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India said Thursday it was “examining the implications” of sweeping US tariffs, saying it was eyeing “opportunities” after rival competitors were harder hit by US President Donald Trump’s hike in duties.New Delhi, which is in the process of negotiating the first tranche of a bilateral trade agreement with Washington, said it was pushing ahead with talks for a deal.India’s Department of Commerce said it is “carefully examining the implications of the various measures”, adding in a statement that it was “also studying the opportunities that may arise due to this new development”.Trump, speaking while unveiling the tariffs at the White House on Wednesday, said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a “great friend” but that he had not been “treating us right”.An initial White House chart revealing the tariffs listed India at 26 percent, but a subsequent annex — cited by New Delhi — put duties at 27 percent.”Discussions are ongoing between Indian and US trade teams for the expeditious conclusion of a mutually beneficial, multi-sectoral Bilateral Trade Agreement,” the statement said.The commerce department added that talks “are focused on enabling both nations to grow trade, investments and technology transfers”.”We remain in touch with the Trump Administration on these issues and expect to take them forward in the coming days.”India’s pharmaceutical sector, which exported more than $8 billion of products to the United States in the 2024 fiscal year, emerged unscathed — with drugs exempt from its reciprocal tariff move.

Entombed under his hotel bed for five days in the debris, two things enabled teacher Tin Maung Htwe to survive Myanmar’s devastating earthquake: old school lessons and his own urine.The primary school headmaster was on a training course in Sagaing, the closest place to the epicentre, when the 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck.The 47-year-old remembered a decades-old school lesson to shelter under a bed if the world starts to shake. “As soon as I went under the bed, the whole hotel fell down and was blocked. All I could afford was to say ‘save me’,” he said. “I was shouting ‘save me, save me’.”The Swal Taw Nann guesthouse where he was staying was reduced to a pile of bricks and twisted metal strips, the broken shell of its top storey resting on the remains of those below, and Tin Maung Htwe in a ground floor room underneath it all. “I felt as though I was in hell,” he said weakly, an oxygen tube running to his nose and two intravenous drips into his reduced frame.”My body was burning hot and all I needed was water. I couldn’t get that water from anywhere.”So I have to refill the water my body needed with fluids coming out of my body.”– ‘I am free’ –The intensity of destruction in Sagaing, closer to the epicentre, is far higher than in neighbouring Mandalay, with a much greater proportion of its buildings reduced to piles of debris. Great gouges have been opened up in the main road towards it –- jamming traffic and hampering those trying to help the victims -– and the Ava bridge across the Irrawaddy linking the two cities is down, one end of six of its 10 spans resting in the placid waters. Residents said the Myanmar Red Cross were recovering bodies from the site and were not expecting to find anyone alive when they located him, and a Malaysian rescue team was called in to extract him. One of eight siblings, his sister Nan Yone, 50, was one of several of his relatives watching and waiting as they worked at the site. “I can’t describe it,” said Nan Yone of his rescue on Wednesday. “I was dancing, crying and beating my chest because I was so happy.”When he arrived at Sagaing’s main hospital he gave her a thumbs-up and told her: “Sister I am very good.””His will is very strong and I think that is why he survived,” she said on the day he was rescued.As she spoke nurses tended to her semi-conscious brother on a outdoor gurney, his head lolling occasionally from side to side. No one is being treated indoors at the facility, for fear of an aftershock wreaking more havoc.”I am glad I am free now,” Tin Maung Htwe told AFP.”I wouldn’t be able to do anything if I was dead. I didn’t die so now I can do whatever I wish.” He wants to go back to his work as a schoolteacher. But he added: “I am considering becoming a Buddhist monk.”

