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By George Grow

13 November, 2014

President Barack Obama says he is sure of a "new day" in Myanmar. But he says there is work yet to be done to reform the country.

Mr. Obama spoke Thursday during a meeting with Myanmar's President, Thein Sein, and others, including Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi.

Mr. Obama is in the middle of a two-day trip to the country, also known as Burma. The visit is taking place during a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. It is the first time that Myanmar has held the yearly gathering.

The president is also taking part in the East Asia Summit. The summit is a conference of the 10 ASEAN member nations plus eight other countries.

U.S. President Barack Obama, center, poses for a group photo with from left, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Myanmar President Thein Sein, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev ahead of the 9th East Asia summit plenary session at Myanmar International Convention Center in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Nov. 13, 2014 (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

Obama calls on Russia to honor ceasefire in Ukraine

President Obama has called on Russia to honor a September ceasefire between Ukraine and Russian-supported rebels in eastern Ukraine.

An American official says Mr. Obama gave the message to Russian President Vladimir Putin during talks at a meeting this week in Beijing.

NATO and European observers have reported Russian tanks, troops and weapons crossing Ukraine's border in the past few days.

Moscow has repeatedly denied any official military involvement in Ukraine, and has described Russian troops fighting alongside rebels as volunteers.

Medical group tests three separate Ebola treatments

International health group Doctors Without Borders is launching clinical trials in West Africa to test the effectiveness of three possible Ebola treatments.

The group announced Thursday it hopes to begin the trials next month, with the first results available as early as February.

Doctors Without Borders has formed partnerships with three other organizations to carry out the separate tests, two of which involve anti-viral drugs.

New York Times has no plan to change coverage of China

The New York Times newspaper says it has no plans to change its reporting of events in China. The Times released a statement after Chinese President Xi Jinping appeared to confirm the government is punishing foreign media for publishing critical stories.

President Xi's comments came Wednesday during a press conference in Beijing.

When asked by a Times reporter why foreign journalists had difficulties getting visas approved, Mr. Xi suggested the reporters themselves were to blame. He said media organizations "need to obey China's laws and regulations."

*This report was based on stories from VOA"s News Division. George Grow wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Jeri Watson was the editor.

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Words in This Story

reform - v. to make better by changing; to improve

ceasefire - n. a halt in fighting, usually by agreement

trials - n. a test of the quality or usefulness of something

media - n. all public information organizations, including newspapers, television and radio

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