HOUSE OF THE WEEK
A Golden Valley white out
UNBEKNOWST to Myanmar’s diligent meteorological department, an extremely localised snowstorm has carpeted the interior of this two-storey Golden Valley house. more
200,000 celebrate Manaw festival
THIS year’s Kachin Manaw festival in Myitkyina drew more than 200,000 local and foreign visitors, U Sann Aung, the secretary of the festival’s organising committee told The Myanmar Times last week. U Sann Aung said organisers had been expecting as many as 300,000 visitors over the course of the seven-day festival, which finished on January 11. (Volume 26, No. 506)
‘Reintegrate with world rice market’:economist
A LEADING economist has called for the creation of a working group of experts to spearhead a push to increase Myanmar’s rice exports. (Volume 26, No. 506)
Foreign minister pledges free election
DANANG, Vietnam – Myanmar’s Foreign Minister U Nyan Win has told Southeast Asian counterparts that promised elections would be held this year and would be fair, the ASEAN secretary general said on January 14. (Volume 26, No. 506)
Myanmar travellers flock to Thailand
THE number of Myanmar visiting neighbouring Thailand has leapt by 33 percent since the country began offering visas free of charge, Ms Sirichada Thongtan, the first secretary of the Thai embassy in Yangon, said last week. (Volume 26, No. 506)
YCDC to renovate Sinhmalike Market
A 48-YEAR-OLD market in Kamaryut township is to be renovated to the standard of an international shopping mall, Yangon’s local authorities announced earlier this month. (Volume 26, No. 506)
Twante Canal to open 24 hours
TWANTE canal will later this month reopen to water traffic 24 hours a day, a spokesperson from the Directorate of Water Resources and Improvement of River Systems (DWIR) said on January 6. The canal was closed for eight hours a day – two four-hour periods during ebb tide, when the water level is receding from high tide (Volume 26, No. 506)
U Nyun, a man for all seasons
Myanmar’s connection with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) goes back much further than last month’s Development Forum in Nay Pyi Taw, contributing editor Ma Thanegi writes. (Volume 26, No. 506)
FAO to distribute livestock in April
MORE animals will be distributed to Nargis-affected households under a United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) pilot program, an official said last week. (Volume 26, No. 506)
Steel hti go from strength to strength
THE fair weather at the end of monsoon marks the beginning of the season for building and renovating pagodas. For manu-facturers of hti, the ornamental metal umbrellas that sit atop pagoda spires, it is the busiest time of year and lasts until the beginning of the hot season. (Volume 26, No. 506)
Radar to be installed on ferries
THE Inland Water Transport Department (IWT) will next month install radar equip-ment on two ferries operating in Yangon to improve safety, IWT spokesperson U Htein Linn said on January 5. (Volume 26, No. 506)
Bus line launches new upper Myanmar routes
A TRANSPORT company is to open four new bus routes west of the Ayeyarwady River that it says will reduce delays in existing routes, which require a river crossing. (Volume 26, No. 506)
New school opens in Pyapon tsp
A SCHOOL donated by the Lutheran World Federation-Myanmar (LWF) was opened at Pale village in Ayeyarwady Division’s Pyapon township on January 9. (Volume 26, No. 506)
Hninzigone home to host art show
THE Inland Water Transport Department (IWT) will next month install radar equip-ment on two ferries operating in Yangon to improve safety, IWT spokesperson U Htein Linn said on January 5. (Volume 26, No. 506)
Yangon’s taxi drivers tightening their belts
YANGON’S 20,000-plus taxi drivers are finding it harder and harder to make a living, as taxi numbers increase, the number of potential passengers falls, and more and more time is spent waiting to fill the tank, drivers say.
National body to strengthen rice industry
MYANMAR’S leading rice producers, traders and exporters have joined forces to make the country’s rice industry more competitive with regional rivals like Vietnam and Thailand.
High demand behind FEC rate rise
HIGH demand for Myanmar’s Foreign Exchange Certificates (FEC) in local trade is pushing the currency’s value above the US dollar, industry sources say.
Hair donations help communities repair road
HARD work requires blood and sweat but a road project close to Monywa is also calling for hair too. The road that stretches from Le Nague to Chin Pyit in Sagaing Division was in poor condition until local communities, organised by the venerable monk Sayadaw Waiponla, got together to raise over K100 million to repair it by selling their own hair.
MEMBERS of the Yadanarbon FC football team celebrate winning the Myanmar National League title at Yangon’s Thuwanna Stadium on January 16. Mandalay-based Yadanarbon won the title by three points despite losing their final match to Yangon United FC 2-0. Pic: Hein Latt Aung 
MNL players return to ministerial positions
THIRTY-TWO players from the Myanmar National League (MNL), including some of the league’s top stars, have chosen to resign from their clubs and return to their jobs in government ministries at the end of the current domestic season.
Delta United loses sight of the MNL championship
DELTA United FC fell well short of the five goals required against Okkthar United FC, eliminating them as championship contenders for the season, January 14.