MANDALAY, Myanmar — The cost of dying is the latest financial burden to hit residents of Mandalay, as the city’s major cemeteries prepare to double their cremation fees starting May 9, 2026. According to a public announcement by local charity organization Mano (Kyar Phyu), the price for a standard adult cremation will rise from 12,000 Kyats to 24,000 Kyats. Fees for children will similarly...

MANILA, Philippines — The President of the Philippines and current ASEAN Chair, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., has called on Myanmar’s military authorities to not only release deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi but also to restore her ability to function as a political leader. Speaking at a press conference following the ASEAN Summit on Friday, President Marcos emphasized that the treatment of Ms. Suu Kyi...

YANGON, Myanmar — At least 44 women were killed across Myanmar in the month of April as the military intensified its campaign of airstrikes and heavy artillery against civilian areas, according to a report released on Friday by the Burmese Women’s Union (BWU). The fatalities, recorded between April 1 and April 30, 2026, include eight girls under the age of 18 and one pregnant...

GANGRAW, Myanmar — Authorities in central Myanmar’s Magway Division are on high alert following the escape of three detainees, including two prisoners of war (POWs), from a forest jail managed by the National Unity Government (NUG). The escape occurred on the afternoon of May 7, 2026, at a facility under the jurisdiction of the NUG’s Ministry of Defence (MOD). The escapees have been identified...

MYEBON, Myanmar — In the heart of Rakhine State, a local youth foundation is struggling to sustain its free education program for children whose lives have been upended by years of brutal civil war. The Lay Waddy Myochit Youth Education Foundation, established in July 2025, is appealing for urgent international and domestic support to expand its services as the new academic year approaches. In...