Sri Lankan animal rights activists marched on Thursday to protest the round-up of stray dogs a day ahead of a visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Authorities in Colombo and the Buddhist pilgrim city of Anuradhapura have reportedly deployed dog catchers to impound hounds ahead of Modi’s visit, which begins on Friday.Many of Colombo’s strays are beloved by their adopted neighbourhoods despite lacking formal owners — and are dubbed “community” canines rather than street dogs.Around a dozen protesters from the Rally for Animal Rights and Environment (RARE) waved placards outside President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s office in Colombo after submitting a petition to India’s high commission. “Stop the cruel removal of our community dogs,” one placard read.Protesters said that many of the dogs in public parks had been vaccinated and neutered and were cared for by locals and animal welfare groups.”How can Sri Lanka promote tourism when we are a country known for animal cruelty?” another placard read.Protesters urged New Delhi’s intervention to “prevent the cruel and unnecessary removal of these dogs”, saying that the round-up of dogs would create “displacement, suffering, and potential harm”.Modi is set to receive an official welcome at Colombo’s Independence Square, where dog catchers are reported to have been busy in this week.He is also set to visit Anuradhapura, 200 kilometres (124 miles) north of the capital, to pay homage to a fig tree believed to have grown from a cutting from the tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment more than 2,500 years ago.The tree is both an object of worship and a symbol of national sovereignty on the majority Buddhist island of 22 million people.

Praise was heaped on Mohammed Siraj Thursday after his match-winning spell for Gujarat Titans at his former club Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL.Siraj, who was dropped By India for the Champions Trophy, looked like a man with a point to prove to the national selectors and the RCB management as he took 3-19 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday, a venue that was his home for seven seasons.RCB released Siraj after last season and the India fast bowler was bought by Gujarat for $1.4 million in the November auction.Siraj has begun to justify his price tag by taking five wickets in three matches this season, bowling with pace and accuracy.Former India opener Virender Sehwag said Siraj’s IPL form was motivated by his omission from the Champions Trophy last month, which India won in Dubai.”Somewhere I feel he is hurt that he wasn’t part of the Champions Trophy squad, and I saw that fire,” Sehwag said on website Cricbuzz.”That’s what we expect from a young fast bowler: ‘Yeah, you didn’t pick me? Now I will show you’.”New Zealand’s Kane Williamson, commentating on JioStar, said: “He bowled with real fire in his belly, led the attack with aggression, and bowled with some excellent pace.” Siraj’s bowling helped restrict Bengaluru to 169-8, a total Gujarat overhauled by eight wickets with 13 balls to spare as England’s Jos Buttler hit an unbeaten 73 off 39 deliveries.”(Siraj) was deservedly named player of the match,” Williamson added. “While Jos Buttler was outstanding and back to his best in the second innings, Siraj set the tone early on, making a significant impact.”Siraj, 31, removed left-hander Devdutt Padikkal with a delivery that nipped away to hit off stump.He then bowled Phil Salt after the England batsman had hit him for a six on the previous ball.Siraj finished his spell with the wicket of England’s Liam Livingstone, caught behind for 54.”It was emotional because I played for seven years here,” Siraj said of returning to Bengaluru. “There was some nervousness and some emotion but the moment I got the ball in my hand, it was full on.”It was Gujarat’s second straight win and Bengaluru’s first defeat this season.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday unveiled a raft of punishing tariffs targeting countries around the world including some of its closest trading partners, in a move that risks sparking a ruinous trade war. Speaking in the White House Rose Garden against a backdrop of US flags, Trump slapped the most stinging tariffs on China and the European Union on what he called “Liberation Day.”The dollar fell one percent against the euro and slipped against other major currencies as Trump was speaking.”For decades, our country has been looted, pillaged, raped and plundered by nations near and far, both friend and foe alike,” Trump said.Trump reserved some of the heaviest blows for what he called the “nations that treat us badly,” including 34 percent on goods from superpower rival China, 20 percent on key ally the European Union and 24 percent on Japan.But the 78-year-old Republican — who held up a chart with a list of levies — said that he was “very kind” and so was only imposing half the amount that those countries taxed US exports.For the rest, Trump said he would impose a “baseline” tariff of 10 percent, including Britain.An audience of cabinet members, as well as workers in hard hats from industries including steel, oil and gas, whooped and cheered as Trump said the tariffs would “make America wealthy again.””This is Liberation Day,” Trump said, adding that it would “forever be remembered as the day American industry was reborn, the day America’s destiny was reclaimed.”Sweeping auto tariffs of 25 percent that Trump announced last week are also due to take effect at 12:01 am (0401 GMT) Thursday.