SPDC Chairman visits Jakarta; THE Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council, Senior-General Than Shwe, joined heads of state from more than 50 Asian and African countries in Indonesia last week for events marking the 50th anniversary of the Asian-African conference... Bengal tiger cubs thrive under zoo care: TWO Bengal tiger cubs born at Yangon Zoological Gardens on March 17 are in good health and are becoming more active, said a zoo official last week. Dr Khin Maung Win, the chief veterinarian at the zoo, said the cubs have gained weight and are in good condition... Locals flock to Yangon hotels: INTERNATIONAL hotels in Yangon enjoyed sharply higher occupancy rates during the Thingyan traditional new year festival thanks to special promotional packages and an increase in bookings from residents of the capital... Human resources get priority to help develop SMI sector: HUMAN resources development would be targeted as a foundation for developing small and medium scale industries in Myanmar, said an official from the Ministry of Science and Technology... Mandalay greets new year with fireworks display: TO the delight of a massive crowd, Mandalay celebrated the arrival of the traditional new year with a spectacular fireworks display at midnight of April 16, the last day of the four-day water throwing festival... Ministry project to create nation?s first centre for disabled students: The two-storey building, in the compound of the No. 3 Basic Education High School on Thantaman Street in Dagon township, is due to open in June for the 2005-2006 academic year, said the director general of the Department of Basic Education No. 1 (Lower Myanmar), U Tin Nyo... Movie industry group seeking foreign movies to stock library: ?Our members must learn international film standards from overseas movies because we have no film schools or proper training here, so we need to buy copies,? said the association?s deputy chairman U Soe Moe... Reforestation program sets 85,000 acre target this year: More than 50 per cent of the plantations would be devoted to economic varieties, especially teak, said U Thein Myint, an assistant director of the department?s Natural Forest and Plantation Division... Traffic accidents down during Thingyan revels: THE number of traffic accidents in Yangon during the Thingyan traditional new year water festival was down sharply this year, said Daw Ohn Kyi, Traffic Police Inspector from Yangon Division Wireless and Traffic Police Force... South Korea, Myanmar explore ways to boost bilateral trade: BUSINESS representatives from Myanmar and South Korea met in Yangon early this month to discuss ways to promote commerce and investment between the two countries in response to a decrease in bilateral trade... Myanmar must develop SMEs: Expert: MYANMAR must develop its small and medium enterprise (SME) sector in order to become competitive with neighbouring countries, said a Japanese consultant in Yangon late last month... Win fame and riches if you can sing: Entrants can show their talents by singing their favourite songs whether they are in English or Myanmar. The judging committee will focus on the singers? stage presentation, voice quality, coordination with the music, how their clothes suit the music they?ve chosen and their overall performance – each of these is worth 20 points... Myanmar?s latest fashion trend: Domestically made clothing: ?The number of customers who wear locally made cotton clothes has increased recently,? she said.Ko Tun Tun Zaw, a designer at the Tatee Design School who also sells clothing of his own design, said the sales of domestically made cotton clothes have doubled in the past three years... National Blood Centre introduces new registration procedure: THE registration procedure for blood donors at the National Blood Centre at Yangon General Hospital has been upgraded to a computerised system, said a senior medical officer at the centre.