Tourist arrivals up in Mandalay

FROM the beginning of 2016, tourist arrivals have been on the rise in Mandalay, according to the Department of Hotels and Tourism Development of Mandalay Region.

Tourist arrivals have increased from October 2015 to March 2016.  Most tourists are American, French, German, Dutch, Japanese, Thailand and Chinese. The department expects 5 million tourists to come to Myanmar in 2016, and about 500,000 of them will travel to Mandalay and the Bagan Cultural Zone.

Mandalay International Airport is directly linked with Thailand, India and China. Over 120,000 tourists entered Mandalay in 2015 on direct flights from those countries.

Moreover, foreign travellers have been arriving at Mandalay by vehicles and motorbikes through the Mandalay-Muse Union highway and the Mandalay-Tamu highway.

Tourists coming to Mandalay visit to Myanansankyaw Golden Palace, Mandalay Hill, Maha Muni Pagoda, U Bein Bridge, the Golden Temple, Ahtumashi Monastery, the Thatahtarna Pagodas, gold embroidery businesses and gold foil businesses.—Thi Ko Ko

Fossilized lizard, 99 million years old, is a clue to 

'lost ecosystem'

Various lizard specimens are shown preserved in ancient amber from present-day Myanmar in Southeast Asia, in this handout photo provided by the Florida Museum of Natural History on March 5, 2016. A fossilized lizard found in Southeast Asia preserved in amber dates back some 99 million years, Florida scientists have determined, making it the oldest specimen of its kind and a ''missing link'' for reptile researchers. The lizard is some 75 million years older than the previous record holder, according to researchers at the Florida Museum of Natural History, who announced the finding this week. --REUTERS

By Laila Kearney

A fossilized lizard found in Southeast Asia preserved in amber dates back some 99 million years, Florida scientists have determined, making it the oldest specimen of its kind and a "missing link" for reptile researchers.
The lizard is some 75 million years older than the previous record holder, according to researchers at the Florida Museum of Natural History, who announced the finding this week.
It was found decades ago in a mine along with other ancient, well-preserved reptile fossils, but the U.S. scientists were able to analyze the finds only recently.
"It was incredibly exciting to see these animals for the first time," Edward Stanley, a member of the research team, said on Saturday. "It was exciting and startling, actually, how well they were preserved."
Scientists believe the chameleon-like creature was an infant when it was trapped in a gush of sticky resin while darting through a tropical forest in what is now Myanmar, in Southeast Asia.
The creature's entire body, including its eyes and colorful scales, is unusually well-preserved, Stanley said. The other reptiles trapped in the amber, including a gecko and an arctic lizard, were also largely intact.
Small reptiles have delicate bodies and typically deteriorate quickly, he said. Being encased in solid amber helped to lock the specimen together.
Stanley and other researchers used high-resolution digital X-ray technology to examine the creatures and estimate the age of the amber without breaking it.
The discovery will help researchers learn more about the "lost ecosystem, the lost world" to which the creatures belonged, Stanley said, and it may help researchers learn more about the creatures' modern relatives.
"It's kind of a missing link," Stanley said.--Reuters

'Ghostlike' octopus found in Pacific may belong to new species

An incirrate octopod is shown at a depth of 4,290 meters taken by a remotely operated underwater vehicle Deep Discoverer near Necker Island, or Mokumanamana, on the northwestern end of the Hawaiian Archipelago in this image courtesy of NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Hohonu Moana 2016, released on March 5, 2016. REUTERS

 NEW YORK | By Frank McGurty

An underwater research craft has spotted a "ghostlike" octopus that appears to belong to a previously unknown species on the ocean floor near Hawaii, a discovery that highlights how little is known about the deep sea, a U.S. zoologist said on Saturday.
The milky white creature, nicknamed "Casper the Friendly Ghost" by Twitter users, was caught on cameras mounted on the craft as it explored the Pacific Ocean at a depth of 4,290 meters, or about 2-1/2 miles, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.
Describing the animal as an incirrate octopod, one of two main groupings of octopods, NOAA said it was the first time an incirrate was spotted so deep in the ocean.
"This animal was particularly unusual because it lacked the pigment cells, called chromatophores, typical of most cephalopods, and it did not seem very muscular," said Michael Vecchione, a research zoologist at NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service. Cephalopods belong to a biological class that includes octopuses, squid and cuttlefish.
"The deep sea is so poorly known that finding new or unexpected things happens fairly often," Vecchione said in an email, adding that he was excited by the images. "What is unusual is the opportunity to explore this deep."
The octopod "almost certainly" was one of a species never previously described by scientists, and it may well belong to a genus that has yet to be identified, wrote Vecchione, who is affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
To be certain, he said in the email, scientists would need at least one specimen, and preferably several of them.
NOAA has posted a video on the website showing a pale, rounded form with expressionless eyes and languid tentacles resting on the ocean floor. Its appearance led some Twitter users to say it resembled the cartoon character Casper the Friendly Ghost.
Last week's discovery came during the first dive of the 2016 season from the Okeanos Explorer, a ship operated by NOAA that explores little-known parts of the oceans.
The remotely operated underwater vehicle Deep Discoverer came across the octopod near Necker Island, or Mokumanamana, on the northwestern end of the Hawaiian Archipelago. --Reuters

Workshop on Myanmar Media Development, Introduction to Basic Journalism Course held in Pyay

U Khin Maung Lay (Phoe Thaukkyar-Khit Moe)

JOINTLY organised by the Myanmar Journalists’ Association (MJA) (central) and Bago Region Journalists’ Association, a Workshop on Myanmar Media development and Introduction to Basic Journalism Course took place at the assembly Hall of Yanaungmingalarkin Pagoda in Pyay, Bago Region on Wednesday with an opening speech by U Khin Maung Lay (Phoe Thaukkyar-Khit Moe), the Chairman of the Myanmar Press Council.

In his opening speech the chairman elaborated the history of Myanmar News and Periodicals, and  Pathien Hla Kyi, a member of (MJA) (central), explained the code of conduct for Journalists to the new generation of journalists. Officials responded to the queries raised by local reporters. At the opening, U Aung Myint, vice chairman of the Bago Journalists’ Association, acted as the master of ceremonies. 50 young journalists from Tharyawady and Pyay Districts attended.

At the workshop, Loutlatt Soe, Daw Eai Eai Tin, Daw Khin Than New (Ma Ma-Lashoe), members of the (MJA) (central), shared their knowledge and experience in developing the Myanmar Media World.-- Shwe Win (Pyay)

Photo: Shwe Win (Pyay)

Water supplied for villagers in Sagaing Region

AS a result of El Niño, people in Htut Khaung village in Sagaing Township, Sagaing Region have been faced with a scarcity of drinking water.

The Sagaing Township Rural Development Department helped provide water to residents of Htutkhaung village on Friday with 10 water tankers each with a capacity of 500 gallons of water.

There is an only one tube well in the village which the population of 850 has relied on for drinking and bathing.

The Township Rural Development Department has made arrangements to supply and distribute the drinking water to the residents of the village and fill the water into water storage tanks.—Tin Maung (Man Sub Printing)

Photo: Tin Maung (Man Sub Printing)