- ‘Golden Age’ -Trump has telegraphed the move for weeks, insisting tariffs will keep the United States from being “ripped off” by other countries and spur a new “Golden Age” of American industry.But many experts warn the tariffs risk triggering a recession at home as costs are passed on to US consumers, and a damaging trade war abroad.The world has been on edge ahead of Trump’s announcement.Markets have been volatile as investors hedged their bets, and the announcement came after Wall Street stocks closed.The tariffs will also reinforce fears that Trump is backing even further away from US allies towards a new order based on a vision of American supremacy.US trading partners have vowed swift retribution, while also trying to persuade Trump to reach deals to avoid tariffs in the first place.  Germany warned Wednesday that trade wars hurt “both sides.”The European Union will react to new Trump tariffs “before the end of April,” said a French government spokeswoman.The 27-nation bloc’s initial salvo would counter US actions on steel and aluminum, followed by sector-by-sector measures.British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who made intense, said a “trade war is in nobody’s interests.” “We have prepared for all eventualities — and we will rule nothing out,” he told parliament.- Recession fears -Trump has had a long love affair with tariffs, insisting in the face of experts that they are a cure-all for America’s trade imbalances and economic ills.The billionaire insists the levies will bring a “rebirth” of America’s hollowed-out manufacturing capacity, and says companies can avoid tariffs by moving to the United States.But critics say US businesses and consumers could bear the burden if importers pass on the cost, adding that the policy could increase risks of a recession.”If this trade war continues through Labor Day (on September 1), the US economy will likely suffer a recession this year,” Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody’s Analytics, told AFP.Negotiations are likely to continue though as countries seek to halt the tariffs.Trump has previously been persuaded however to halt tariffs on neighbors Canada and Mexico while trade talks continued.He ordered levies on both on the grounds that they had failed to stop the flow of the deadly opioid fentanyl into the United States.”I understand that it’s a game of tug-of-war,” truck driver Alejandro Espinoza told AFP as he waited in a queue to cross the Mexican-US border. “But unfortunately, we’re the ones who pay in the end.” burs-dk/sst

Myanmar’s junta announced a temporary ceasefire on Wednesday as the death toll from a devastating earthquake rose and desperate survivors pleaded for more help amid frantic scenes of aid distribution.The shallow 7.7-magnitude earthquake on Friday flattened buildings across Myanmar, killing nearly 3,000 people and making thousands more homeless.The military government said it would observe a ceasefire from Wednesday until April 22 to make quake relief efforts easier, after other armed groups fighting the country’s bloody four-year civil war made similar pledges.Rights groups and several foreign governments had earlier condemned the junta for continuing to carry out air strikes even as the country grappled with the quake aftermath.The junta said in a statement the ceasefire had “the aim of speeding up relief and reconstruction efforts, and maintaining peace and stability”.But it warned its opponents — a complex array of pro-democracy and ethnic minority armed groups — it would still respond to attacks, acts of sabotage or “gathering, organising, and expanding territory that would undermine peace”.The junta also said Min Aung Hlaing will travel to Bangkok on Thursday for a summit of South Asian countries plus Myanmar and Thailand, where he will discuss the quake response. It is a rare foreign trip for the leader, and something of a diplomatic coup as it breaks with a regional policy of not inviting junta leaders to major events in the wake of the putsch.- Scramble for food -AFP journalists saw frantic scenes as hundreds of desperate people scrambled for aid distribution in Sagaing, the city closest to the epicentre of the quake, with some running through traffic to join the queues.Volunteers handed out water, rice, cooking oil and other basic supplies to residents clamouring for assistance.”I have never queued for food like this before. I can’t express how worried I am. I don’t know what to say,” Cho Cho Mar, 35, carrying her baby and clutching instant coffee packs and mosquito repellent, told AFP.Destruction in the city is widespread, with the World Health Organization (WHO) reporting that one in three houses have collapsed, and five days after the quake locals complained of a lack of help.Aye Thi Kar, 63, head of a school for young nuns razed to the ground by the tremors, said food supplies were low but shelter was a bigger priority — along with nets to ward off mosquitos in the stifling tropical heat.Many people have been sleeping in the streets since the quake hit, unable to return to damaged buildings or fearful of aftershocks.”Right now we need roofing and walls to have proper shelter for the night,” she told AFP. “We also need nets and blankets for sleeping, as we don’t want to sleep directly on the ground.”Healthcare facilities, damaged by the quake and with limited capacity, are “overwhelmed by a large number of patients”, while supplies of food, water and medicine are running low, WHO said in an update.Hopes of finding more survivors are fading, but there were moments of joy on Wednesday as two men were pulled alive from the ruins of a hotel in the capital Naypyidaw.