UN Seeks to Fire 200 Afghan Election Officials Before Runoff Vote
Massive-vote rigging led to a two-month-long political deadlock, before officials declared Tuesday that the results showed no outright winner
Australia Eyes Early Afghanistan Withdrawal 
Announcement seen as hint that Canberra may pull its 1,500 troops out of Afghanistan earlier than expected
Iran Nuclear Talks Enter Third Day
Talks stalled on Tuesday, after Iran expressed resistance to aspects of the proposal, in which it would send most of its low-enriched uranium to Russia and France for further refinement
Pakistan Continues Waziristan Offensive, Closes Schools
With the region closed-off to outsiders, and no journalists embedded with Pakistani troops, there has been no independent confirmation of the army's or the Taliban's claims
New US Pacific Commander Concerned About North Korea, China
Admiral Robert Willard says the US and other nations must continue to deal with North Korea's 'unpredictability,' and work through military deterrence and diplomatic pressure
 |  | The UN nuclear chief gives Iran, the US, France and Russia a draft deal aimed at easing concerns over Tehran's nuclear plans. |
ElBaradei: 'Looking to future'| All schools and universities are closed across Pakistan a day after a suicide attack at an Islamic university in Islamabad. | | Swiss authorities say they acted correctly in informing the US that director Roman Polanski was travelling to Zurich. |
Editorial: Asean’s Never-ending Struggle for Relevance |
| The regional bloc wants to be taken seriously by the rest of the world, but that won’t happen until it stands up to its most recalcitrant member. |
| QUOTE OF THE DAY | |
 |  It is obvious that Asean is incapable of making any positive political change in the country. I don't have any high hopes.  —Nyan Win, spokesman for the National League for Democracy |
Is the US Ready to Challenge China's Asean Influence? |
| By WILLIAM BOOT |
| The new US administration will have to signal soon how it intends to engage Asia, and vice-versa. |
Burmese, Bangladesh Officials Meet to Defuse Tensions |
| By LAWI WENG |
| Officials from Burma and Bangladesh have met in Maungdaw, in Burma’s northern Arakan State, in a bid to defuse border tensions. |
Burmese Pro-democracy Leaders Visit US Sen. Webb |
| By LALIT K JHA |
| After a meeting in Washington, Burmese leaders in exile say they share the same goals as US Sen. Jim Webb. |
NLD Hosts US Chargé d’affaires |
| By KO HTWE |
| Leading members of the National League for Democracy host the US chargé d’affaires at the party’s headquarters in Rangoon. |
KNPLF to Split? |
| By MIN LWIN |
| A minority faction of the Karenni National People’s Liberation Front, led by Maj Tun Kyaw, allegedly plans to join the Burmese army’s border guard force. |
Swarms of rats plague rural Myanmar
By Colin Hinshelwood
CHIANG MAI - A spreading plague of rats has devoured crops in western Myanmar, giving rise to a famine that threatens hundreds of thousands in the country's remote Chin State. The lack of government assistance has driven a mounting number of people across the border into neighboring India and other countries, representing the latest human crisis to emanate from Myanmar's borders. more....
Illegal logging across Sino-Burma border in decline
Illegal logging, a long-standing moneymaker for unscrupulous businessmen in Burma and China, is apparently experiencing a significant decline, according to the latest report...Kachin splinter group converted to people’s militia
As part of the Burmese military junta’s policy of bringing disparate armed groups under its wings, a small ceasefire Kachin splinter group led by former Col. Lasan Awng Wah was...Editorial, Opinion and Analysis
Winning the ‘Peace’ after the ‘Prize’ in Obama’s Burma
(Commentary) Burma seems a long way from Obama’s White House compared to when Laura Bush was there, but Burma still holds an important spotlight during this h...
Burmese woman in exile to represent CSO at ASEAN summit
A Burmese woman activist in exile will represent Burmese Civil Society Organisations (CSO) at the 15th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit to be held in Hua Hin,......Burma participates in China-ASEAN trade fair
Burma is showcasing its products at the 6th China-ASEAN trade fair, which opened in China today. The five-day trade fair was inaugurated in Nanning today. The exhibition has over......No signs of improvement for Burma’s media community
With several journalists and media personnel among the over 2,000 political prisoners, and the government’s censorship board continuing to restrict publications, Burma is...Ban on polythene bags in Naypyitaw
The use of polythene bags has been banned by the civic body in Naypyitaw, the new capital of Burma, where it is being seized in the municipal markets. The ban...| Illegal Burmese timber still sold to China Oct 21, 2009 (DVB)–Deforestation in Burma continues to be a problem despite a drastic reduction in illegal timer exports into China, an environmental group has revealed. - more |
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| Qantas rejects calls to stop Burma flights Oct 21, 2009 (DVB)–Australian airline Qantas has rejected calls from campaigners to stop subsidiary airline Jetstar from flying to Burma, claiming that it is an important service for aid workers. - more |
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| EU pledges €35m in aid to Burma Oct 21, 2009 (DVB)–The European Union is set to channel €35 million to non-governmental organisations in Burma in what appears to signal a shift towards greater engagement with the country. - more |
| US deputy secretary of state to visit Burma Oct 21, 2009 (DVB)–Burmese opposition party members who met with United States embassy staff yesterday were told that Washington will soon send its deputy secretary of state to the country, a party spokesperson said. - more |
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| Burma drops in press freedom index Oct 20, 2009 (DVB)–The sentencing of Burmese journalists and bloggers in September last year has pushed the country another spot lower in an annual press freedom index. - more |
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| China and Burma pledge border stability Oct 20, 2009 (DVB)–China and Burma have agreed to work together to strengthen border stability following an outbreak of fighting in August that strained relations between the two countries. - more |
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| Kachin group sends troops for border guard training Oct 20, 2009 (DVB)–A Kachin ceasefire group in northern Burma has sent a number of cadets to train with the Burmese army in lieu of becoming a border guard force, a former spokesperson said. - more |
“အခု ေရြးခ်ယ္တာက
“တ႐ုတ္ျပည္ကေတာ့ နယ္စပ္
