BUSINESS IN BURMA THIS WEEK: Hotels open in Naypyidaw for SEA Games; India eyes pan-Asian gas contract; rubber deal signed with Japan; IMF's Christine Lagarde is en route to Burma; and both Mercedes and Chevrolet plan auto showroom launches in Rangoon.

BUSINESS IN BURMA THIS WEEK: Sponsors for the SEA Games; international oil firms post finals bids for Burma's offshore reserves; Japan in position to take over Dawei project; Singaporean bank looks to cater for increased bilateral trade; and Pepsi enters the cola wars.

Representatives of Burma's main political parties, though not the USDP, sit for talks with officials of ethnic armed groups at a historic meeting in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where they are due to discuss the peace process, the ceasefire agreement and federalism.

Burma’s Minister of Electric Power Khin Maung Soe apologised to the public for the recent increase in electricity prices and promised that the decision would be reviewed in parliament.

A fresh wave of hostilities between the Burmese army and the Kachin Independence army in the northern region’s Bhamo district has forced hundreds of residents to flee to displacement camps in recent weeks.

Ups and downs The Burmese currency rose by just one kyat this week against the US dollar. The buying rate on Thursday was 970, compared...