- Call for peace – The junta said Wednesday that the death toll had risen to 2,886, with more than 4,600 injured and 373 still missing.But with patchy communication and infrastructure delaying efforts to gather information and deliver aid, the full scale of the disaster has yet to become clear, and the toll is likely to rise.Relief groups say the overall quake response has been hindered by continued fighting between the junta and the complex patchwork of armed groups opposed to its rule, which began after the military seized power in a 2021 coup.Even before Friday’s earthquake, 3.5 million people were displaced by the fighting, many of them at risk of hunger, according to the United Nations.Late Tuesday, an alliance of three of Myanmar’s most powerful ethnic minority armed groups announced a one-month pause in hostilities.The announcement by the Three Brotherhood Alliance followed a separate partial ceasefire called by the People’s Defence Force — civilian groups that took up arms after the coup to fight junta rule.A junta spokesman said soldiers fired warning shots on Tuesday when a Chinese Red Cross convoy failed to stop while approaching a village in conflict-ridden Shan state to deliver aid to earthquake victims.Hundreds of kilometres away, in the Thai capital Bangkok, workers continued to scour through the rubble of a 30-storey skyscraper that was still being built when it collapsed on Friday.The death toll at the site has risen to 22, with more than 70 still believed trapped in the rubble.burs-pdw/dhc

The United States said Tuesday it has approved the possible sale of $5.58 billion in F-16 fighter jets to the Philippines, as Washington backs its ally in rising tensions over China.The State Department said it was green-lighting a sale that includes 20 F-16 jets and related equipment to the Philippines, a treaty-bound ally of the United States.The sale would “improve the security of a strategic partner that continues to be an important force for political stability, peace and economic progress in Southeast Asia,” a State Department statement said.It would also boost “the Philippine Air Force’s ability to conduct maritime domain awareness” and “enhance its suppression of enemy air defenses,” the statement said.The news follows months of increasing confrontations between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost in its entirety despite an international ruling that its assertion has no merit.A State Department spokesperson said Wednesday that the deal would be final only after “a signed Letter of Offer and Acceptance” was received from the “purchasing partner”. Philippine defense department spokesman Arsenio Andolong told AFP he had “not received any official notice of such a decision.”But China warned Manila against the purchase, saying the Philippines was “threatening” regional peace.”The Philippines’ defense and security cooperation with other countries should not target any third party or harm the interests of a third party. Nor should it threaten regional peace and security or exacerbate regional tensions,” foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said.Manila and Washington have deepened their defense cooperation since President Ferdinand Marcos took office in 2022 and began pushing back on Beijing’s sweeping South China Sea claims.In December, the Philippines angered China when it said it planned to acquire the US mid-range Typhon missile system in a push to secure its maritime interests.Beijing warned such a purchase could spark a regional “arms race”.- ‘Inevitably’ involved -President Donald Trump’s administration has sought to redirect US military efforts to Asia to face a rising China, especially as tensions rise over Taiwan, and to lessen involvement in Europe despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.On Tuesday, as Chinese ships and warplanes surrounded Taiwan in a simulated blockade, Philippines military chief General Romeo Brawner said his country would “inevitably” be involved should the self-ruled island be invaded.”Start planning for actions in case there is an invasion of Taiwan,” he told troops in northern Luzon island, without naming the potential invader.”Because if something happens to Taiwan, inevitably we will be involved.”He also said that the bulk of this month’s joint military exercises would be conducted in northern Luzon, the part of the Philippines nearest Taiwan. “These are the areas where we perceive the possibility of an attack. I do not want to sound alarmist, but we have to prepare,” he added.Asked about Brawner’s comments, Beijing foreign ministry spokesman Guo said resolving “the Taiwan issue is a matter for the Chinese people.” “We advise certain individuals in the Philippines not to play with fire or make provocations on the Taiwan issue — those who play with fire will only get burned,” he said.On a visit to Manila last week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth vowed to “reestablish deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region” in light of “threats from the Communist Chinese.”Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also reiterated US defense commitments to the Philippines, a contrast to the Trump administration’s frequent talk of “freeloading” off the United States by allies in Europe.

