Myanmar’s economy is set to contract further in 2025, the World Bank said in its latest outlook, after a year of conflict in which resistance groups made significant inroads against the country’s military junta. The latest issue of the Myanmar Economic Monitor , released yesterday, offers a grim complement to the reports emerging from the country’s conflict zones. According to the report, Myanmar’s GDP is expected to contract by 1 percent in the fiscal year ending March 2025, a downward revision from the previous projection of modest growth. This downgrade comes after the last Myanmar Economic Monitor, released in June , in which the World Bank downgraded its forecast for the 2024-2025 financial year from 2 percent to 1 percent. The World Bank report outlined a multifaceted crisis in which ongoing conflict, natural disasters, rapid currency depreciation, high inflation, and outward migration have combined to produce an atrophying effect on the formal economy. “Economic conditions have deteriorated further in the past six months, with recent devastating floods adding to ongoing challenges associated with armed conflict and macroeconomic volatility,” the report stated. The World Bank’s steady downgrading of Myanmar’s projected economic growth over the past year reflects the intensification of the country’s armed conflicts. In particular, Operation 1027, an offensive launched in October 2023 by the Three Brotherhood Alliance of ethnic armed groups, has inflicted a series of major defeats on the Myanmar military, particularly in northern Shan State and Rakhine State, both of which seem likely to evolve into irrecoverable losses. Since the beginning of Operation 2017, the U.N. estimates that 1.5 million people have been displaced, increasing the total number of internally displaced people to 3.5 million – around 6 percent of the country’s population. With “over half” of Myanmar’s townships experiencing active conflict, supply chains and the border trade have been subject to consistent disruptions. In the case of China, overland trade has virtually come to a halt amid the latest resistance offensives. “The level and intensity of armed conflict remains high, severely affecting lives and livelihoods, disrupting production and supply chains, and heightening uncertainty around the economic outlook,” the report stated. The report notes significant challenges in virtually every sector of Myanmar’s economy. Agriculture, manufacturing, and services are all suffering due to persistent shortages of raw materials, unreliable electricity supplies, and slackening domestic demand. Adding to these compounding crises, recent Typhoon Yagi and heavy monsoon rains have caused severe flooding across Myanmar, affecting 2.4 million people in 192 townships. These compounding impacts have had a serious impact on Myanmar households. The report cited statistics claiming that 14.3 million people – around a quarter of the population – were experiencing acute food insecurity as of October 2024, up from 10.7 million people a year earlier. This has been “driven mainly by food price inflation and supply shortages,” it said. The Monitor focused particularly on the rising migration, which the report said has become “an increasingly important coping mechanism” for many people in the current chaotic and uncertain circumstances. This has risen over the past year, particularly illegal movement prompted by the junta’s imposition of conscription on young people in February. The military council’s conscription plan, announced in February in a bid to replenish its thinning ranks, has suddenly made a quarter of the prime working age population eligible for enlistment. While migration has given people a means of escaping the conflict and providing for their families – Myanmar migrants to Thailand and Malaysia typically earn two to three times what they would earn inside the country – this outward flow of labor “poses some risks to Myanmar’s longer-term development,” the Bank noted. It cited survey results showing that nearly a third of higher-skilled workers in fields such as engineering, ICT, administrative services, and construction-related fields “are both willing and able to migrate abroad, with potential implications for Myanmar’s stock of human capital.” All told, the longer-term outlook for Myanmar’s economy remains grim. “Even assuming no further escalation in conflict, growth is expected to remain subdued the following year,” the report stated, adding that “the risks to this already bleak outlook are tilted to the downside.” “A further escalation in conflict, including in the run up to possible elections in 2025, or another severe natural disaster could depress output across a range of sectors,” it stated. “Such shocks could also result in more prolonged disruptions to transport and logistics networks and border trade.”
