The Burmese military has laid new charges on deposed Prime Minister Aung San Suu Kyi in yet another escalation of political tensions in Myanmar. Suu Kyi is charged with publishing information that may cause fear or alarm and breaking telecommunications equipment licensing laws. Her appearance before a Nay Pyi Taw court was the first time she has been seen since her arrest in the military coup on February first.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says he is open to the idea of a snap election following months of political tension over his handling of the Nagorno-Karabakh crisis. Pashinyan’s popularity has failed to recover from what many Armenians see as a humiliating ceasefire agreement with Azerbaijan in November last year, which saw Armenia cede control of Nagorno-Karabakh to the Azeris. The move is the latest in a chaotic week in Armenian politics, beginning with what Pashinyan labels an ‘attempted military coup’ and ending with protestors storming a government building and demanding his r

Australian Red Cross Lifeblood has issued an immediate appeal for an additional twenty two thousand blood and plasma donors within the next fortnight. Executive Director of Lifeblood Cath Stone says elective surgery is behind the increased need for donors as the Hospital demand is up 7 per cent compared to this time last year. All blood and plasma types are needed as hospitals are still affected by COVID-19, it’s essential donations continue.

Queensland’s mineral and petroleum exploration sector continues to grow with six hundred and seventy five million dollars invested in 2020. Resources minister Scott Stewart says the latest figures show the resources sector is bouncing back stronger in the wake of COVID-19. Today’s ABS statistics on Mineral and Petroleum Exploration reasserted the positive outlook.

Up to forty thousand homes and businesses are without power in North Queensland today as Tropical Cyclone Niran continues to develop off the coast. Winds are reaching one hundred and twenty kilometres per hour and the Bureau of Meteorology is warning that the currently Category One cyclone may intensify in coming days. Residents living between Cape Flattery and Lucinda are urged to take safety precautions and wait for updates.

A further 25 refugees have been released from temporary detention in Brisbane today. The news comes after the release of 25 refugees yesterday. Spokesperson for Refugee Action Collective, Ian Rintoul says, the releases today and yesterday are a face saving move for the federal government, a product of legal challenges and of the last years public protests. Protests have been held for the 120 people in temporary hotel detention with more to come on the 5th of March.

Papua New Guinean police are asking for calm as riots and looting follow the death of Sir Michael Somare, former and first Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea. Sir Michael Somare died of pancreatic cancer at 84 years old in the capital city of Port Moresby last Friday. Riots and looting broke out in Port Moresby and Lae during the national day of mourning yesterday, spurred on by local social media posts. Sir Michael’s daughter Dulciana Somare Brash condemned the looters on facebook.

A French court convicted former President Nicolas Sarkozy of corruption and peddling influence in Paris last night. The court found Sarkozy guilty of conspiring with his former lawyer to convince a judge to reveal information about an ongoing legal investigation and sentenced him to three years in prison. It is unlikely the former president will end up behind bars, however, with the judge ruling two years of Sarkozy’s sentence be suspended and allowing him to serve the remaining year under house arrest.

The Queen made her first Zoom call to Australia from London yesterday, calling the South Australian Governor and Premier, as well as sculptor Robert Hannaford, to discuss the installation of a bronze statue of the monarch in Adelaide. The statue is the third of its kind in Australia and is already a popular tourist attraction in the South Australian capital. Governor Le also informed Queen Elizabeth of Australia’s progress in rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine to frontline workers and bushfire recovery.