News
Soaring price of onions confronts NLD with challenge of governing
As the National League for Democracy prepares to take charge of Myanmar’s economy, small businesses in Yangon are cutting costs and preparing for the worst, with food prices soaring and the kyat touching an all-time low against the dollar. Restaurant and tea-shop owners in Myanmar’s largest ...
Israel, Myanmar to tighten defence ties
After Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing’s visit to Israel earlier this year, the two countries are looking to further cement defence ties with a formal agreement that will head to parliament later this week. Keep reading ...
Myanmar landslide: 'Many missing' at Kachin jade mine
Many people are still missing after a massive landslide at a jade mine in Myanmar’s northern Kachin state. At least 104 bodies have now been recovered, with some estimates saying more than 100 people are still missing. The incident happened in Hpakant on 21 November when a huge ...
US president notes election success at ASEAN Summit
The weekend’s ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur put US President Barack Obama and President U Thein Sein together for the first time since the election. While peddling his Asian pivot trade deal at the meeting, Mr Obama took a softer diplomatic tone than usual, lauding the ...
Government spokesman rejects calls for Rohingya citizenship
A spokesperson for President Thein Sein took to social media on 21 November to reject recommendations that Rohingya Muslims be granted a path to citizenship. The minister’s comments were made in the wake of the United Nations’ Universal Periodic Review, a comprehensive human rights examination comprising recommendations from ...
Election offers glimmer of hope for Kayan
Among its many victories in the 8 November election, the National League for Democracy won the seat of the minister for ethnic Kayan people in Shan State. The incoming minister, U Khun Aye Maung, says now things are going to change. Known to the world’s tourists ...
Nationalism defeated at the ballot box
Why did self-proclaimed nationalist parties fare so badly in the election? Though the absence of opinion polls and comparable electoral data made it difficult in advance to gauge the extent of support for any party, nationalist candidates appeared to be well-organised and amply funded. The hardline ...
Next government warned to steer clear of the Myitsone
Kachin activists are promising a fierce fight over the future of the suspended Myitsone dam project, with one prominent spokesperson threatening a fight “to the death” if the incoming government allowed the project to go ahead. President U Thein Sein won plaudits for announcing the suspension ...
Government, ceasefire groups inch toward dialogue
A major step toward reducing the risk of military clashes near zones controlled by groups that signed last month’s ceasefire agreement has been taken with the completion of a military code of conduct, the government says. Agreement on the draft was reached at the second Joint ...
Yangon authorities losing the battle against betel
It’s enough to make you want to spit. Efforts by Yangon city authorities to control the “undisciplined” ejection of crimson betel juice are just not working, officials say. First they tried placing plastic boxes filled with sand at junctions and bus-stops. Their latest scheme is the ...
