HLUTTAW SESSIONS: Pyidaungsu Hluttaw: Pyidaungsu Hluttaw approves three bills, put two on record: "The Pyidaungsu Hluttaw yesterday passed three bills, put on record other two bills and the president?s foreign trip, and agreed on a national planning report. The parliament approved the road transportation bill, the rail transportation bill and the arbitration bill after discussing them clause by clause. It also heard the clarification of the report on national planning for the first six-month of 2015-16 fiscal year, before putting on record the pesticide bill, the new plant varieties protection bill and the president?s participation in the 27th ASEAN Summit and its related meetings which took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. National Planning and Economic Development Deputy Minister Daw Leh Leh Thein read out the progress report, which won parliamentary approval as proposed by the Joint Committee for Planning and Financial Development."..... OTHER DOMESTIC NEWS: The elixir of life: President attends opening of Myogyi Multi-purpose Dam...Central Command hold championship in Commanderin- Chief?s Cup...Mandalay artists show their works to Yangon audience...Trouble on New Year?s Eve...Shwedagon sees 63,664 tourists in December...VP Dr Sai Mauk Kham stresses coordinated efforts for planned union peace conference...Ethnic parties await dialogue with NLD...Traffic accident leaves one dead...Reduced tomato market hits farmers at Inlay Lake...Mandalay water feature completed...Yabba pills and heroin lead to arrests...12 wheel vehicle crashes into shop in Sagaing...Mingla Mandalay December Special Sales...Jades seized in Muse...Heroin seized in Aungmyaythazan..... EXTERNAL RELATIONS: MoU on Bago River development project inked..... "OPINION": "2016, a year of high expectations?" by Kyaw Thura..... ARTICLE: "Balance of Power" by U Khin Maung