International

South Sudan: E. Equatoria Governor Says Natural Resources At Risk From Foreign Forces

Apr 14, 2014 | Sudan Tribune

April 13, 2014 (KAMPALA) – The governor of South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria state, Louis Lobong Lojore, has urged South Sudanese citizens in the country and…

China: Hagel Spars With Chinese Over Islands and Security

Apr 8, 2014 | Helene Cooper, The New York Times

BEIJING — The United States and China clashed over Japan on Tuesday as the Chinese defense minister asserted that Beijing had “indisputable sovereignty” over a…

Egypt: Presidential Hopeful Mansour 'Will Declare War on Ethiopia,' Ban Alcohol, Social Media

Apr 8, 2014 | Ahram Online

Hopeful presidential candidate Mortada Mansour said he will ban Facebook and Twitter if they threaten the nation's internal security and declare war on Ethiopia should…

Myanmar: Myanmar's Tourism Boom Endangers Fragile Ecosystems

Apr 7, 2014 | John Wendle, National Geographic

The morning sun shoots rays over the tops of the steep hills surrounding Inle Lake that pierce the mist rising from the waters. Egrets and…

Pakistan: Security Forces Press Offensive Against Separatists

Apr 7, 2014 | Reuters, The New York Times

Pakistani security forces killed 30 separatist militants on Monday in an offensive in Baluchistan, a senior official said, in one of the biggest clashes in…

Ukraine: Crimea Cost Ukraine Over $10 Billion in Lost Natural Resources

Apr 7, 2014 | Reuters

Ukraine's ecology and natural resources minister estimated on Monday that Kiev had lost natural resources and related assets worth 127 billion hryvnias ($10.8 bln) when…

China/Japan: In a Test of Wills With China, U.S. Sticks Up for Japan

Apr 6, 2014 | Helene Cooper, The New York Times

TOKYO — On his first trip to China as the secretary of defense, Chuck Hagel is finding himself in the middle of a spat that…

Myanmar: Ploughing Protesters Highlight Land Grab Grievances in Myanmar

Apr 6, 2014 | Vincent MacIsaac, South China Morning Post

Myanmar's swift economic development has been marked by the rise of a new class of political dissidents: the ploughing protesters.

They are farmers and activists angry…

China/Japan: U.S. Response to Crimea Worries Japan’s Leaders

Apr 5, 2014 | Helene Cooper and Martin Fackler, The New York Times

TOKYO — When President Bill Clinton signed a 1994 agreement promising to “respect” the territorial integrity of Ukraine if it gave up its nuclear weapons,…

Myanmar: Rare Myanmar Ecosystems Protected Only on Paper

Apr 5, 2014 | Denis D. Gray, Associated Press

Off a remote, glimmering beach backed by a lush tropical forest, Julia Tedesco skims the crystalline waters with mask and fins, looking for coral and…

Myanmar: Karen State Govt Refuses Villagers’ Resettlement in Rebel Area

Apr 4, 2014 | Nyein Nyein, The Irrawaddy

The Karen State government has refused to allow a group of villagers, evicted from their homes by the Burmese military in February, to move to…

Myanmar: NLD Leader Offers to Intervene in Land Ownership Dispute

Apr 4, 2014 | Su Myat Wai and Kay Zue, Mizzima

National League for Democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has offered to help nearly 300 families from Yangon’s Mayangone Township who say they are…

South Sudan: At Quiet Rebel Base, Plotting an Assault on South Sudan’s Oil Fields

Apr 3, 2014 | Jacey Fortin, The New York Times

NASIR, South Sudan — There are only four bullets in the rifle that Liep Wiyual plans to use against government troops on the front lines…

World: Climate Change Will 'Lead to Battles for Food', says Head of World Bank

Apr 3, 2014 | Larry Elliott, The Guardian

Battles over water and food will erupt within the next five to 10 years as a result of climate change, the president of the World…

Sierra Leone: Mining spurs Sierra Leone to 20 pct GDP Growth in 2013 - IMF

Apr 3, 2014 | Umaru Fofana, Reuters

The rapid expansion of Sierra Leone’s nascent iron ore mining industry fuelled economic growth of 20 percent last year, according to IMF data, but prices…

Myanmar: Will Burma’s Timber Ban Curb or Entrench Corruption?

