News


Myanmar: Myitsone Will Harm China-Burma Relations: Ethnic Politicians

Jun 27, 2014 | Zarni Mann, The Irrawaddy

MANDALAY — Ethnic politicians from Burma have warned the Chinese government that resumption of the Myitsone dam project will harm relations between the two countries,…


Myanmar: UN: 'Poverty and corruption' fueling Myanmar's opium woes

Jun 27, 2014 | Gabriel Dominguez, Deutsche Welle

Myanmar is the world's second largest producer of opium - the raw ingredient for heroin - after Afghanistan, accounting for 10 percent of global production.…


Call for Applications: MA in Conflict, Security & Development

Jun 26, 2014 | King's College

Development and security are inextricably linked, yet all too often both academics and policy-makers address them separately. The MA in Conflict, Security, and Development is…


South Sudan: South Sudan's Oil Output Slips to 160,000 bpd - Ministry Official

Jun 26, 2014 | Carl Odera, Reuters

JUBA, June 26 (Reuters) - South Sudan's oil production is averaging about 160,000 barrels per day (bpd), slipping by about 5,000 bpd on numbers released…


Myanmar: Real Winners of Myanmar’s Oil and Gas Blocks Remain Hidden

Jun 26, 2014 | Global Witness

The majority of companies recently awarded oil and gas blocks in Myanmar have failed to answer questions over who really owns them, said Global Witness as…


Myanmar: The Opaque World of Myanmar’s Oil Industry

Jun 26, 2014 | Michael Peel, Financial Times

A Kazakh gas magnate, a furniture maker and two brothers once under international sanctions are part of a colourful cast flocking largely unnoticed to Myanmar’s…


Myanmar: Lower Supplies Affect Annual Gems Sales in Myanmar

Jun 26, 2014 | May Wong, Channel NewsAsia

NAY PYI TAW: At Myanmar's only annual gems fair in Nay Pyi Taw, sales are expected to hit US$1.5 billion this year, down from US$2.4…


Redrawn Lines Seen as No Cure in Iraq Conflict

Jun 26, 2014 | Robert F. Worth - The New York Times

ISTANBUL — Over the past two weeks, the specter that has haunted Iraq since its founding 93 years ago appears to have become a reality:…


Belgium: Belgians Share Their Land With War’s Reminders

Jun 26, 2014 | The New York Times

YPRES, Belgium — The padlocked cage beside the driveway on the Butaye family farm near this town in western Belgium is almost full of rusting…


Liberia: Liberia's Poor and the Rising Sea

Jun 25, 2014 | Wade C. L. Williams, AllAfrica

Monrovia — Mary B owned a shop in West Point, Monrovia's densely-populated slum community, where she sold liquor just few yards away from the sea.…


Conflict Minerals: Does Furniture Contain Conflict Minerals?

Jun 25, 2014 | Thomas Russell, Furniture Today

HIGH POINT — Publicly held furniture companies acknowledge they have taken steps to determine whether various metals used in their finished product come from mines…


Call for Applications: PhD Candidate in Geography

Jun 24, 2014 | Norwegian University of Science and Technology

A temporary position as PhD candidate in Geography is available at the Department of Geography, NTNU. The appointment is for a period of three years.…


Ford Sustainability Report 2013/2014 - A Step in the Right Direction

Jun 24, 2014 | The Enough Project

On Wednesday, June 18, Ford Motor Company released its Sustainability Report 2013/2014. Available online, the report documents Ford’s efforts to enhance its sustainability through a…


Syria Faces an Imminent Food and Water Crisis

Jun 24, 2014 | Chatham House

Humanitarian aid to Syria must target water authorities’ maintenance and disinfection needs, as both the regime and opposition forces are failing to respond to the…


Communities Protest That UK's Equatorial Palm Oil Are Poised to Seize Land in Liberia

Jun 24, 2014 | Global Witness

The UK-listed company, Equatorial Palm Oil (EPO), which is threatening to seize land owned by Liberians in defiance of commitments by Liberia’s President, will today…


Illegal Trade in Wildlife and Timber Products Finances Criminal and Militia Groups, Threatening Security and Sustainable Development

