The Trump administration is reportedly considering a partnership with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) to access rare earth deposits in northern Myanmar and reduce US reliance on China's monopoly. However, residents fear mining’s potential environmental impact and the risk of further fuelling the civil war. Kachin activists are calling on Washington to uphold strict standards and pursue sustainable solutions to avoid repeating the mistakes of others.

According to the Myanmar Bar Association, conscription violates human rights: “Crime against humanity”. Enacted by the junta in 2024, the controversial law was followed by an aggressive campaign involving coercive practices and extortion. Revolutionary fighter from Sagaing: ‘Out of 200 soldiers, 50 are real’. Corruption in institutions has increased for economic gain.

Two prisoners died from lack of healthcare on 19 July in prisons run by Myanmar’s military regime: 26-year-old activist Ma Wut Yi Aung, tortured after her arrest, and Ko Pyae Sone Aung, a member of the National League for Democracy. Their death extends a long list of victims of the junta’s prison system, while leader Aung San Suu Kyi is also in poor health after more than four years in prison.

The Nug has handed down a 20-year prison sentence to members of the group responsible for the murder in Sagaing. The priest was killed in a targeted and premeditated attack. AsiaNews source: the sentence is positive, but "we do not see transparency in the case. We hope that the resistance will not behave like the oppressor."

Another ethnic militia leader, who travelled to China "for medical treatment," was held to get armed groups in northern Myanmar to hand over the city of Lashio to Myanmar’s military junta. In this case, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has been in a long fight with the military for the control of the city of Bhamo, a strategic hub for the rare earth trade. Meanwhile, other militias accuse India of bombing Myanmar territory.

Four children are among the dead, with several more wounded. The airstrike came in the wee hours of this morning. The military regime has not yet issued a comment. For ASEAN, a vote in Myanmar is "not a priority." The bloc is pushing the junta to "live up to its commitments" to engage in talks and achieve peace.