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Juan Soto buttoned up his Mets threads for the first time on Thursday afternoon and explained his reasons for changing sides of New York went beyond the 15-year, $765 million contract. "What they had done the last couple of years, they have shown all of the ability to keep winning, to keep growing a team to try to grow a dynasty," Soto said Thursday. "What you were seeing from the other side was unbelievable. The vibes and everything, the feel and future this team has had a lot to do with my decision." Seated at a table with agent Scott Boras at his left and Mets general manager David Stearns to his right between Soto and franchise owner Steve Cohen, the coveted free agent said he enjoyed the courtship of multiple teams but opted against returning to the Yankees or joining one of their American League East rivals. The Blue Jays and Red Sox also met with Soto. Since the free agency process started, Soto all but tuned out the Yankees. Asked if he talked to anyone with his former team on Thursday, Soto said "I haven't talked to any of those guys. We talked to them through the playoffs, at the end of the playoffs. After that, I made this process, I haven't talked to any of those (guys)." Cohen, a billionaire who made his riches in hedge funds, felt the Mets would lure Soto away from the Yankees if they were able to make the pitch more personal. He said he was persistent and made sure Soto knew the Mets meant business all the way to the finish line. A second meeting with Soto, when the Mets said they learned about the slugger as a person and family man, Cohen felt the Mets sealed the deal. "We want to show them we're not just an executive, show them who we were -- have a personal touch and act like you care about the person, which I do," he said. Soto, 26, joins the Mets -- his fourth team since breaking into MLB with the Nationals in 2018 -- after spending one season with the crosstown rival Yankees, who gave the outfielder a one-year, $21.05 million qualifying offer that was turned down back on Nov. 19. The New York Post reported that the Yankees were willing to fork out $760 million over 16 years to bring back Soto, but the Mets ended up outbidding them. Soto helped the Yankees reach the World Series in 2024 after hitting .288 with a career-high 41 home runs along with 109 RBIs in 157 regular-season games. In the Fall Classic, Soto posted a .313 average and blasted a solo shot to account for his only RBI of the series, a five-game set that the Los Angeles Dodgers took 4-1. The Dodgers made baseball's biggest splash last offseason, signing free agent Shohei Ohtani to a 10-year, $700 million contract. Shortly after the signing, however, reports surfaced that Ohtani was deferring $68 million of the $70 million he is due each season, with Los Angeles paying the two-way star through 2043. In 936 career games across seven major league seasons with the Nationals (2018-22), San Diego Padres (2022-23) and Yankees (2024), Soto has clubbed 201 homers, racked up 592 RBIs and is a .285 hitter. --Field Level Media
AP Sports SummaryBrief at 6:47 p.m. ESTTweet Facebook Mail Detectives are investigating after a woman was sexually assaulted while walking along the underpass of Melbourne's Flinders Street Station earlier this year. Police believe the woman was walking with friends near the Flinders Walk end of the station when she was approached by a man about 1.50am on October 14. The man sexually assaulted the woman while she was walking up the stairs, according to police. READ MORE: Donald Trump named Time's Person of the Year and rings New York Stock Exchange opening bell The woman was assaulted while walking in Flinders Street Station. (Simon Schluter) The man fled the scene along the underpass. Police have described the man as being about 170cm tall, aged in his late 30s, of a large build with dark hair and a dark beard and moustache. He was wearing a dark-coloured hoodie with dark pants and shoes. Anyone who witnessed the incident, has CCTV footage or information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP : Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play .Why is Microsoft reducing its dependence on ChatGPT owner OpenAI? Is there a catch, here's all you need to know
