View image in fullscreen Myanmar voters arrive to cast ballots during the third phase of the general election at a polling station in Yangon, Myanmar, 25 January 2026. Prices for basic items such as rice and cooking oil have tripled since the coup, estimates Kyaw Kyaw. “Definitely, some residential buildings in Mandalay are not safe to live in after the earthquake,” says Kyaw Kyaw. “They could be everywhere in tea shops,” says another Mandalay resident, Thandar*, 35, of the security forces and their informants. In urban areas of Mandalay, local officials blasted out reminders about the election on loudspeakers, Thandar says.

Source: The Guardian January 26, 2026 09:26 UTC