US votes to ban Burma gems and wood imports

Tuesday, the United States House of Representatives voted to sanction Burma, AP reports:

The unanimous vote sent back to the Senate a bill that bars rubies and jade from Myanmar from being imported into the U.S. The Senate bill, which passed in December, also sought to bar timber from Myanmar, called Burma by some."

In other Burma news, on Monday a bomb exploded on a bus in Karen State. This follows the bombing of an office near Rangoon at the beginning of the month.