International


Myanmar: Can Myanmar’s ‘Lost World’ Survive Tourism?

May 3, 2014 | Denis D. Gray, The Seattle Times

Where the Indian Ocean rolls toward Myanmar’s southwestern coast, a lacework of 800 islands rises, fringed with shimmering beaches of no footprints.

Here in the islands…


Myanmar: Displaced Villagers File Complaint Regarding Japan’s Investment in Myanmar’s Thilawa Special Economic Zone

May 3, 2014 | Asian Tribune

Tokyo, 03 May, (Asiantribune.com): Three residents from the Thilawa Special Economic Zone (SEZ) area near Yangon, Myanmar, delivered an Objection to the Examiner for the…


Sierra Leone: China's Hunger for Sea Cucumbers Reaches Islands of Sierra Leone

May 2, 2014 | Tommy Trenchard, Reuters

(Reuters) - As evening falls over Sierra Leone's Banana Island archipelago, bats stream from their beachside roosts to circle in their thousands over the jungle…


Liberia: UNIDO Donates Hydro-Electrical Equipment

May 2, 2014 | AllAfrica

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) on Tuesday donated hydro-electrical equipment to the Stella Maris Polytechnic for the establishment of "Small-hydro Power Technology Center"…


Somalia: War, Late Rains Spark Somalia 'Crisis' Warning

May 2, 2014 | Ahram Online

War and delayed rains in Somalia are putting thousands of lives at risk, especially in areas where African Union troops are battling Islamist extremists for…


Conflict Minerals: Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Issues Statement on the Effect of the Recent US Court of Appeals Decision on the Conflict Minerals Rule

May 2, 2014 | Mark D. Wood and Michael L. Mason, Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP

On April 29, Keith Higgins, the Director of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Corporation Finance, issued a public statement offering guidance on companies’…


Cote d'Ivoire: Diamantaires Eyeing Ivory Coast for Rough Imports

May 2, 2014 | Melvyn Reggie Thomas, The Times of India

SURAT: Diamantaires are looking at Ivory Coast for rough diamond imports after the United Nations Security Council lifted a decade-long ban on diamond exports from…


Liberia: World Bank, Moving to Increase Seeds Production in Liberia

May 1, 2014 | AllAfrica

Monrovia — Liberia's staple food is rice, but the country relies heavily on imported rice to feed the over 3 million population, despite having a…


DRC: A Diamond In The Rough

May 1, 2014 | Zawya

Globally, only Turkmenistan has higher global rates, according to The International Monetary Fund latest World Economic Outlook.

The IMF expects growth to accelerate in the DRC…


Myanmar: Timber Exports Reach US$1 bn in 2013-2014

Apr 30, 2014 | Eleven Media Group

The export of teak, hardwood and other timber has reached US$ 947 million in the 2013-14 fiscal year, according to statistics from the Ministry of…


Israel: With Peace Talks Off, Netanyahu Looks at Unilateral Moves

Apr 30, 2014 | Jodi Rudoren, New York Times

JERUSALEM — After halting peace talks with the Palestinians last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has asked his cabinet to bring forward alternative…


Western Sahara: Polisario Front Hails Security Council's Commitment to Saharawi Right to Self-Determination

Apr 30, 2014 | AllAfrica

Washington — Polisario Front expressed satisfaction with the Security Council's commitment in favour of a political solution to the Western Sahara conflict based on Saharawis'…


Nile River: Sudan: Bashir Affirms Support for Ethiopia Dam Project

Apr 30, 2014 | Tesfa-Alem Tekle, AllAfrica

Bahirdar — Sudanese president Omer Hassan al Bashir has pledged that his country will extend the necessary support for Ethiopia's massive hydro-power plant project which…


Myanmar: Villagers in Southern Burma Protest Against Chinese-Backed Oil Refinery

Apr 29, 2014 | Yen Snaing, The Irrawaddy

RANGOON — About 500 ethnic Dawei villagers from Tenasserim Division’s Laung Lone Township staged a protest on Tuesday against the construction of a huge oil…


Myanmar: MP Proposes Faster Process for Resolving Land Dispute Cases

Apr 28, 2014 | Hein Ko Soe, Mizzima

MP and member of the Farmland Investigation Commission is calling for changes in handling land disputes which he says will make the process faster and…


