THE United Nations Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Ms Radhika Coomaraswamy, said last week that Myanmar has responded positively to the promotion of dialogue with the UN on issues concerning the protection of children.

THE Thai government and an association formed earlier this year to help strengthen the friendship between the peoples of Thailand and Myanmar have donated US$20,000 towards the cost of a new building at the Jivitadana monks’ hospital.

A SEMINAR will be held in Nay Pyi Taw in August to review the progress on a two-year, US$1.4 million project aimed at improving Myanmar’s national power grid that was started in July 2006.

TRAVEL industry experts in Yangon said last week that despite a slight drop in overall tourist arrivals last year, business during the low tourist season from May to September has been getting better year after year and is expected to continue improving this season.

WILDLIFE experts who participated in an avian influenza workshop in Yangon last week warned that blaming wild birds for spreading bird flu without understanding the benefits of maintaining healthy bird populations could result in needless culling and ecological devastation.

“We love going to stage shows and usually never miss one, but these days it’s becoming boring,” he says. “It’s always the same singers singing the same songs in the same places. It’s less exciting because you always know what’s going to happen next.”

“We have made two major changes since the beginning of the program,” said KAT. “The first is that there will only be three levels for the contestants to get through, down from four. The second is that we will also produce a compilation album featuring the final 12 as well as one for the final four.”