The Myanmar high-level goodwill delegation, led by State Administration Council Chairman Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, on an official visit to Russia at the invitation of President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, departed from Pulkovo International Airport in Saint Petersburg yesterday afternoon, Russian local time, to continue their goodwill visit to Belarus at the invitation of President Lukashenko. They were seen off at the airport by Mr Grigoriev Evgeny Dmitrievich, Chairman of the External Relations Committee of the Saint Petersburg Government, Myanmar Consul-General U Aung Pe Thet, and other officials.
The goodwill delegation later arrived at Minsk International Airport in Belarus, where they were welcomed by Belarussian Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr Maxim Ryzhenkov, the Ambassador of Belarus to Myanmar, Myanmar Consul-General U Moe Kyaw Thu, and officials among others.
At the airport, State Administration Council Chairman Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing was welcomed by the Guard of Honour of Belarus, in keeping with the tradition of welcoming heads of state on state-level goodwill visits.
State Administration Council Chairman Prime Minister then arrived at the Victory Monument in Minsk for the wreath-laying ceremony, where he was welcomed and greeted by officials.
Afterwards, the State Administration Council Chairman and Prime Minister laid a wreath at the Victory Monument, while the Guard of Honour of Belarus played the National Anthem of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and the National Anthem of the Republic of Belarus during the ceremony.
Subsequently, the State Administration Council Chairman and Prime Minister received a salute from the Guard of Honour and cordially greeted the officials. — MNA/TH

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

The opening ceremony of the Myanmar Consulate-General took place at the K-2 Government Guesthouse in Saint Petersburg on the evening of 5 March local time with the attendance of State Administration Council Chairman Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.
Also present at the event were SAC Joint Secretary General Ye Win Oo, Council Member General Nyo Saw, Union Ministers U Than Swe, Admiral Moe Aung, Dr Kan Zaw, U Ko Ko Lwin and Dr Myo Thein Kyaw, Bago Region Chief Minister U Myo Swe Win, senior Tatmadaw officers from the Office of Commander-in-Chief, Myanmar Ambassador to Russia U Thit Linn Ohn, deputy ministers, Governor of Saint Petersburg Mr Alexander Beglov, the Russian Ambassador to Myanmar, cabinet members of Saint Petersburg, Myanmar Consul-General U Aung Pe Thet, relevant officials, scholars and invitees.
The ceremony commenced with the playing of the National Anthems of the two countries.
The Senior General, the Union Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Governor of Saint Petersburg cut the ribbon to inaugurate the Consulate-General.
In his opening speech, Deputy Prime Minister Union Minister for Foreign Affairs U Than Swe said that although Myanmar and Russia are geographically far apart, the two countries have established a strong and friendly relationship throughout diplomatic history due to the close bonds between their people. To enhance the growing bilateral cooperation, Myanmar has opened consulates-general in Saint Petersburg and Novosibirsk. The establishment of the Consulate-General in Saint Petersburg, a city with a rich history and advancements in political, economic, modern science and technology sectors, is believed to promote the mutual interests of both countries.
The governor of Saint Petersburg said the Myanmar Consulate-General was established in Saint Petersburg of Russia thanks to the strong and growing relationship between Russia and Myanmar. The establishment of the Consulate-General is expected to further enhance diplomatic ties between the two countries.
He also highlighted the role of the Consulate-General, which serves as a bridge between the two countries, expressing gratitude to the Senior General for taking immediate measures to be able to open the Consulate-General.
Afterwards, the Deputy Prime Minister and Union Minister for Foreign Affairs presented gifts to the Senior General and Saint Petersburg Governor, marking the opening of the Consulate-General.
After the ceremony, the Senior General and attendees posed for commemorative group photos. — MNA/KTZH

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

The United Nations Environment Programme says talks will resume in August this year to put together a draft for the first-ever international treaty aimed at reducing plastic pollution.

The meetings of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution will be held in Geneva, Switzerland.

Global plastic waste more than doubled in the 20 years leading up to 2019. The UN adopted a resolution to develop an international legally binding instrument on pollution caused by plastic by the end of 2024.

Delegates to the intergovernmental committee met in November last year in Busan, South Korea. But they deferred an agreement as they failed to narrow gaps in opinion.

In the meeting, the European Union and other parties argued that plastic production must be restricted, while oil-producing countries opposed such regulations.

The talks in August are expected to resume based on a draft presented by the committee chair at the previous meeting. Ministerial-level discussions are also planned. 

