A court in Arakan State has overturned an earlier conviction against a politician accused of intimidating the supporter of a political rival.

The verdict strips of his right to serve in the Arakan State legislature, however he reserves the right to appeal.

The number of severely malnourished children has spiked in northern Arakan state in Burma, a European Union agency said, after floods six months ago dealt a new blow to an area home to a persecuted population with little access to basic services.

This week's business news: rice exports suspended; foreign firms bid for gas venture; first Malaysian bank opens; Japan pledges to Rangoon rail project.

The Chin State government in Burma is considering relocating wards in the state capital, Hakha, after it was devastated by recent landslides and floods.

Flooding and landslides have devastated 12 of 14 Burmese states and divisions, but tourism operators have reported that the industry has been largely unaffected.