Apr 2, 2014 | Feliz Solomon, Democratic Voice of Burma

A ban on all raw timber exports from Burma came into effect on Tuesday, in an attempt to rein in one of the country’s highly…

Myanmar: Displaced Villagers in Transit to DKBA Territory Held by Karen State Officials

Apr 2, 2014 | Naw Noreen, Democratic Voice of Burma

More than 200 villagers displaced from Rangoon’s Hlegu Township in February are stuck in limbo at the border between Karen and Mon states as of Wednesday afternoon.

After…

Myanmar: Meeting About Salween Dams Troubles Shan Communities

Apr 2, 2014 | Nyein Nyein, The Irrawaddy

Communities in northern Shan State have grown worried over two large hydropower dams planned on the Salween River and its tributary, after government officials and…

Afghanistan: WCS Applauds Afghanistan's Declaration Establishing Entire Wakhan District as the Country's Second National Park

Apr 2, 2014 | Newswise

Newswise — The Wildlife Conservation Society applauds the Afghanistan Government’s recent declaration establishing the entire Wakhan District, one of the most remote areas of Afghanistan,…

Myanmar: Electricity Hike Opponents Face Charges for Illegal Mandalay Protest

Apr 1, 2014 | Zarni Mann, The Irrawaddy

MANDALAY — Four activists here who oppose a government electricity rate hike are facing criminal charges after staging an unauthorized protest last week, while other…

China: A Merkel, a Map, a Message to China?

Apr 1, 2014 | Rachel Lu, Foreign Policy

On March 28, German Chancellor Angela Merkel hosted visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping at a dinner where they exchanged gifts. Merkel presented to Xi a…

Myanmar: Myanmar Imposes Export Ban To Stop Its Timber From Foreign Exploitation, Goal Is To Establish Domestic Wood-Processing Industry

Mar 31, 2014 | Sophie Song, International Business Times

Myanmar is a classic case of a country rich in natural resources but poor in income. Timber, along with oil and gems, sit at the…

Myanmar: Burma’s Logging Ban Is Great for Forests, but a Disaster for Its Working Elephants

Mar 31, 2014 | Charlie Campbell, Time

Modern Burmese history was built on teak, which is to say it was built on the backs of elephants. The British quickly saw teak’s potential…

Myanmar: Rangoon Land Protesters Undeterred by Late-Night Eviction

Mar 31, 2014 | Kyaw Hsu Mon, The Irrawaddy

RANGOON — Evicted former residents of Thingangyun Township have vowed to continue their sit-in protest in central Rangoon, despite an attempted forced eviction in the…

South Sudan: Egypt Tries to Woo South Sudan in Nile Water Dispute

Mar 31, 2014 | Ayah Aman, Al-Monitor

CAIRO — Egypt is continuing to develop relations with South Sudan in an effort to protect Egyptian water interests within its borders, through which the White Nile flows.…

China/Philippines: Philippines and China in Dispute Over Reef

Mar 31, 2014 | Jane Perlez, The New York Times

BEIJING — China accused the Philippines on Monday of illegally occupying Chinese territory after a Philippine vessel outmaneuvered the Chinese Coast Guard and resupplied a…

North Korea/South Korea: North and South Korea Trade Fire Across Disputed Sea Border

Mar 31, 2014 | Choe Sang-Hun, The New York Times

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea and South Korea fired hundreds of artillery shells across their disputed western sea border on Monday, escalating military tensions…

Myanmar: Myanmar’s Oil and Gas: Drilling in the Dark

Mar 29, 2014 | The Economist

Companies will soon find out how much oil and gas there really is offshore.After a long wait, and several delays, Myanmar’s government will soon announce…

Myanmar: Japan plans to import organic produce from Myanmar

Mar 29, 2014 | The New Light of Myanmar

Japanese firms are planning to import organic rice, crops and vegetables from Myanmar, officials said Friday.

During a meeting with U Myint Hlaing, Union Minister for…

Myanmar: Hundreds of Villages in Central Burma Suffer Acute Water Shortage

Mar 29, 2014 | ReliefWeb

Nearly 200 villages in central Burma are suffering from acute water shortages, according to the Civil Society Network, an NGO that has begun an emergency…