Myanmar: Plans for Coal-Fired Power Plant Face Opposition in Mon State

Apr 28, 2014 | Yen Snaing, The Irrawaddy

RANGOON — Plans to build the first coal-fired power plant in Mon State have come under fire by local residents, who say they worry about…


China/Japan: Japan Says China Ships Entered Disputed Waters

Apr 27, 2014 | Press TV

Japan says two Chinese ships have sailed into disputed waters off the East China Sea, two days after US President Barack Obama declared his support…


World: Official Urges Greater Action To Combat Sexual Violence

Apr 26, 2014 | The Daily Times of Nigeria

UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict Zainab Bangura has said in spite of unprecedented political momentum to fight rape in war zones.

It says…


China/Japan: Pacific Rim Deal Could Reduce Chance of Unintended Conflict in Contested Seas

Apr 23, 2014 | Austin Ramzy and Chris Buckley, The New York Times

TAIPEI, Taiwan — A naval code of conduct approved by more than 20 nations around the Pacific, including China, Japan and the United States, could…


Myanmar: Independent Mon News Agency: Ethnic Karen Communities in Southern Burma Encounter the Impacts of Mining

Apr 22, 2014 | U.S. Campaign for Burma

Karen people living in Ka Htaung Nee villages, in Mitar sub-township, Tavoy district, located in the Tenasserim Region are experiencing increased air and water pollution…


Myanmar: Farmers Face Fresh Eviction Demands from Tatmadaw

Apr 22, 2014 | Min Min, Mizzima

A water convolvulus field on the corner of Wai Zayan Tar Road and Gandamar St, Mayangone Township, Yangon was the site of a press conference…


Egypt/Sudan: Sudan Blames Egypt for Blocking International Loans for Ethiopia’s Hydro-Dam

Apr 21, 2014 | Awramba Times

Egypt is threatening Sudan’s safety by blocking international loans for Ethiopia’s hydro-dam, said Sudan’s top official of Eastern Blue Nile State Hussein Ahmad. According to…


Myanmar: Amid Construction Boom, Burma Starts to Build Disaster Resilience

Apr 21, 2014 | Amantha Perera, Thomson Reuters Foundation, The Irrawaddy

RANGOON — Sule Pagoda Road in downtown Rangoon is famous for its role in Burma’s turbulent recent history. With its golden pagoda rising at one…


China/Japan: Japan Begins Work on Surveillance Unit near Disputed Islands – Report

Apr 20, 2014 | GMA Network

TOKYO - Japan broke ground Saturday on a coastal surveillance unit near a string of islands at the center of a bitter territorial dispute with…


India: India’s Worsening Water Crisis

Apr 19, 2014 | Ram Mashru, The Diplomat

In northern India, groundwater supplies are being depleted faster than natural processes can replenish them. According to The World Bank, India is the largest user…


Haiti: U.N. Struggles to Stem Haiti Cholera Epidemic

Apr 19, 2014 | Randal C. Archibald and Somini Sengupta, The New York Times

CHAPOTEAU, Haiti — For three years, the United Nations has refused to address whether its peacekeepers brought a deadly strain of cholera to Haiti, insisting…


Ukraine: Ukraine Seeks Renewable-Energy Boost to Counter Russia

Apr 18, 2014 | Brian Wingfield, Bloomberg

Ukrainian officials say they’ve found a way to protect the nation from Russia: Go green.

Ukraine is seeking U.S. investment in its biomass, wind and solar…


Brazil: Brazil Is the World’s Most Dangerous Country to Be an Environmentalist

Apr 17, 2014 | Christina Larson, Bloomberg Businessweek

Taking a stand to protect the environment in a developing country can be a matter of life and death. According to a new report by…


Africa: Beyond Greed or Grievance - Understanding Conflict in Resource-Rich States

Apr 17, 2014 | Christoph Vogel and Joschka Havenith, AllAfrica

Diamonds and rubber in Sierra Leone, oil in Angola and Sudan, tantalum and gold in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, copper in Zambia -…


United States: Appeals Court Strikes Down Conflict Minerals Disclosure Rule

Apr 14, 2014 | Jeremy P. Jacobs

Federal appellate judges today struck down a Securities and Exchange Commission rule that required companies to disclose whether minerals in their products were mined in…