Jun 24, 2014 | UNEP

Global environmental crime, worth up to US$213 billion each year, is helping finance criminal, militia and terrorist groups and threatening the security and sustainable development…


Liberia: Citizens Want Border Dispute Investigated

Jun 24, 2014 | Edwin G. Wandah, AllAfrica

Several citizens hailing from Grand Gedeh and River Gee Counties have expressed deep regrets over the delay of the Government of Liberia to probe the…


Myanmar: Extinction Looms as Notorious Rosewood Loggers Set Sights on Burma Species, Group Warns

Jun 24, 2014 | Paul Vrieze, The Irrawaddy

RANGOON — Burmese tree species tamalan and padauk are disappearing at an extremely rapid pace as Chinese traders have begun targeting their high-value wood, and…


Myanmar: Energy Rush: Myanmar's Reforms Fuel Hopes of Burmese Boom

Jun 24, 2014 | Keith Johnson, Foreign Policy

Energy executives around the globe rubbed their hands anticipating a new gold rush in Myanmar when that formerly isolated country began opening up in 2011.…


Call for Applications: Scholarship for Water Cooperation and Peace - Joint Master Programme

Jun 23, 2014 | University for Peace

UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education (UNESCO-IHE), the University for Peace (UPEACE) and Oregon State University (OSU), institutions with a unique range of expertise, have jointly…


Water Scarcity May Spark Geopolitical Conflicts: Council

Jun 23, 2014 | Bloomberg News

Water scarcity may spark geopolitical conflicts in such countries as those around the Tigris-Euphrates and Nile river basins, according to the World Water Council’s president.

“Water…


Global: Treaty Is Making Land Mines Weapon of Past, Group Says

Jun 23, 2014 | Rick Gladstone, The New York Times

Despite the conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, the armed uprising in Ukraine and turmoil in other hot spots in the Middle East and Africa,…


Eastern DRC: Stop Fixating on Conflict Minerals

Jun 23, 2014 | Christoph Vogel, Think Africa Press

Goma/Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo: In October 2013, after a year-and-a-half-long rebellion in which its forces managed to take control of several major cities and…


Iraq: Iraq Upheaval Threatens Oil Development Plans

Jun 23, 2014 | Sinan Salaheddin, Associated Press

BAGHDAD (AP) -- The turmoil in Iraq has thrown the OPEC member's ambitious plans to boost oil production into doubt, threatening to crimp its most…


Myanmar: Land-Grab Documentary Takes Top Burma Prize at Human Rights Film Festival

Jun 20, 2014 | Nyein Nyein, The Irrawaddy

RANGOON — A 30-minute documentary about land confiscation in Burma won two out of eight awards at the Human Rights Human Dignity International Film Festival…


Kurdistan/Iraq: First Cargo of Disputed Kurdish Iraqi Oil Delivered to Israel

Jun 20, 2014 | DEBKAfile

The Liberia-flagged SCF Altai tanker docked at Ashkelon port early Friday and began unloading crude, according to a port source. This may be the first…


Liberia: Stakeholders Make Recommendations on Land Governance

Jun 20, 2014 | Jimmey C. Fahngon, AllAfrica

Stakeholders at the voluntary guidelines on responsible governance of tenure of land, fisheries and forests seminar have made several recommendations geared towards the improvement of…


Timor-Leste: East Timor Plans First Onshore Bid Round

Jun 20, 2014 | Rick Wilkinson, Oil & Gas Journal

The Democratic Republic of Timor Lesté (East Timor) is planning its first bid round for onshore acreage toward the end of this year.

The country’s Minister…


Kenya/South Sudan/Uganda/Ethiopia: Kenya Attacks Undermine Plans for East African Trade Hub

Jun 20, 2014 | Drazen Jorgic, Retuers

LAMU, Kenya, June 20 (Reuters) - The latest in a string of militant attacks on Kenya's coast has dealt a fresh blow to the economy,…


Dealing With Uncertainty II: Towards a Precautionary Framework for Military-Origin Contaminants

Jun 19, 2014 | The Toxic Remnants of War Project

The previous blog in this two-part series highlighted fears and uncertainties regarding the long-term health impact from military-origin chemical contamination. Some analogies were discussed from…