Aung San Suu Kyi turns 61 under house arrest

Pro-democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi celebrated her 61st birthday on Monday under house arrest in Yangon, Myanmar.

Supporters protested her detention in front of Yangon's Town Hall, while others held rallies in more than 25 countries.


Supporters of Aung San Suu Kyi demonstrate in front of party headquarters in Yangon, Myanmar. Police later dispersed the crowd. AFP photo from Yahoo News.

Suu Kyi was placed under detention on May 30, 2003 after fighting broke out between her supporters and pro-government demonstrators.

Myanmar says that Suu Kyi's house arrest is a domestic issue and has resisted international pressure demanding her release.

Kazakhstan satellite launched

The Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan launched its first satellite into orbit Sunday in a major step forward for the country's fledgling space program.

Kazakhstan hosts the world's largest space center, the Baikonur cosmodrome built by the old Soviet Union and still used by Russia to launch spacecraft.


Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Russian President Vladimir Putin watch the launch of Kazakhstan's first satellite at the Russia-leased Baikonur Cosmodrome on June 18, 2006.

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has made building a space industry a major goal of his government and eventually wants Kazakhstan to construct a national space center of its own.

Using the country's rich oil assets, Kazakhstan has started training its native cosmonauts for future human space missions.

Sri Lanka, Tigers both claim victory in maritime battle

Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Nadu made conflicting claims of victory after a naval battle Saturday.

At least 40 people were dead or missing after Sri Lankan naval ships and Tiger patrol boats engaged each other in the waters off northeastern Mannar district.

Sri Lanka claimed to have sank eight Tiger patrol boats while sustaining damage to three of its own craft.


"Sri Lankan soldiers secure village after the land mine blast in Kabithigollewa northeast of Colombo, June 15, 2006. Anuruddha Lokuhapuarachchi/Reuters photo from Yahoo News.

The Tigers, however, denied losing any boats but instead claimed to have sank three Sri Lankan patrol craft.

There was no independent confirmation of either claim.

In a separate incident, three Tiger frogmen were captured just north of the capital Colombo. Two of the three fighters attempted suicide by taking cyanide pills and are were taken to a hospital.