HOUSE OF THE WEEK

Australia boosts Myanmar aid

INTERNATIONAL obser-vers have applauded the Australian government for a shift in aid policy that will see funding to Myanmar almost double over the next three years.

First-time voters to decide 2010 poll

FOR 25-year-old Wai Wai, the 2010 general election will be her first opportunity to shape the future of her country. She says she has already decided to give her vote to the political party she feels will bring economic development and improve people’s real living standards.

Monks donate blood to needy patients

IT is midnight and the telephone is ringing in the compound of Ywar Ma Pariyati Sarthindeik monastic school. A young monk picks up the phone, on the other end a woman beseeches him to find a monk who is willing to donate blood to her sick relative. This is not a one-off, but a daily occurrence.

Chinese New Year lion dance

CAPITAL Hypermart’s Chinese New Year lion dance contest came to a close on February 10 with Hong Bao Shi team winning the top prize.

Hip-hop dancers break ground not limbs

SINCE hitting the mainstream in the 1970s, hip-hop dancing has maintained its status as a technically difficult, high intensity form of dance most associated with the street rather than polished stage performances. Although late to arrive in Myanmar, plenty of kids are still risking their limbs to impress their friends with some cool moves.

Buyers snap up Labutta plots

MORE than 400 buyers have seized a chance to acquire plots of land in Labutta township, Ayeyarwady Division, which bore the brunt of Cyclone Nargis in 2008.

Avian influenza fears depress poultry markets

AN outbreak of the deadly H5N1 avian influenza strain at an army-run poultry farm in early February has had little impact on the market, industry sources said last week.

MFF terminates coach

A series of poor performances in the lead up to the AFC Challenge Cup has resulted in the Myanmar Football Federation(MFF) terminating the contract of head national coach Drago Mamic.

Equestrian event

Myanmar’s Equestrian Federation is to hold its first event for 2010, The Baron’s Cup. The event will be held on February 27 at the federations equestrian grounds in North Dagon Township.

Shane Warne announces plans to create a global‘IPL style’ series

LONDON – Shane Warne said he wished he was “20 years younger” as he helped unveil plans for a new global Twenty20 alliance.

Singapore welcomes 9.7 million visitors

SINGAPORE – Singapore welcomed 9.7 million visitors in 2009, down 4.3 percent from 2008 but exceeding forecasts due to an aggressive marketing campaign amid a global recession, the government said last week

Tourism Myanmar Update

Inya Lake Hotel is launching www.eventsinyangon.com, the one and only website with updated events listings for Yangon. This website features a calendar of events, from music concerts and art gallery openings to social occasions in the hotels and bars around the city.

Google Earth dives into oceans, WWII

SAN FRANCISCO – Google Earth mapping service is letting people use the internet to dive into the world’s oceans or see the ruin that World War II bombings rained on European cities.

MCC to open master and doctoral courses

MYANMA Computer Group (MCC) announced last week that it plans to open masters and doctoral courses in IT and business in September this year as a joint effort with Siam University of Thailand.