351 people have been reported dead after a cyclone hit Burma, which is also known as Myanmar. As a result it has been declared by the Burmese government that five states are currently disaster areas.

The U.N. special envoy for Burma will leave New York Wednesday on his third trip to the military-ruled country.

The U.N. envoy to Burma says countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have a significant role to play in helping the military-ruled nation on the path to democracy and national reconciliation.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is expressing concern over Burma's decision to exclude pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from future elections. The statement from ASEAN follows the completion of Burma's draft constitution. But the regional bloc still says it will not interfere in Burma's domestic affairs. Naomi Martig reports from VOA's Asia News Center in Hong Kong.

The United Nations' envoy to Burma has met with officials in China as he begins a new round of talks in Asia focused on promoting political reform in military-ruled Burma.

Thailand's new prime minister, Samak Sundarawej, says the United Nations should step up contacts with Burma's military leaders. The Thai leader said the U.N. Secretary-General should visit Rangoon and use Thailand as a base for possible negotiations on political reform. VOA's Luis Ramirez reports from Bangkok.

American movie star Sylvester Stallone says he wants to go to Burma to confront the ruling generals face-to-face about their human rights violations.

Movie fans in the United States are expected to flock to their neighborhood theaters Friday, to see the fourth installment of the Rambo series, which portrays Burmese government forces as the main villain.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and foreign minister colleagues from France and Britain issued a statement Thursday urging global pressure on Burma's military government to end human rights abuses and return the country to civilian rule. The appeal was issued at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland after Rice's departure for Washington. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

US Ambassador to Thailand, Ralph Boyce, his term in Thailand to end also defended Washington’s policy on Burma, saying: “What I think is that our policy is important for the people who are struggling inside Burma.

The United Nations' special envoy to Burma says that the country's ruling military junta must release detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and end its repression of political dissidents.

Officials in Burma say a new outbreak of bird flu has been detected among chickens in an eastern district near the Chinese border.