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Myanmar to invite UN chief
Myanmar government will invite United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, among eminent persons at home and abroad, to witness the signing of a nationwide ceasefire agreement with domestic armed ethnic groups, official media reported Thursday.

The government hopes to bring about eternal peace through the ceasefire agreements with no U-turn, Minister at the President's Office U Aung Min was quoted as saying, adding directives had already been given to settle internal displaced persons (IDP) in respective areas.U Aung Min, who is also vice chairman of the government's Central Peace Making Work Committee, led a delegation in peace talks with the Kayinni National Progressive Party (KNPP) for the second time in Loikaw, Kayah state Wednesday.The KNPP side was headed by its Vice Chairman U Khu Yal.The talks focused on formation of joint monitoring group and technical teams for ensuring sustainable peace process, cooperation in drug elimination, resettlement of IDPs, regional development and administration.

Snowfall hits New Zealand's South Island

New Zealand South Island's Otago and Canterbury have received on Thursday their largest snowfalls in decades in a winter storm that has cut power to thousands of people, and some coastal areas are also flooded.Christchurch and Dunedin missed out on the anticipated snow storm, but inland areas bore the brunt of the polar blast. Provincial towns and settlements have been hit hard, with 36 schools from Canterbury to Southland having to close and thousands were without power.The MetService has been warning of the storm's power all week, but the amount of snow and rain dumped since Wednesday has surprised many people. The forecaster warns the worst is yet to come, with warnings of heavy snow for Canterbury and Kaikoura above 300 metres on Thursday night and Friday.Some 3,500 households in Canterbury and Southland had no electricity when they woke up due to heavy snow on Thursday morning.Heavy rain in Dunedin has caused two big slips. About 30 metres of hillside fell away in heavy rain on Wednesday night, crashing onto a house on Blanket Bay Road. Police had to free a woman living at the property.The Otago Regional Council says there has been 75 millimeters of rain in 24 hours, flooding paddocks and low-lying land.Porters Pass to Arthur's Pass, Lewis Pass, Lindis Pass, Burkes Pass and Danseys Pass along with eight state highways are closed to due to snow on Thursday.

Brazilian cities call off transport fare hikes

Authorities of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro Wednesday announced to reverse transport fare hikes that had triggered widespread protests in Brazi. l

China restaurant blasts kills one, injures over 150

A series of explosions tore through a restaurant in China's Shanxi province on Wednesday night, killing one person and injuring over 150 others, authorities said. The incident occurred in a two-storey building housing the restaurant in Shuozhou city, Xinhua reported. Among the 156 injured are dozens of firefighters who were at the scene when the final blast took place. Witnesses said they heard the first explosion around 9:20 pm, and that they also smelled gas. The cause of the explosions has not been confirmed.

Monsoon flooding kills 182 in India, rescue operations on

Thousands of people are still stranded by flash floods in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, where the death toll has risen to 182. It is believed that over 62,000 pilgrims are stranded in the hilly state. Over 10,000 army personnel, 18 helicopters and an Air Force transport plane have been deployed for relief and rescue operations, as residents across the region are stranded at tourist spots and pilgrim centers, the Hindustan Times reported. With the weather set to improve, the government is moving to supply additional emergency food to the flood-stricken region.

 Uighurs jailed in China for religious extremism

China has sentenced 19 ethnic Uighurs in the western region of Xinjiang to up to six years in jail for promoting racial hatred and religious extremism online, Media  reported, citing official newspaper Legal Daily. Uighurs are a Turkic-speaking Muslim people who mainly reside in Xinjiang, and many complain they lack cultural, language and religious freedoms. China maintains that many Uighur groups are linked to Central Asian and Pakistani Islamist militants. One of the suspects was jailed for publishing religious and extremist materials from overseas via the Internet. Another suspect visited banned websites to download material that "whipped up religious fervor and preached 'holy war'" and "whipped up ethnic enmity,” Legal Daily wrote on their website."This created a despicable effect on society," it said, citing the court ruling.

 Construction workers strike in Quebec

Over 175,000 construction workers across Quebec, Canada's second-largest province, walked off the job this week, beginning the first province-wide strike in nearly 20 years. Organizers said the strike was approved by a 95 per cent union vote, with workers attempting to preserve their wages and fend off steep cuts to overtime pay. The show of solidarity froze billions of dollars’ worth of building projects, including two hospitals and condominium developments in Montreal, where business owners can usually count on millions of dollars in profit over the summer. The Quebec government put a two-week deadline on the demonstration, with lawmakers saying they will attempt to arbitrate a solution if an agreement is not met in that time.