News


Liberia: Liberia’s Rainforests in Danger

Jul 27, 2016 | William Q. Harmon, Daily Observer

The embarrassment that Liberia faced as a result of the infamous Private Use Permit (PUP) saga, which saw a substantial amount of the country’s precious…


Sudan: Sudan to Produce 100 Tonnes of Gold by End of 2016: Minister

Jul 27, 2016 | Sudan Tribune

Sudan’s Minister of Minerals Ahmed Sadiq al-Karouri said his country expects to produce 100 tonnes of gold in 2016, pointing it would become Africa’s second…


Countering Drug-Gun Nexus Vital

Jul 26, 2016 | S. M. Tanoli

Pakistan and Afghanistan have recently observed the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. The day was established by the UN General Assembly, in…


Does Egypt Need Israel to Help Negotiate Nile Water Allocation from Ethiopian Dam?

Jul 26, 2016 | Dana Sanchez

After Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned from a four-country trip to Africa, he got a visit from the Egyptian foreign minister, and those familiar with Israeli-Egyptian…


At the Eye of the Storm: Women and Climate Change

Jul 26, 2016 | Aimee Jakeman

Struggling to save their failing crops. Walking farther afield to fetch clean water. Protecting their families from devastating storms and violent conflicts. “Women are usually…


Human Conflict is Pushing Gorillas Into Extinction – What You Can Do to Save These Animals

Jul 26, 2016 | Jerald Pinson

The DRC contains two-thirds of the Congo rainforest, and the many years of governmental neglect and conflict has led to the near extinction of one…


Colombia: 5 Things to Know about Colombia's Land Restitution

Jul 26, 2016 | Elizabeth Dickinson, Devex

Rural land reform is at the center of the peace deal now under negotiation between the Colombian government and FARC rebels. The draft agreement calls for…


Climate Change: Recipe for War: Remove Water and Food, Add Ethnic Strife—Then Stir

Jul 26, 2016 | Eric Roston, Bloomberg

The question is no longer just whether climate change will kill us, but also whether climate change will make us kill each other. Almost 25 percent…


Myanmar: Shan State Farmers Summoned to Court for Using Land Claimed by Myanmar Army

Jul 26, 2016 | Radio Free Asia

One hundred farmers from a village in eastern Myanmar’s Shan state appeared in court on Monday after the national army filed a lawsuit against them…


Myanmar: Govt Compensate Victims Displaced by Shwegyin Hydropower Project

Jul 26, 2016 | Eleven Myanmar

Union Minister for Electric Power and Energy Pe Zin Tun, said yesterday that the government will give compensation to people who were displaced to make…


DRC: World Bank Stops Funding World’s Biggest Power Plant Plan

Jul 26, 2016 | Thomas Wilson, Bloomberg

The World Bank has suspended funding to help develop a $14 billion hydropower project in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a stage in what could…


Myanmar/Thailand: Myanmar to Submit Disputed Parkland for Heritage Designation

Jul 26, 2016 | Maung Zaw, Myanmar Times

Myanmar officials plan to submit land being claimed by Thailand for consideration as its own UNESCO World Heritage Site, U Than Zaw Oo, director of…


Climate Change: The Link Between Armed Conflict and Climate Change Just Got a Bit Stronger

Jul 26, 2016 | Alejandro Dávila Fragoso, ThinkProgress

Social scientists have for several decades tried to understand what makes a country experience conflict, with poverty, income inequality, weak governance, and ethnic animosity making…


How Infrastructure Helps Determine the Risk of Violence Following Drought

Jul 25, 2016 | Adrien Detges

One fear of climate change is that more variable weather conditions will lead to violence and chaos in some places. But looking at it methodically,…


Colombia: UN Praises Colombia and FARC's Agreement on Women

Jul 25, 2016 | BBC News

The UN has welcomed an agreement between the Colombian government and FARC rebels giving specific guarantees to women as part of a peace accord. Both…


Myanmar: Hundreds of Jade Mining Licenses Expire This Month

Jul 25, 2016 | Myat Pyae Phyo, The Irrawaddy

Burma’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation has released a list of 310 jade mining companies in Kachin State who will be unable to…


Liberia: Lands and Mines Ministry Launches Artisanal Mining Roadmap

Jul 25, 2016 | Lewis S. Teh, New Dawn

The Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy has, for the first time, launched the Artisanal Mining Roadmap for the mining sector in Liberia. The launch of…


Climate Change: Disasters Linked to Climate Can Increase Risk of Armed Conflict

Jul 25, 2016 | Damian Carrington, Guardian

Climate-related disasters increase the risk of armed conflicts, according to research that shows a quarter of the violent struggles in ethnically divided countries were preceded…


Climate Change: Inter-Ethnic Conflict Linked to Climate Change

Jul 25, 2016 | Megan Darby, Climate Home

There is a growing awareness among security analysts that global warming can have a destabilising effect. For example, studies suggest a prolonged drought hit crop yields…


Climate Change: Inter-Ethnic Conflict Linked to Climate Change

Jul 25, 2016 | Megan Darby, Climate Home

There is a growing awareness among security analysts that global warming can have a destabilising effect. For example, studies suggest a prolonged drought hit crop yields…


Climate Change: The GOP is Leading an Effort to Block the Military from Planning for Climate Change

Jul 24, 2016 | Adam Wernick, PRI

In June, House Republicans attached an amendment to the defense authorization bill that stopped the Defense Department from spending money to plan for climate change. The…


Myanmar: China Gets the Wrong Answer

Jul 23, 2016 | Strategy Page

There is general agreement that there should be a major effort to expand the 2015 NCA (nationwide ceasefire agreement) to include all rebel groups operating…


Returning to Everyday Life

Jul 23, 2016 | Gregor Maaß and Mario Pilz

The success of Colombia’s peace talks will depend substantially on how the state chooses to address the needs of the 8 million people who were…


Asia: East Asia’s State-Led Search for Energy Security

Jul 23, 2016 | Michael Hart, Diplomat

After two decades of rapid industrialization and unprecedented population growth, the demand for energy in East Asia is soaring. This has resulted in the emergence…


Sorting Through Water Wars Rhetoric

Jul 22, 2016 | Geoffrey Dabelko

The eye catching headlines are familiar.  “Water Wars” are imminent or already underway in the latest drought or dam-building hotspot. Such “wars” often extend to…


Asia: Human Rights Body Calls for ASEAN Land Reforms

Jul 22, 2016 | Ron Corben, Voice of America

An international human rights umbrella says the Southeast Asian region faces the threat of growing conflicts over land between investors and local people unless legal…


Afghanistan: Afghanistan Renews Push for Wheat Crops Amid Ongoing Anti-Poppy Drive

Jul 22, 2016 | Latin American Herald Tribune

In renewed efforts to wean farmers off growing poppies, the Afghan government has over the past decade pushed for agriculturalists to grow wheat, of which…


Climate Change: Kerry: Climate Change as Dangerous as Terrorism

Jul 22, 2016 | Matthew Lee, Associated Press

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday that climate change is as dangerous as, if not more, than the threats posed by the Islamic…


Philppines/South China Sea: Despite Legal Victory in South China Sea, Philippines' Oil Remains in Troubled Waters

Jul 22, 2016 | Enrico Dela Cruz, Reuters

The Philippines, eager to resume development of vital oil and gas reserves off its coast, will likely need to reach an accord with a Chinese…


Myanmar: Golden Promises Turn Sour in Indawgyi

Jul 22, 2016 | RJ Vogt, Myanmar Times

It is home to myriad rare creatures and even, legend says, a dragon. Pilgrims believe that gold in the surrounding hills is one of nine…