The sacking of Myanmar's prime minister prompted concern among

The sacking of Myanmar's prime minister prompted concern among the country's neighbors on Wednesday, with key players warning that the change could be a blow to hopes of democracy in the military-ruled state. Developments after senior junta figure Soe Win replaced Khin Nyunt were being watched particularly closely by fellow Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members, including Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Indonesia said the leadership change, which Myanmar attributed to health reasons, further reduced the chance of detained opposition leader and democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi being released. -- Agencies

Darfur cease-fire not holding: UN

A cease-fire in Sudan's Darfur region is not holding, with reports of an aerial bombardment and attacks by rebels, the United Nations said on Wednesday. The top UN envoy in Sudan, Jan Pronk, will meet Sudan's foreign minister on Thursday to discuss the deteriorating security situation in Darfur, which is hampering humanitarian operations, said Radhia Achouri, spokeswoman for the U.N. Advance Mission in Sudan. "Definitely the cease-fire is not holding," she told reporters in Khartoum, a day before the government and rebels were due to resume African Union-sponsored peace talks in the Nigerian capital Abuja. -- Reuters