News


TOR for livelihoods & WASH project baseline survey, Nyaung U Township, Mandalay Region, Myanmar

May 20, 2014 | Plan Myanmar

Plan Myanmar will be implementing the WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) and livelihood project in six villages under Taung Bi Lay village tract in Nyaung-U…


Sudan: Sudan Welcomes Russian Gas Specialists

May 20, 2014 | Vestnik Kavkaza

A week ago, rebels in South Sudan, a republic that had broken away from Sudan, demanded oil extraction to be stopped, threatening to take over…


Africa: UN Eyes Africa Oil Levy to Fight Disease

May 20, 2014 | Global Post

The United Nations has begun talks with African leaders over a levy on oil that could rake in huge sums to fight disease in developing…


Myanmar: Letpadaung Mine Workers’ Release Comes with Right to Use Seized Land: Farmers

May 20, 2014 | Zarni Mann, The Irawaddy

MANDALAY — Farmers from the Letpadaung copper mining area in Sagaing Division say they will soon begin to sow crops on their confiscated lands, having…


Myanmar: Myanmar's Pending Ceasefire Jeopardized by Skirmishes over Illegal Logging

May 20, 2014 | Hereward Holland, National Geographic

Myanmar's forests are the final frontier for the logging of tropical hardwoods in mainland Southeast Asia.

Until a few weeks ago as many as a hundred…


Myanmar: Resentment of China Spreading in Myanmar

May 19, 2014 | Thomas Fuller, The New York Times

BANGKOK — A flare-up of resilient hostility toward China among its neighbors has infected central Myanmar, where a Chinese company operating a copper mine has…


Myanmar: Minister Touts Massive Land Redistribution Program

May 19, 2014 | Bill O’Toole and Noe Noe Aung, Myanmar Times

During a visit to Mandalay on May 11, Minister for the President’s Office U Soe Thein made an ambitious claim. Speaking at the Youth and…


Toward a Secure and Sustainable Water Future for Kurdistan and Iraq

May 18, 2014 | Tessa Manuello

As tensions between Erbil and Baghdad resumed earlier this year, some voices in the Kurdistan Region called for waging a “water war” against the central…


Sudan: Sudan's Oil Output Falls by 10-20,000 bpd

May 18, 2014 | Radio Dabanga/Reuters

SINGAPORE (REUTERS) (18 May.) - Production of Sudan's Nile Blend has dropped to around 90,000 barrels per day (bpd), down from 100,000-110,000 bpd two months…


South Sudan: Oil Fans Flames of South Sudan War

May 18, 2014 | Newvision

Despite heavy international pressure, a second ceasefire this month for the world's youngest nation has crumbled, in a war that has already claimed thousands --…


Balkans: Catastrophic Floods Hit Balkans, Raising Fears for Land Mines and Power Plants

May 18, 2014 | Rick Lyman, The New York Times

WARSAW — At least 33 people have died and tens of thousands have been evacuated in Serbia and Bosnia during three days of torrential rains…


Crimea: In Taking Crimea, Putin Gains a Sea of Fuel Reserves

May 17, 2014 | William J. Broad, The New York Times

When Russia seized Crimea in March, it acquired not just the Crimean landmass but also a maritime zone more than three times its size with…


Myanmar: Drugs, Land and Mining Issues Plague Shan State

May 17, 2014 | Paing Soe, Democratic Voice of Burma

A four-day regional development workshop responding to the challenges posed by drugs and environmental degradation— identified by contributors as the main issues plaguing the region –…


COOL, Conflict Minerals, GMOs & Beyond: Much Hangs in the Balance of DC Circuit En Banc Rehearing in Commercial Speech Case

May 16, 2014 | Chip English

Americans are naturally curious and interested about the food we eat and the products we buy—e.g., non-GMO labeling, country of origin labeling (“COOL”) and “conflicts…


China, Philippines, Vietnam: China Paper Supports ‘Non-Peaceful’ Steps Against PH, Vietnam

May 16, 2014 | INQUIRER.net

BEIJING – A state-run Chinese newspaper backed the use of “non-peaceful” measures against Vietnam and the Philippines Friday, as it considered the possibility of war…


