- Tunisia votes with Saied set for re-election
- Bagnaia sets 'example' with Japan MotoGP win to cut gap on Martin
- Intense Israeli bombing rocks Beirut ahead of war anniversary
- Mozambique vote: no suspense but some disillusion
- Austrian rapper channels anti-racist rage in Romani hip-hop songs
- Ohtani magic powers Dodgers over Padres in MLB playoff thriller
- Five of the best: Pakistan-England Test thrillers
- Man sets arm on fire as marches across US mark Gaza war anniversary
- Vietnam's young coffee entrepreneurs brew up a revolution
- Trump rallies at site of failed assassination: 'Never quit'
- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
- Is music finally reckoning with #MeToo?
- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says 'very violent' Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Guardians maul Tigers, miracle Mets rally in MLB series openers
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Madrid beat Villarreal but Carvajal suffers knee injury
- Madrid beat Villarreal to move level with Liga leaders Barcelona
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- French rugby player on rape charge whistled but 'serene' on return
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Toddler among 3 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Kovacic stars as Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- France's Auradou whistled on Pau return in Perpignan loss amid ongoing rape case
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
- Thousands march for Palestinians ahead of Oct 7 anniversary
- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
- Careless Leverkusen held to Bundesliga draw
- O'Brien's 'superstar' Kyprios posts landmark win on Arc weekend
- Toddler crushed to death in migrant Channel crossing
- Liverpool suffer Alisson injury blow
Two killed, 38 injured in Myanmar rally attack on coup anniversary
Two people were killed and 38 injured in a grenade attack on a pro-military rally in eastern Myanmar on Tuesday, a security official told AFP, as anti-coup protests were held across the country on the first anniversary of the military's power-grab.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place as anti-coup activists marked the coup's anniversary with a silent strike and clapping protests, defying junta orders.
The military takeover that ended the Southeast Asian country's brief democratic interlude and toppled civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi has triggered mass protests and a crackdown on dissent.
Struggling to contain the backlash and contending with daily clashes, the junta has killed more than 1,500 civilians, according to a local monitoring group. Swathes of the country are under the control of anti-coup fighters.
Residents across commercial hub Yangon and in the city of Mandalay clapped en masse at 4 pm (0930 GMT), AFP correspondents and locals said, marking the end of a "silent strike" against the coup.
"We were clapping," one Mandalay resident said. "Other houses in my neighbourhood clapped as well."
Ten people were arrested for taking part in the clapping protest in Yangon, local media reported.
The junta had ordered shops to stay open Tuesday but the streets of Yangon began emptying at 10 am, a scene that was repeated in Mandalay and the southern Tanintharyi region.
Mandalay's famous jade market had opened in the morning but saw little traffic, a resident told AFP.
"I'm staying at home playing online games to participate in the silent strike."
A similar shutdown in December emptied the streets of cities and towns across the country, but Tuesday's was also marked by violence against the junta.
Two people were killed and 38 injured in a grenade attack as crowds returned from a pro-military rally in the eastern town of Tachileik a security official told AFP.
Local media also reported the incident that took place around noon in eastern Shan state, a region of the country that has seen comparatively little coup-related violence.
- 'Thunderous silence' -
Ahead of the anniversary, the junta had threatened to seize businesses that shutter and warned that noisy rallies or sharing anti-military "propaganda" could lead to treason or terrorism charges.
"If the strike is shaping up as is reported, it is a thunderous silence, a resounding rebuke of military rule," David Mathieson, an analyst formerly based in Myanmar, told AFP.
On Tuesday morning, local media showed isolated flash mobs in Yangon and Mandalay, where protesters unfurled pro-democracy banners and set off flares.
Photos released by the junta's information team on Tuesday painted a picture of normalcy in the country, including competitors finishing a marathon in the southern Bago region and a religious celebration.
Undated video handouts showed pro-military demonstrations in unspecified parts of the country, some holding national flags and chanting slogans in support of the army.
Others held banners denouncing the "People's Defence Forces" that have sprung up to fight the military and dealt painful blows to junta troops with guerilla ambushes and mine attacks.
- Sanctions -
The United States, Britain and Canada unveiled coordinated sanctions on Myanmar officials Monday, including those involved in the trial of ousted leader Suu Kyi.
Washington sanctioned Attorney General Thida Oo, Supreme Court Chief Justice Tun Tun Oo and Anti-Corruption Commission chairman Tin Oo, all of whom it said were closely involved in the "politically motivated" prosecution of Suu Kyi.
Citing "unspeakable violence against civilians", the undermining of regional stability and "rampant" corruption, US President Joe Biden said he was working with allies to "hold accountable" those responsible.
But the UN's Special Rapporteur on Myanmar said the international community needed to do more.
"The fact that one year has elapsed with no Security Council Resolution imposing a comprehensive arms embargo -- as arms continue to flow to the junta and kill innocent people -- is unacceptable," said Tom Andrews.
"The people of Myanmar deserve better from the United Nations."
- Another trial for Suu Kyi -
Suu Kyi has been detained since the coup, and faces a raft of charges from election fraud to breaching the official secrets act, and faces over 100 years in jail.
The day before the anniversary, the junta announced the Nobel laureate will face a new trial for electoral fraud during 2020 polls in which her National League for Democracy party trounced a military-backed rival.
Several senior members of the national electoral commission have also been arrested since the coup, accused of masterminding the NLD's landslide victory.
The junta cancelled the results of the 2020 election in July last year, saying it had found some 11.3 million instances of fraud.
Independent monitors said the polls were largely free and fair.
burs-rma/md
J.Oliveira--AMWN