Mitch Hay’s rollicking 99 not out backed by some feisty seam bowling steered New Zealand to an 84-run win over Pakistan on Wednesday to take an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the one-day international series.New Zealand made 292-8 and bowled Pakistan out for 208 in the 42nd over in Hamilton in the second of three one-day internationals.Hay’s lusty hitting snapped a mid-innings slump by the hosts as he raced to a career-best ODI knock, which included blasting 22 off the final over by Mohammad Wasim.He downplayed his innings as “just swinging from the hip and hoping” but Hay’s captain Michael Bracewell and rival skipper Mohammad Rizwan saw it as a match-defining performance. “We lost a few wickets then the way Mitch batted at the end was outstanding, and throughout his whole innings, to get us through to a competitive total,” Bracewell said.Rizwan lamented his side’s inability to handle the swing and bounce of the New Zealand bowlers. “Mitch Hay, he played very well and that’s why they put a good target on the board,” he said.Hay smacked seven fours and as many sixes in his 78-ball innings to steer New Zealand from a perilous 132-5 in the 27th over.In reply, Pakistan were in early trouble when Will O’Rourke had Abdullah Shafique caught at first slip for one in the third over.Babar Azam and Imam-ul-Haq quickly followed, dismissed by Jacob Duffy, to leave Pakistan tottering at 9-3 midway through the sixth over. Ben Sears, who finished with 5-59, took two wickets in his first over — Salman Agha for nine and Mohammad Rizwan for five — to reduce the visitors to 32-5. Tayyab Tahir and Faheem Ashraf put on 33 off nine overs but when Sears removed Tahir and Wasim it was 72-7 .Haris Rauf on three was hit by a nasty blow to the helmet from a rising delivery from  O’Rourke and had to retire hurt.It was his concussion replacement, Naseem Shah, who began to show some fight as he put on rearguard 60 stand with Ashraf.Both posted maiden ODI fifties with Ashraf scoring 73 and Naseem 51.Earlier, novice Black Caps openers Nick Kelly and Rhys Mariu put on 54 after being asked to bat by Rizwan.Kelly was caught behind for a hard-hitting 31 which included four fours and two sixes and debutant Mariu made 18. Henry Nicholls and Daryl Mitchell took New Zealand past 100 in the 16th over.Mitchell was stumped by Rizwan off Sufyan Moqim for 18 and Nicholls went for 22 in the following over.Michael Bracewell and Muhammad Abbas trod water to add only 30 runs in 10 overs until Bracewell was caught behind off Wasim for 17. Pakistan-born Abbas and Hay set about restoring the innings with a patient 77-run partnership until Abbas went for 41. Moqim was the pick of the Pakistan bowlers with 2-33.The third and final match is at Mount Maunganui on Friday.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Prabhsimran Singh scored an explosive 69 off 34 balls as Punjab Kings cruised to an eight-wicket victory over Lucknow Super Giants on Tuesday for their second win this IPL. Punjab chased down the target of 172 set by Lucknow with nearly four overs to spare, and captain Shreyas Iyer remained unbeaten on 52 off 30 balls.  “This is the start we required,” Iyer said. “Boys actually played their roles well, they contributed to the best of their ability, and whatever we planned, they executed it to the fullest.”Playing their first home game of the season, Lucknow Super Giants started poorly, losing in-form opener Mitchell Marsh for a golden duck in the first over of the match to Arshdeep Singh. Marsh’s opening partner Aiden Markram hit Arshdeep for three boundaries in his next over but fell for 28 off 18 soon after to New Zealand pacer Lockie Ferguson, who was playing his first match for the Kings. Captain Rishabh Pant’s stint at the crease was short-lived getting out for just two runs from five balls, leaving Lucknow reeling at 35-3 just prior to the end of the powerplay.  Nicholas Pooran and Ayush Badoni steadied the innings with a 54-run partnership for the fourth wicket, but Pooran eventually fell to spinner Yuzvendra Chahal in the 12th over after an entertaining 44 off 30 balls.   The attacking David Miller, who came in next, did not last long either, falling to fellow South African Marco Jansen for 19 off 18 deliveries.Badoni (41) and Abdul Samad (27), both of whom were dismissed by Arshdeep in the last over of the innings, provided some late momentum to Lucknow, propelling them to a total of 171-7. Skipper Pant conceded it was “not enough”. “We were 20-25 runs short,” he said.”That is part and parcel of the game — our first home game, so still assessing the conditions.”   In response, Punjab lost opener Priyansh Arya cheaply for eight runs off nine balls to spinner Digvesh Rathi in the third over.But Lucknow’s bowling attack only again tasted success in the 11th over when Prabhsimran fell, courtesy of a spectacular catch at the fence by Ravi Bishnoi.   By then, Iyer and Prabhsimran’s quickfire partnership of 84 — powered largely by the latter — had taken the match away from Lucknow. Left-handed batter Nehal Wadhera (43) then teamed up with Iyer to take Punjab over the line without any further setbacks.  Rathi (2-30) was the only Lucknow bowler to be among the wickets.

