Sittwe

Myanmar ethnic minority fighters claim control of port town

Fighters from a Myanmar ethnic minority armed group have seized control of a port town after more than two months of intense clashes with junta troops, they said.

The Arakan Army (AA) said late Wednesday it "completely controlled" Pauktaw, a town of 20,000 people close to a crucial deepwater port in the capital of western Rakhine state.

Rescuers in Myanmar struggle to reach flood-hit areas, toll seen rising

A death toll of 27 from flooding across Myanmar was expected to rise as rescue workers struggled on August 3 to reach some of the hardest-hit and most remote inundated areas, officials said. 

More than 150,000 people have been affected by severe flooding after weeks of torrential monsoon rains caused rivers to over run banks and triggered landslides, the government said.