April temperatures in five Myanmar townships have reached record levels, in some cases not seen in more than 60 years, according to the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology.

Social organisations are raising concerns about the conditions — high unemployment, rising costs of living, economic malaise and food insecurity, among others — that they say have led to a rise in suicides and suicide attempts.

The Myanmar Investment Commission granted permission to Power China Resources Co., Ltd to build the power project in January 2020, and the plant is expected to be fully operational later this year.

A whale was found dead on the beach in Kyeintali subtownship, part of Arakan State’s Gwa Township, on Wednesday morning, according to the Fisheries Department.

The junta-appointed Union Election Commission (UEC) has so far approved the registrations of five political parties for the election being planned by Myanmar’s military regime.

The Mro Literature and Culture Association has warned that the traditional culture of ethnic Mro people in Arakan State is facing an existential threat due to military conflicts as well as lagging development. 

The Myanmar Football Federation is scouting for young, talented football players around the country, and football skills testing was conducted at the Danyawaddy sportsground in the Arakan State capital Sittwe on Wednesday.

The Myanmar Rice Federation has warned that it will find and take legal action against those engaged in rice price gouging.

Muslim internally displaced people (IDPs) in Arakan State have called on the World Food Programme (WFP) to switch back to the aid packages that were originally supplied to them instead of the current stipend-based system.

Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for an immediate end to violence in Myanmar during a recent meeting with military leaders of the conflict-torn Southeast Asian nation.

The Arakan Army (AA) has announced that it will continue to support the Chinland Defense Force (CDF-Mindat), which is aggressively fighting the military junta, as a good neighbourly partner.

Junta soldiers at security checkpoints near the Kyee Kan Pyin border guard police headquarters and Kyeinchaung Village check travellers for recommendation letters.

Some internally displaced people (IDPs) uprooted by fighting between the military and Arakan Army (AA) were recently forced to return home by the regime, which pledged to provide them with cash relocation assistance that has yet to materialise.

The Covid-19 Omicron subvariant XBB.1.16 has been reported in Myanmar, which has seen an uptick in coronavirus infections and 235 cases reported over the past week, according to the junta’s Health Ministry.

Demand for rechargeable fans and solar-powered household items has increased in Arakan State lately due to high temperatures accompanied by daily power outages.

Goods produced in Arakan State account for 30 percent of Myanmar’s exports to Bangladesh, which shares a border with Arakan State, according to officials from the border trade zone and merchants.  

Internally displaced people (IDPs) in the townships of Demoso, Loikaw and Hpruso in Kayah State are suffering from illnesses such as fever, rash and loose stools due to rising temperatures and drinking water scarcity, according to relief workers.

A one-way traffic scheme will reportedly be introduced to address frequent traffic jams blamed on neighbourhoods with narrow roads in Arakan State’s Pauktaw.

Not only urban wards in those townships but also rural villages are grappling with serious drinking water shortages.