Myanmar exports over 177,000 tons of corn in October

Myanmar exported over 177,000 tons of corn, earning more than 53 million U.S. dollars in October, the state-run media citing the Ministry of Commerce reported on Saturday.

During the period, the country shipped 174,970 tons of corn via sea routes, while it exported 2,870 tons of corn via border gates, it said.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Myanmar has exported most of its goods including corn via sea routes, the Ministry of Commerce's data showed.

The media report said that the country exported its corn to China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Malaysia in October.

During the 2020-2021 fiscal year, the country exported 2.3 million tons of corn to foreign countries including China, Thailand, India and Vietnam, it said.

In Myanmar, corn is primarily cultivated in Shan, Kachin, Kayah and Kayin states and Mandalay, Sagaing and Magway regions.

The Southeast Asian country yields nearly 3 million tons of corn annually, it said.

Hackers on Wednesday began leaking sensitive medical records stolen from an Australian health insurer with nearly 10 million customers, including the prime minister, after the firm refused to pay a ransom.

Medibank told investors that a "sample" of data from some 9.7 million clients had been posted on a "dark web forum"and that more leaks were likely.

Sensitive records were posted anonymously in the early hours of Wednesday and included names, birth dates, passport numbers and information on medical claims for hundreds of customers.

The victims were separated into a "naughty" list and a "nice" list.

Some on the "naughty" list had numeric codes that appeared to link them to drug addiction, alcohol abuse and HIV.

For example, one record carried an entry that read: "p_diag: F122".

F122 corresponds with "cannabis dependence" under the International Classification of Diseases, published by the World Health Organisation.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, himself a Medibank customer, said the attack was a "wake-up call" for

Australia.

"I am a Medibank Private customer as well and it will be of concern that some of this information has been put out there," he said.

The leaked data was posted on a dark web forum that cannot be found using conventional web browsers.

Medibank-which provides private health insurance to Australians wishing to supplement universal public healthcareinformed the Australian Securities Exchange about the leak shortly before the market opened.

"The files appear to be a sample of the data that we earlier determined was accessed by the criminal," the company said in a statement.

"We expect the criminal to continue to release

corporate files on the dark web."

The hackers were following through on an earlier threat to publish the data unless Medibank paid an undisclosed ransom.

"P.S I recommend to sell Medibank stocks," the purported hackers wrote on the forum about 24 hours before the first batch of data was released.

With the political backing of Australia's federal government, Medibank on Tuesday refused the demandinstead warning customers to remain "vigilant".

"Based on the extensive advice we have received from cybercrime experts we believe there is only a limited chance paying a ransom would ensure the return of our customers' data and prevent it from being published," Medibank boss David Koczkar said.