Clark County volunteers collected 210,000 pounds of food for the 40th annual Walk & Knock, the nation’s largest one-day food drive. This year, organizers mailed 206,000 bags to homes across Clark County to fill with nonperishable foods and toiletries. On Saturday, about 2,000 volunteers collected the bags of food and items, which will be donated to the Clark County Food Bank. Walk & Knock President Justin Wood said he was proud of this year’s turnout, despite the cold weather. “The food is almost secondary. What’s most important is the amount of volunteers,” Wood said. “The main reason we do Walk & Knock is to engage the community and get kids involved in community service.” Although donations have returned to pre-pandemic levels, Wood said the number of volunteers has dropped from about 4,000 to 2,000, which was one of this year’s challenges. As a result of lower volunteer turnout, some homes in Clark County were missed. However, community members can still bring nonperishable food donations to participating locations through today. Drop-off barrels are at Clark County Riverview Bank branches, Les Schwab Tire Centers and McDonald’s. (Find a list at walkandknock.org/barrel-locations .) “While we have 2,000 volunteers, it is hard to cover the entire county, so homes do get missed,” Wood said. “We try to cover as much as we can, but we ask if we missed your home, to drop those donations off at one of the drop-off barrel locations.” Walk & Knock works with various community organizations to organize the food drive, including NW Natural. As part of an annual tradition, NW Natural sponsored a breakfast for 100 volunteer group leaders before they headed out to collect donations. “Food insecurity is still a very real problem in Clark County, and Walk & Knock’s work is absolutely amazing,” said Nelson Holmberg, a community affairs manager for NW Natural. “As a company that cares about the wellness of the communities we serve, NW Natural is very proud to be a longtime supporter of the biggest food drive of the year, and we’re appreciative of the work of hundreds of volunteers across the county each year who literally walk neighborhoods to pick up filled bags from porches to stock the shelves of food banks and pantries across the region.” In 2023, Walk & Knock collected 271,095 pounds of food and toiletries and $20,000 in cash. Vancouver Lions Club members Bud Pasmore and Doug Rae started Walk & Knock in 1982 with help from the Hazel Dell and Orchards/Evergreen Lions clubs. Since it began, Walk & Knock has collected between 150,000 and 300,000 pounds of food annually. The annual food drive has brought in more than 9.5 million pounds of food valued at $17.3 million, according to a news release from the organization. “I just think it’s so basic for people to have food,” former Walk & Knock President Tom Knappenberger previously said. “Walk & Knock is local, it’s homegrown and it’s grown into the largest in the country. We should be proud of that here in Vancouver.” This story was made possible by Community Funded Journalism , a project from The Columbian and the Local Media Foundation . Top donors include the Ed and Dollie Lynch Fund, Patricia, David and Jacob Nierenberg, Connie and Lee Kearney, Steve and Jan Oliva, The Cowlitz Tribal Foundation and the Mason E. Nolan Charitable Fund. The Columbian controls all content. For more information, visit columbian.com/cfj .AntGames – Best Platform for Free Online Browser Games
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US stocks little changed at end of post-holiday periodWhen will Squid Game Season 3 release, and here's what may happen in the final seasonAfter a thrilling overtime victory Tuesday, the Maple Leafs have made Nicholas Robertson a healthy scratch for a third straight game against the Anaheim Ducks. Before the gameday skate Thursday, the Leafs made a pair of roster moves recalling Nikita Grebenkin from the Marlies and sending Marshall Rifai down to the AHL. Those moves indicated that Bobby McMann was not ready to return from his lower-body injury , but Jake McCabe is good to go. At the morning skate, Craig Berube surprised many when he had Grebenkin, along with Robertson skating as extras, marking the third consecutive game as a scratch for Robertson. With the former second-round pick a scratch again, eyebrows have been raised and have caused some to wonder if his time with the Maple Leafs is finally coming to an end. Up front, all eyes will be on Max Domi as he looks to score his first goal of the season, following Pontus Holmberg breaking his 8-game goalless drought Tuesday against the New Jersey Devils. The two are skating on opposite sides of rookie Fraser Minten, who has looked excellent since joining the Leafs as their third line center. The rest of the forward group remains the same with Matthew Knies, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner skating together and after showing his physical side , Max Pacioretty remains on the second line with John Tavares and William Nylander in the top six after being demoted from the top line earlier this week. On the back end, Morgan Rielly was reunited with Oliver Ekman-Larsson thanks to the return of Jake McCabe, who rejoined Chris Tanev. With McCabe's return, Philippe Myers will once again be a healthy scratch for the Leafs as Simon Benoit was shifted back to his partnership with Conor Timmins on the third pair. In goal, Anthony Stolarz gets the nod after a spectacular performance Tuesday that earned him some high praise from Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe . This article first appeared on Maple Leafs Daily and was syndicated with permission.