Emergency workers in Myanmar rescued a woman on Tuesday who had been trapped for more than 90 hours under the rubble of a building after a devastating earthquake that has killed at least 2,700 people.The woman, around 63 years old, was found alive and transferred to a hospital, the Myanmar Fire Services Department said, a rare moment of hope as the country held a minute’s silence to honour the dead.Four days after the shallow 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck, many people in Myanmar are still sleeping outdoors, either unable to return to ruined homes or afraid of further aftershocks.The head of the ruling junta, Min Aung Hlaing, said 2,719 people were confirmed dead so far, with more than 4,500 injured and 441 still missing.The toll is expected to rise significantly as rescuers reach towns and villages where communications have been cut off by the quake.At 12:51:02 (0621 GMT) — the precise time the quake struck on Friday — sirens wailed to bring the country to a standstill to remember those lost.Mandalay, the country’s second-biggest city with 1.7 million inhabitants, suffered some of the worst destruction.Outside the Sky Villa apartment complex, one of the city’s worst-hit disaster sites, rescue workers stopped and lined up with hands clasped behind their backs to pay their respects.Officials and attendants stood behind a cordon, watching relatives further back, as the sirens wailed and a Myanmar flag flew at half-mast from a bamboo pole tied to a rescue tent.The moment of remembrance is part of a week of national mourning declared by the ruling junta, with flags to fly at half-mast on official buildings until April 6 “in sympathy for the loss of life and damages”.More than 1,000 foreign rescuers have flown in to help and Myanmar state media reported that nearly 650 people have been pulled alive from ruined buildings around the country.- Sleeping in the open -Hundreds of Mandalay residents have been forced to sleep in the open, with their homes destroyed or fearing aftershocks would cause more damage.”I don’t feel safe. There are six or seven-floor buildings beside my house leaning, and they can collapse anytime,” Soe Tint, a watchmaker, told AFP after sleeping outside.Some have tents but many — including babies and children — have been bedding down on blankets in the middle of roads, staying as far away as possible from damaged buildings.At an examination hall, where part of the building collapsed on hundreds of monks taking an exam, book bags were piled on a table outside, the uncollected belongings of the victims.The smell was “very high”, one Indian rescue worker said. The stench of bodies rotting in the heat was unmistakable at several disaster sites around the city.On the outskirts of Mandalay, a crematorium has received hundreds of bodies for disposal, with many more to come as victims are dug out of the rubble.- International aid effort -Even before Friday’s quake, Myanmar’s 50 million people were suffering, the country ravaged by four years of civil war sparked when the army ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government in 2021. At least 3.5 million people were displaced by the conflict before the quake, many of them at risk of hunger, according to the United Nations. The junta says it is doing its best to respond to the disaster but there have been multiple reports in recent days of the military carrying out air strikes on armed groups opposed to its rule, even as the country reels from the quake’s devastation.UN special envoy to Myanmar Julie Bishop called Monday for all parties to cease hostilities and focus on protecting civilians and delivering aid.An alliance of three ethnic minority armed groups that have been fighting against the junta announced a one-month pause in hostilities to support humanitarian efforts in response to the quake.Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing issued an exceptionally rare appeal for foreign assistance, breaking with the isolated ruling generals’ customary practice of shunning help from abroad in the wake of major disasters.Hundreds of kilometres away, Bangkok authorities said the death toll there had risen to 20, the vast majority killed when a 30-storey skyscraper under construction collapsed.burs-pdw/dhw