Preserve Union spirit, urges SPDC chairman: THE chairman of the SPDC, Senior General Than Shwe, stressed the importance of national solidarity, youth education and rural development in his annual Independence Day message to the nation last Friday.... City FM radio makes New Year debut: YANGON?S City FM radio station has launched a campaign to attract advertising following its official launch on New Year?s Day... Colour, spectacle, crowds at biggest Kachin cultural festival in 175 years: THOUSANDS of Kachin from throughout Myanmar and around the world have celebrated their cultural identity at the biggest festival of its kind in 175 years held at Myitkyina for eight days until January 2... A week of activities planned to mark launch of information technology park: CONFERENCES and exhibitions are among a week of activities planned to mark the opening of the Myanmar Information and Communications Technology Park at Yangon?s Hlaing University campus on January 21... Conference stresses care role for older people: THE contribution of older people in caring for orphans and adults with HIV-AIDS was acknowledged at a conference held in Chiang Mai last month... New Russian envoy offers help with education: THE NEW Russian ambassador, Mr Oleg Kabanov, said his country would like to support Myanmar in the improvement of its technology and education sectors... New system begins for money changers: YANGON?S official money exchange counters on Theinbyu Street introduced a new system last week which should make transactions easier for customers, according to an official... Difficult salvage operation ends: THE last section of the wreck of a Russian ship has been removed from the Yangon River, ending a difficult salvage operation which began in 1999... Regional cooperation key to faster growth, says minister: PARTICIPATION in regional cooperation organisations would enable Myanmar to achieve faster economic growth, said Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, U Khin Maung Win, at the end of a BIMST-EC ministerial meeting in Yangon last month... Myanmar number two in pulses exports: MYANMAR has replaced Australia to become the world?s second largest exporter of pulses, according to the head of a national trading organisation... Medical gifts from Japan: TWO government hospitals in Yangon will soon be receiving X-ray and ultrasound equipment donated by a Japanese medical association... Decline in teak availability to affect exports of timber: TIMBER exporters will have to rely increasingly on logs other than teak as supplies decline, the forest products industry has been told... Lacquerware festival to celebrate Myanmar craft: LOCAL and foreign lacquerware lovers are expected at the first Myanma lacquerware festival in the historic town Bagan, Mandalay Division later this month... MAS forecasts 32,000 tonne increase in edible oil production for current year: MYANMA Agriculture Service says it expects to produce 413,000 tonnes of edible oil during the year ending next March, an increase of 32,000 tonnes over the previous year... Pilgrims flock to Mon State?s Kyaikhtiyo Pagoda: THOUSANDS of people took advantage of the school holidays to make a pilgrimage to the mountain-top Kyaikhtiyo Pagoda in Mon State last month, lavishing donations on the revered site and providing good business for guest houses, restaurants and gift shops... Lemon tea mix joins MFE product range: MYANMA Farm Enterprise has launched its lemon tea mix on the market. The new mix is being distributed to supermarkets in downtown Yangon... Hydro projects due to go on stream by 2005: FIVE hydro-electricity plants with a total generating capacity of 470 megawatts are due to go into operation by the end of 2004, according to a senior government official... K13b factory to aid rural mechanisation: WORK is progressing on a K13.4 billion factory in Mandalay Division which will make a major contribution towards raising the level of mechanisation in the agricultural sector... City FM radio makes New Year debut: YANGON?S City FM radio station has launched a campaign to attract advertising following its official launch on New Year?s Day