw district, and one house was burnt down, resulting in civilian casualties, according to the Kayin Information Center.

After the air strike, 2000 local people fled to neighboring Thailand to take the shelter, but Thailand’s government deported them back to Myanmar.

Earlier this week, the fifth regiment of the insurgents captured the Themuhtar base of the Myanmar military.

Kayin National Union, one of the armed ethnic groups in Myanmar, has been fighting for self-determination under rights set out in international law.

By Htay Win
Photo credit KNC

Bolivian city famous for its carnival announces emergency action to clean up a major environmental disaster on lake that has become a ‘sea of plastic’

March 29, 2021 by The Speaker Editors

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The city of Oruro, a major mining and tourist center with a World Heritage carnival celebration, is responding to videos showing Lake Uru Uru chock-full of plastic waste, which has resulted from urban dwellers dumping their trash into drainage canals.

Mayor David Choque announced a major clean-up of the lake on April 8–9 with the participation of a recycling firm, and asked the country’s environmental ministry to participate by providing logistics assistance.

The situation of the lake caused alarm when the environmental devastation on some 25 acres of the lake’s edge showed it mostly solid with plastic containers and the lake as a whole covered with garbage and mining residue contamination that includes arsenic and heavy metals.

By Milan Sime Martinic

Heavy fighting rages for 5th day in 3-year Muslim insurgency in Mozambique, threatening Africa’s biggest private investment gas project

March 29, 2021 by The Speaker Editors

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Dozens of civilians and an unknown number of military deaths, some by decapitation, were reported by Human Rights Watch, as communications have been shut off in the strategic town of Palma since al-Shabab insurgents attacked the town from three directions Wednesday. The renewed violence affects the fate of the liquefied natural gas project by the French energy company Total.

About 200 foreign workers who sought refuge at the Hotel Amarula along Palma’s beach have become the targets of insurgent attacks while others trying to reach the hotel were reported killed. Locals have taken to the dense forests outside town to outrun the rebels. Palma is near the border with Tanzania.

Mozambique’s defense and security forces are “working tirelessly to re-establish security and order as fast as possible,” said the Ministry of Defense through a spokesman, adding they will “do everything to guarantee the security” of the local population and of “economic projects.”

Total has issued a statement indicating it has suspended all its operations in the Afungi peninsula and that none of its staff at the site were victims of the attack. “Total trusts the government of Mozambique whose public security forces are currently working to take back the control of the area.”

Al-Shabab already holds Mocimboa da Praia, a town 31 miles south of Palma since their victory there in August. They have no known connections to Somalia’s jihadist rebels of the same name.

By Milan Sime Martinic

Brazilian court orders Bolsonaro to pay damages to reporter for sex proposition claims

March 28, 2021 by The Speaker Editors

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SAO PAOLO, Brazil – The president of the Republic of Brazil has been sanctioned by a court and ordered to pay indemnification for “moral damages” stemming from his use of sexual innuendo to discredit the veracity of reports by Folha de S. Paulo journalist Patricia Campos Mello, repeating an accusation that she had offered sex in exchange for damaging information about him. In Brazil, such a charge, when unfounded, is considered a sexual harassment offense.

Campos Mello’s report pointed out that digital marketing company Yacows’ possible participation in a message-triggering scheme through WhatsApp during the elections that fraudulently issued national identification numbers to generate texts in names of politicians, disseminating fake news. A former Yacows employee first made the accusation against Campos Mello without presenting any proof.

The reporter sued, asking for R$50k–about $8700–in damages for pain and suffering.

The judge’s ruling said, “It remained evident that the defendant’s individual exercise of the right to freedom of expression violated the plaintiff’s honor, causing her moral damage, and should therefore be held responsible.”

Bolsonaro was ordered to pay a $3,500 fine plus court and attorney fees. He has 15 days to appeal.

“It is a great day for women journalists. A great day for professional journalism,” said the Brazilian group Journalists Against Harassment, in a tweet.

By Milan Sime Martinic

One dead and one wounded in deadly Insein protest

March 28, 2021 by The Speaker Editors

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YANGON, Myanmar – Security forces stuck out against a morning protest in Insein township, leaving one dead and one wounded.

“At first, the security forces were hiding because of fear of the crowd, but then we marched forward to confront them and they shot at us,” a protester said.

While the military was celebrating the 76th anniversary of armed forces day in the capital, there were huge casualties throughout the country due to the violent crackdown of the Myanmar security forces.

Also, the American Embassy has confirmed that an unidentified person a the car shot at the U.S. Information Center, but there were no injuries. They are investigating to the incident.

By Htay Win

Myanmar citizens call for release of two detainees

March 28, 2021 by The Speaker Editors

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YANGON, Myanmar – Citizens in Dala town called for to release of two women in custody in the police station, with thousands assembling and surrounding the police outpost until evening Saturday.

The police eventually dispersed the crowd, firing live rounds that night, resulting in eight death and eighteen injuries.

Kawmu area in Dala township, located across Yangon river, was Aung San Suu Kyi’s constituency for the parliamentary election where she won the parliamentary election twice.

By Htay Win
Photo credit Myanmar Now

Incan suspension bridge conserved yearly for more than 500 years collapses due to lack of maintenance

March 27, 2021 by The Speaker Editors

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The Q’eswachaka suspension bridge, which has been maintained in its original state from generation to generation since the 15th century and is a declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, collapsed due to the deterioration of its ropes that could not be renewed due to the pandemic, according to the cultural authority of Cusco in Peru.

The structure of the 90-ft long bridge over the Apurímac River is just over 3 feet wide and is built of a vegetable fiber braided into ropes. Farmers in the area have rebuilt the rope walkway every year between May and June for five centuries. It is the last bridge of its kind.

A technical team is assessing the damage.

By Milan Sime Martinic