Preparations are in progress in Hpa-an, Kayin State, for the Kayin New Year celebration, scheduled for 30 December 2024, which coincides with the first waxing of Pyatho. The first waxing day of Pyatho in the Myanmar lunar calendar marks the Kayin New Year. This year, 11 January also fell on the first waxing day of Pyatho, making the upcoming celebration the second Kayin New Year in 2024. “According to the Myanmar calendar, this rare occurrence happens every four or five years. During the last New Year, a large frog drum and a buffalo horn sculpture were crafted in the field of Taungkalay.

SLOVAK Prime Minister Robert Fico said that he had discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin the situation in Ukraine and the possibilities for resolving the conflict, as well as relations between Russia and Slovakia.
“In a long conversation, Vladimir Putin and I exchanged views on the military situation in Ukraine and the possibilities for a early peaceful end to the war and on relations between Slovakia and Russia, which I intend to standardize,” Fico said on Facebook.

THE new five-day bridge holidays recently declared can improve tourism and increase domestic and international travel, as hotels in popular tourist destinations are fully booked, said U Naung Naung Han, chairman of and increase domestic and international travel, as hotels in popular tourist destinations are the Myanmar Tourism Entrepreneurs Association.

Yangon City opens second underpass

Religions need to bring peace and prosperity to the society

MYANMAR handmade rattan products have been popular in Mandalay, according to rattan products trading market.
Currently, pillows and hats made of rattan have been sold well and the number of rattan customers have grown as rattan products have good quality.

LAVENDER plantations near Pinlaung in the Pa-O Self-Administered Zone of Southern Shan State have become a popular destination for domestic tourists. According to local sources, the plantations attract 300 to 500 visitors daily, primarily from Taunggyi and Kalaw.
Located near Phayaphyu Village in Naungtaya of Pinlaung Township, the lavender patches were originally cultivated as part of Thailand’s Mae Fah Luang project.

Priority should be given to rural communities relying on agriculture for livelihoods

At least nine people were killed and several others wounded on early Thursday morning by Israeli airstrikes on Yemen’s capital here and the Red Sea ports in the western province of Hodeidah, the Houthirun al-Masirah TV reported.“

 Seven were killed in the port of As Salif, and two others killed in the port of the Ras Issa oil facility,” said the TV broadcaster, adding that at least three others were wounded in the airstrikes. 

Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency after new cases of the H5N1 avian influenza virus were detected in dairy cows in southern California, while insisting that the risk to the general public remains low. The virus has been spreading through US dairy cattle herds since March, affecting at least 16 states.