China/Vietnam: Unrest Poses a Risky Choice for Vietnam

May 16, 2014 | Chris Buckley and Edward Wong, The New York Times

HA TINH PROVINCE, Vietnam — The hundreds of men on motorbikes who roared into Lee Hsueh Ying’s factory compound north of Ho Chi Minh City…


Timor-Leste: Wife of East Timor's P.M. Slams Australia

May 16, 2014 | Emma Alberici, Australian Broadcasting Corporation

EMMA ALBERICI, PRESENTER: East Timor's former first lady has slammed Australia's handling of its relationship with the struggling nation as both countries fight in The…


Liberia: Liberians Successfully Resist UK Company’s ‘Land Grab’

May 16, 2014 | Global Information Network

(GIN)—After years of fruitless court battles by small farmers against major multinational corporations,  the Jogbahn Clan across 11 villages in Liberia is celebrating victory over…


Climate Security: Climate Change, Migration, and Nontraditional Security Threats in China

May 16, 2014 | Center for American Progress

Washington, D.C. – Today, the Center for American Progress released the latest report in a series on the intersecting phenomena of climate, migration, and security.…


South Sudan: East - West Tussle for Oil 'Sparked South Sudan War'

May 16, 2014 | Ramadhan Rajab, AllAfrica

STRUGGLE between the Western and Eastern countries over control of oil fields in Southern Sudan is behind the ongoing conflicts in the country, South Sudan's…


Responsible Sourcing of Minerals from Conflict Zones: Is the EU Doing Enough?

May 15, 2014 | Anna Bulzomi

On March 5, 2014, the European Commission released its long-awaited responsible tradingstrategy for minerals from conflict zones. The strategy is composed of a draft Regulation setting up an…


Sudan: Sudan Oil Industry’s Lingering Questions

May 15, 2014 | Alsir Sidahmed, Sudan Tribune

May 15, 2014 - A statement attributed to Petroleum Minister Eng. Makkawi Awad that Sudan’s oil reserves stand at 4 billion barrels raises more questions…


Nepal’s Micro-Hydropower Projects Have Surprising Effect on Peace Process

May 14, 2014 | Florian Krampe

Development, and human development in particular, is frequently considered a ground condition for peace by the development community. It follows that, because they provide rural…


Myanmar: Despite Ceasefire, Army Seizes Land and Tortures Citizens in Southeast Myanmar - Report

May 14, 2014 | Thin Lei Win, Thomson Reuters Foundation

BANGKOK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – The Myanmar army continues to commit rights abuses - seizing land and detaining and torturing citizens - in the country’s…


Myanmar: Land Grab Report to Inform Parliament Commission

May 14, 2014 | Eleven Media Group

The special report will discuss farmland disputes including the Thilawa Port Project and Migyaungkan evictions and suggest ways to solve these disputes. 

“The current methods have…


Myanmar: Coal-fire plant fuels concern in Mon State

May 14, 2014 | Nang Mya Nadi, Democratic Voice of Burma

Several civil society groups in Mon State have united in opposition to a proposed coal-fired power plant.

The Mon Youth Forum (MYF) and Ye Town Social…


Environmental Peacebuilding Community of Practice Celebrates 6 Months of Growth

May 13, 2014 | ELI & UNEP

On May 6, 2014, the Environmental Peacebuilding Global Knowledge Platform and Community of Practice celebrated six months of dialogue and growth.  Since its launch, the…


Tunisia: Tunisian Discontent Reflected in Protests That Have Idled Mines

May 13, 2014 | Carlotta Gall, The New York Times

GAFSA, Tunisia — Tunisians often say the first uprising of the Arab Spring began not in 2010 after the self-immolation of a fruit vendor, Mohamed…


Ukraine: At Center of Ukraine Talks, Degrees of Decentralizing

May 13, 2014 | David M. Herszenhornd, The New York Times

KIEV, Ukraine — National “round-table” talks seeking to resolve Ukraine’s six-month political crisis by finding a formula for decentralizing power will begin Wednesday against a…


Liberia: Ellen Calls for Agriculture, Food Production

May 13, 2014 | Rewina Juduh, AllAfrica

President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has encouraged Liberians to return to the soil and engage in agriculture and food production, noting the rewards are immense "though farming…