Source: NHK World

THE World Health Organization acknowledged Tuesday that the US freeze on foreign aid funding has hit vital global health programmes but vowed to find a way to keep delivering to those in need.
The United Nations health agency said it was still too early to determine the full impact of the freeze on foreign aid spending by the United States -- traditionally the world’s largest aid donor.
But WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris admitted that some programmes had clearly been affected, including the global measles surveillance network, which had been 100-per-cent funded by the United States.
On measles, “there is a big shortfall”, she told reporters in Geneva.
“We’re not going to let it collapse,” she insisted, adding though that “finding a way to keep it going is of course challenging”.
Janet Diaz, head of the Safe Scalable Care unit at WHO’s emergencies programme, said the response to an ongoing Ebola outbreak in Uganda had been hit by the US aid freeze.
“WHO has had to step up and cover areas it usually doesn’t support,” she said, pointing to “biological sample transport and logistics and the deployment of surveillance teams to points of entries”. — AFP

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar 

SEVERE flooding hit most areas in Jakarta and its satellite cities on Tuesday after heavy rain poured over the regions since Monday evening, leaving thousands of houses submerged and hundreds of residents affected.
Videos taken by residents showed severe flooding with water levels reaching rooftops and submerging entire cars. The floods also caused significant traffic congestion across the cities.
Local media reported that a joint team from the regional disaster management agency, fire department, and search and rescue team was deployed to the affected areas to assist with evacuations and emergency responses.
Head of Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency, Dwikorita Karnawati, said the floods had been predicted in several regions across the Southeast Asian country.
“The heavy rain was caused by the detection of atmospheric waves such as the Equatorial Rossby wave and the Kelvin wave, followed by the formation of a low-pressure area and the convergence of several wind patterns from various directions,” said Karnawati. — Xinhua

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

China has reportedly discovered a "limitless" energy source that could power the country for more than 60,000 years, according to geologists based in Beijing.

The Bayan Obo mining complex, located in Inner Mongolia, is believed to contain enough thorium to meet China's energy demands almost indefinitely, according to a recent study.

The slightly radioactive element can be used to generate power in a type of nuclear reactor known as a molten salt reactor.

Scientists estimate that the mining complex could provide as much as one million tons of thorium, The South China Morning Post reported, citing a newly declassified study.

The study argues that China’s thorium reserves, currently locked within mining waste, "remain totally untouched" and that, if properly extracted, they could be substantial enough to end the world's reliance on fossil fuels.

Source: Tagtik

THE number of births in South Korea rose last year for the first time in more than a decade on the back of a rise in marriages, officials said on Wednesday, bucking a trend for a country battling a demographic crisis.
South Korea has one of the world’s longest life expectancies and lowest birth rates — a combination that presents a looming demographic challenge.
Seoul has poured billions of dollars into efforts to encourage women to have more children and maintain population stability.
The crude birth rate — the number of babies born per 1,000 people — was 4.7, interrupting a continuous downward trend since 2014, according to preliminary data from Statistics Korea.
And the fertility rate, or the average number of babies a woman is expected to have in her lifetime, was 0.75, “up 0.03 from 0.72 in 2023”, it said.
“The number of births in 2024 was 238,300, an increase of 8,300 (3.6 per cent) from the previous year,” the report added. Park Hyun-jeong, an official from Statistics Korea, attributed the rise to an increase in marriages as well as shifting demographics. — AFP

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

NEW DELHI February 22 

At least eight workers were trapped and many others injured Saturday after a portion of an under-construction tunnel collapsed in the southern Indian state of Telangana, officials said. 

The collapse took place in the Srisailam Left Bank Canal tunnel in Nagarkurnool District, about 207 km south of Hyderabad, the capital city of Telangana. 

According to the officials, the tunnel collapsed when some workers were repairing a leak inside. 

Reports said 50 workers were in the tunnel at the time of the accident. 

While some managed to escape, eight workers were feared trapped inside, an official said.

Rescue operations have been carried out. 

Xinhua

Source: Myawady Daily Newspaper

February 20, 2025

The iPhone 16e will be available to pre-order in Singapore from Feb. 21, and it will be available from Feb. 28.

While it will have features similar to those of the iPhone 16 range, such as the action button and a USB-C charging port, the iPhone 16e will only have one camera lens.

Apple boasts the redesigned 48MP Fusion camera, which has the same resolution as all other iPhone 16 models. The iPhone 16e will also be able to support Apple Intelligence when it launches in April 2025.

The new model will be available in a black or white matte finish with 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB of storage. Prices start from S$949, which is S$350 cheaper than the starting price of an iPhone 16.

Source: mothership.com

VIETNAM’S National Assembly on Wednesday approved investment for the Lao CaiHanoi-Hai Phong railway project, Vietnam News Agency reported.
According to the proposal by the Vietnamese government, the main railway line will stretch approximately 390.9 km, with three branch lines totaling about 27.9 kilometres.
The railway will pass through seven provinces and two cities, namely Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Phu Tho, Vinh Phuc, Hanoi, Bac Ninh, Hung Yen, Hai Duong and Hai Phong.
It will be designed to have a speed of 80 kilometres to 160 kilometres per hour. The project aims to construct a modern, integrated rail line to meet both domestic and international transportation demands, particularly between Vietnam and China. — Xinhua

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar