Yangon - Myanmar's main opposition party marked Union Day Thursday by launching a nationwide petition campaign to free its leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest since mid-2003.

Hundreds of National League for Democracy (NLD) members and supporters kicked off the "Free Suu Kyi" campaign by signing their names on a signboard at the party's headquarters in Yangon on the holiday that marks the 1947 call for independence by Myanmar's ethnic groups.

"We started the signature campaign today for the freeing of Daw [Madame] Aung San Suu Kyi, U Tin Oo and all political prisoners," NLD spokesman Nyan Win said.

Amman  - The Jordanian government has ordered eight prominent members of the influential Muslim Brotherhood movement to stop delivering speeches at the state-run mosques on Fridays, the group's deputy leader Jamil Abu Bakr said Wednesday.

He called the ban, which was issued by the Minister of Religious Endowments and Islamic Affairs Abdul Fattah Salah, a backward step.

Bangkok - Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva should seek royal advice on changing the lese majeste law that has led to a slew of cases in recent months and forced a prominent academic to flee the country, well-known social critic Sulak Sivaraksa said Wednesday.

"There is a chance to change the law but the government must have moral courage," said Sulak, 76, who himself faces a lese majeste charge that may be officially lodged with the Attorney General later this month.

Malacca, Feb 10: Malaysia's Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) party is likely to field an Indian candidate in the by-election for the Bukit Selambau seat in Kedah.

Lucknow, Feb 10: The 2009-10 budget session of the Uttar Pradesh assembly got off to an unruly start here on Tuesday with the opposition stalling the opening address of Governor T V Rajeshwar.

As soon as Rajeshwar entered the House to address the joint session of the legislature, members of the Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Lok Dal and the Congress shouted slogans against the Bahujan Samaj Party that rules in the state.

Samajwadi Party legislators expressed their ire over the murder of Public Works Department engineer M K Gupta in Auraiya District.