THE United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation last week tripled its appeal for funding to help survivors in the areas hardest hit by Cyclone Nargis. “Additional resources are urgently required for FAO to expand its assistance to those in need,” FAO said in a press release issued on July 17.

“The aim of the operational hubs is to recruit local Red Cross staff members and provide them with disaster, reproductive health, HIV/AIDS and youth training so they can help prevent health problems in Nargis-affected areas,”

MYANMAR Ceramic Society and Myanmar Industrial Development Bank will issue loans at the end of July to rebuild the Twante pottery industry, said Dr Myo Thant Tin, the society’s chairman last week.

“If we click on the internet pages, there are millions of facts and figures about studying in Singapore and the universities and colleges you can attend. But it’s a difficult decision to choose the right one for individual students,”

“We are continuing to receive assurances from government that the transition from a military-run system to a democracy of sorts is on track. As such we can only assume that in the coming times, political parties will be formed and that an election, scheduled for 2010 will take place,”

A CULTURAL exchange featuring piano music and Myanmar vocal accompaniment will be heard at the Festival du Lind’ Art 2008, on July 24 and 25 at Lake Montriond in Haute-Savoie, France.

Paddy seeds are priced depending on their quality: High-yield seed is K9000 a basket and low-yield is K5000. “We always use the best quality for summer paddy,” Ko Than Lwin’s wife says.

THE Myanmar Red Cross Society will send 25 members to cyclone-hit areas in mid July as part of its psychological support system, Dr Aung Kyaw Htut, head of MRCS’ training division, said last week.

EVEN if Myanmar’s tourism industry bounces back later this year in the usual high season, it’s likely to face a shortage of tour guides, a number of guides said last week.

“We’re ploughing our farms with power tillers that we rent from other farmers who bought them before the storm because all of our cattle perished. “This has increased the cost of farming a lot,”

INDIA and Myanma Post and Telecommunications have announced plans to build 11 IT skills enhancement centres later this year, said a spokesperson from the enterprise’s information technology department.

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Motorbike licenses

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Tech Digest set for September relaunch

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Artists awarded for clean video messages

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Bus bomb blast kills one, wounds another

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State arreste 329 drug dealers in June

Aung Khine Win was made to work hard for the title by his 12 opponents but the judges decided they just couldn’t go past his buns of steel, awarding him the Mr Crusher trophy and a K150,000 winner’s cheque. Fans at the competition, held on July 13 at the Myanmar Convention Centre in Yangon’s Mayangone township, gave a hearty round of applause when the result was announced in the last round.

REIGNING Myanmar Leag-ue champion Customs on July 18 secured a place in the Closing Cup final against archrival Commerce, overc-oming Home Affairs 3-2 in a thrilling semi-final clash at Thuwunna Stadium.