South Korean president vows to fight ‘until the very last minute’ SEOUL: South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed on Thursday to fight “until the very last minute” in a defiant address defending his shock decision to declare martial law and deploy troops to the country ́s parliament last week. The South Korean president is barred from foreign travel as part of a probe into his inner circle over the dramatic events of December 3-4 that stunned Seoul ́s allies and threw the country into some of its deepest political turmoil in years. Yoon, staring down an impeachment vote in parliament on Saturday, vowed to “fight with the people until the very last minute”. He went on the attack against the opposition, accusing it of pushing the country into a “national crisis”. “The National Assembly, dominated by the large opposition party, has become a monster that destroys the constitutional order of liberal democracy,” Yoon said in his televised address. Yoon also doubled down on his justification of declaring martial law, which he had said was taken to safeguard South Korea “from the threats posed by North Korea ́s communist forces and eliminate anti-state elements”. “I apologise again to the people who must have been surprised and anxious due to the martial law,” he added. “Please trust me.” Saturday ́s impeachment vote will take place at around 5:00 pm (0800 GMT). PPP leader Han Dong-hoon urged party members on Thursday to attend the meeting and vote “according to their conviction and conscience”. “President Yoon Suk Yeol is no longer able to fulfil his duties as president, and I think that has become clearer and clearer,” he said. The opposition formally submitted a second impeachment motion against Yoon on Thursday, following last week ́s failed attempt to remove him from office after ruling party lawmakers largely boycotted the vote. The bloc needs eight MPs from the ruling party to vote in favour of the impeachment, and several ruling lawmakers have indicated their intention to do so in the next vote, scheduled for Saturday. To impeach Yoon, two-thirds of the parliament must vote in favour. Police meanwhile attempted another raid on Yoon ́s presidential office compound, Yonhap news agency reported, a day after a similar attempt was blocked by security guards.Australia will enter their second innings with a lead of 105 after India were bowled out for 369 at the start of day four at the MCG. A brilliant maiden century from Nitish Kumar Reddy powered India past the follow-on target on Saturday, after the tourists were in trouble at 5-164 in reply to Australia’s 474. Nathan Lyon (3-96) removed Reddy (114) 17 minutes into the first session on Sunday when the breakout star hit an easy catch to long-off. It came after a controversial call from the TV umpire in the previous over when No.11 Mohammed Siraj was given not out despite the ball appearing to carry to slips. Australia captain Pat Cummins wanted to review the decision but was unable to because TV umpire Sharfuddoula was the one who made the call. Teenage debutant Sam Konstas will be looking to repeat his stunning Boxing Day heroics as he opens the batting again with Australia veteran Usman Khawaja. Reddy, just 21 and playing in his fourth Test, helped India add another 11 runs to their overnight score of 9-358. Australia made all the early running in this fourth Test, but India turned it around on Saturday through Reddy and Washington Sundar (50) to have their best day since dominating the series-opener in Perth. Scott Boland, the pick of Australia’s bowlers with 3-57 from 27 overs, said team morale remained high. “Obviously, it could have been better, but I think that’s the Test match ebbs and flows,” the 35-year-old said on Saturday night. “Hopefully (Sunday) morning we get that final wicket, then put on a really nice lead and see how the game plays after that.” Australia bowled 120 overs at India as the effects of a gruelling series appear to take their toll on Mitchell Starc. The star quick received treatment on his back on day three, but continued to bowl at top pace for the final session. Starc has toiled for 25 overs in this Test, backing up from the 24 he bowled in Brisbane. Boland was recalled to the XI after star quick Josh Hazlewood broke down for a second time in the series at the Gabba. The fitness of Australia’s bowling attack will be a major factor in deciding the outcome of the Border-Gavaskar trophy. This Test is set to go five days, a rarity in modern cricket in Australia, meaning the players will have only three days off before the finale at the SCG gets underway. With the five-match series tied 1-1, India will retain the Border-Gavaskar trophy if they pull off an extraordinary comeback victory in this Test. Australia need to prevent the tourists from winning one of the last two matches of the series, while claiming at least one themselves, to regain the trophy for the first time since 2014-15.
