World Tour - Calls for a spring revolution in Myanmar

NICK EICHER, HOST: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It: World Tour with Africa reporter Onize Ohikere.

ONIZE OHIKERE, REPORTER: Protests continue in Myanmar—We start today in Southeast Asia.

SOUND: CHANTING

Thousands of protesters took to the streets across Myanmar on Sunday. They are calling for a "spring revolution" to overturn the military regime that seized power four months ago.

As quickly as they formed, the mobs scattered to avoid a confrontation with police.

Since the February 1st coup, security forces have killed nearly 800 civilians. That’s according to a local monitoring group. But the military claims just over 250 protesters have died along with 17 policemen and seven soldiers.

The military is also cracking down on ethnic militias in the eastern part of the country.

SOUND: SHOOTING, VOICES

Airstrikes in the area have forced thousands of villagers to flee. Fighters with the Karen National Liberation Army claim to have captured a military outpost and burned it to the ground.

Militia groups have fought for greater autonomy in the area for years. But battles with the military have intensified in the last few months.

Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan reach a cease-fire—Next we go to central Asia.

WOMAN: SPEAKING RUSSIAN

Officials with Kyrgyzstan’s foreign affairs ministry announced an end to fighting on the country’s border with Tajikistan.

The cease-fire signed Friday ends the worst violence between the neighboring countries in years. At least 31 people died and dozens more suffered injuries.

Residents in border communities regularly clash over land and water. But this time troops from both countries joined the fight.

Border disagreements between Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan stem from divisions made during their Soviet-era occupations.

Taliban targets doctors in bomb attack—Next we go to the Middle East.

SOUND: GLASS BEING SWEPT

Residents of a town just south of the Afghan capital are cleaning up after a car bomb destroyed houses and a nearby hospital. At least 21 people died and more than 100 suffered injuries.

MAN: SPEAKING PUSHTO

This man is a doctor at the hospital. He says 10 staff members were wounded and most of the hospital’s rooms aren’t usable.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani blamed the attack on the Taliban. Government forces have clashed with the militant group almost daily in recent months. The violence has only increased as diplomatic teams try to work out a peace deal.

Last week’s attack came one day before U.S. troops were set to begin pulling out of the country. President Joe Biden has ordered all troops home by September 11th.

Colosseum to get new floor—And finally, we end today in Europe.

The Roman Colosseum re-opened to visitors last week after a 41-day closure. Tourists like this woman enjoyed a rare view of the ancient site.

AUDIO: Well, it's a little strange that there is so much space to enjoy it, there is really nobody here so on the one hand it's nice to visit, it's a great moment to visit, but on the other, where is everybody? It's very empty here.

On Sunday, the Italian government announced a major restoration project for the historic structure—a new floor. The lightweight stage will allow visitors to stand in the middle of the arena and see it from a gladiator’s point of view.

Archaeologists removed the original floor in the 1800s to reveal a network of passages and rooms underneath. The new floor should be in place by 2023.

That’s this week’s World Tour. Reporting for WORLD, I’m Onize Ohikere in Abuja, Nigeria.

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