Myanmar faces bloodiest day since military coup
Yahoo Finance's Akiko Fujita breaks down the top stories around the world.
Video Transcript
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AKIKO FUJITA: In our Worldview today, the deadliest weekend in Myanmar since the violent military crackdown began in February. More than 100 people were killed on Saturday alone, bringing the total number of deaths to nearly 500 in just two months. Meanwhile, there are growing concerns the crisis may lead to a flood of refugees crossing Myanmar's border with Thailand after its military carried out the airstrikes Sunday targeting the Karen ethnic group.
The UN condemned military sanctions the country, calling them shameful and cowardly. Security Council is expected to hold close consultations on the situation to build on its statement. All of this comes as US Trade Representative Katherine Tai said she is freezing all trade engagements with Myanmar until an elected government returns.
Chinese officials are warning Western brands not to quote, politicize, economic behaviors in response to their decisions to halt cotton imports from Northwestern China. Companies including H&M, Adidas, Nike, and Burberry are facing growing backlash in China for speaking out against the forced labor of Uighurs Muslims in Xinjiang.
A government spokesman there said any boycott of Xinjiang would hurt the businesses themselves, saying, quote, the era of bullying by foreign powers is over. Bloomberg reports at least six H&M stores have been shut down, while the brand has already been removed from Alibaba and JD.com. The Biden administration has called the boycotts a state-led social media campaign and condemned the actions.
And finally, it is Happy Monday over in the UK, the British government easing COVID-related lockdown measures, even as Europe struggles to control the third wave of the virus. Brits can now gather in groups of up to six people outdoors, while team sports are now allowed to resume. International travel remains banned except for essential reasons. But the government is expected to detail new plans to open up overseas travel again later this week.
