THE visit to China in early July by the Prime Minister, General Khin Nyunt, had shown the world that China and Myanmar enjoyed a “very special” relationship, a senior official at the Foreign Affairs Ministry said last week.

Favourable weather conditions and government encouragement for farmers to plant more rice this wet season were the main reasons why the target was likely to be exceeded, said U Thaung Han, an assistant manager at the Myanma Agriculture Service.

ANCIENT rock art discovered in a cave near Taunggyi in Shan State is the first of its kind to be found on mainland Southeast Asia, the head of the Archeology Department at Yangon University, Professor Daw Yee Yee Aung, said last week.

“Tons of polymers are used each month as a raw material for producing plastic bags in Yangon Division,” said the official with the Pollution Control and Cleaning Department of Yangon City Development Committee.

The training course in basic investigation techniques, presented by two officers from the Australian Federal Police, was held at the Drug Elimination Museum in Kamaryut township from July 15 to 23.

The school was established in 1914 at Amarapura in Mandalay Division and it has trained many people who have become prominent weavers, said Daw Tin Swe Aye, the director of the Department of Cottage Industries, under the Ministry of Cooperatives.

THE first summit will be held in Bangkok this week of grouping established in 1997 to promote economic cooperation among countries in South and Southeast Asia.

Reports from the town said the flood, which peaked on July 19 and was the second highest in the city in nearly 40 years, had inundated 20 of its city’s 26 wards.

THE Myanmar Information and Communication Technology Development Corporation plans to launch a project in August aimed at increasing public access to the internet.

This year’s global theme – chosen by the Geneva, Switzerland-based International Cooperative Alliance – was ‘Cooperatives for fair globalisation, creating opportunities for all’.

The theme chosen for the 22nd annual conference of the ASEAN Federation of Engineering Organisations at the Sedona Hotel on December 18 and 19 will be ‘Engineering Capacity Building for ASEAN Integration and Global Competitiveness.’

THE Traffic Rules Enforcement Supervisory Committee has finalised a text book on traffic and pedestrian rules for use in state primary, middle and high schools throughout the country.

Producers say the cost of making and promoting a movie, which includes hiring directors, actors and actresses, film crews and equipment as well as advertising expenses, has more than doubled since early last year.

THE organisers of Thailand’s first international information and communication technology exposition are urging representatives from Myanmar’s ICT sector to participate.

Competition for the awards – which were launched by 87-year-old Pakokku U Ohn Pe in 1993 and aim to contribute to the development of literature in Myanmar – has become more intense, with 130 entries last year, up from 52 in 2002.