“We met her during a summer training course last year that was run jointly by the Ministry of Sports and Ministry of Education. We found that she was familiar with chess but did not know much about theory and methods,”

The workshop was kicked off by representatives from the Department of Health and various non-government organisations, who provided lectures on youth and HIV/AIDS, and the role of educational materials in preventing the disease.

“But the most important thing is they need to be able to provide international-standard services. When there is more competition within the hotel industry, there will be more variety for customers.” ....

“In the first six months of this year there have been about 3000 cases of the disease and 30 deaths. This is much higher than the first six months of 2006. While we can’t say yet whether epidemic conditions will develop this year, the public should take precautions,”

TRAVEL companies seeking international clients were among the first businesses in Myanmar to realise the benefits of going online and they continue to be the main source of business for website design and hosting companies in Yangon.

A MAJESTIC gold and white tiger crouches in a classic pose amid a mountaintop landscape on the wall of artist U Hla Sein’s Bogyoke Market showroom.

“My favourite painting is Daily Bird. It reminds me of an old Myanmar saying: ‘Birds die while they are flying and men die while they are struggling’,” he said. The painting features a number of birds in various shapes forming a man’s head.