International

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…

Myanmar: Six People Hospitalised After Confrontation Between Chinsu-Myanmar Company, Three Land Owners

Mar 29, 2014 | Eleven Media Group

Chinsu-Myanmar Company came into conflict with three land owners on March 28 over the fencing of 30 acres at land plot No 15 in Apyinpadan…

Crimea: Crimea Crisis Has Little Impact Thus Far on Russian Oil Deals

Mar 28, 2014 | Andrew E. Kramer and David Jolly, The New York Times

MOSCOW — The French energy giant Total is in talks with Lukoil to form a joint venture to develop shale oil in Russia, as Moscow…

Myanmar: Why don't Myanmar Log Trade Figures Add Up? Corruption, says NGO

Mar 27, 2014 | Alisa Tang, Thomson Reuters Foundation

BANGKOK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Global imports of timber from Myanmar between 2000 and 2013 were three and a half times as large as the…

Myanmar: Myanmar Close, but not Quite, Ready for Prime Time

Mar 27, 2014 | Daniel J. Graeber, OilPrice

Energy majors from Norway's Statoil to BG Group are among the first to get the chance to explore frontier prospects off the coast of Myanmar.…

Kenya: Cattle-rustling and the Politics of Business in Kenya

Mar 27, 2014 | IRIN

NAIROBI - Cattle raiding in Kenya is often viewed in the legitimizing context of tradition, climate change and resource conflict, but increasingly it has much…

Myanmar: Myanmar Upset at DT Article

Mar 26, 2014 | Sheikh Shahariar Zaman, Dhaka Tribune

The Myanmar government expressed its concern over a Dhaka Tribune article on Rohingya and Rakhine states.

The country summoned Bangladesh Ambassador to Myanmar Anup Kumar Chakma…

Myanmar: $5.7Bn in Timber Smuggled Out of Burma, Illegal Logging Rampant: Report

Mar 26, 2014 | Paul Vrieze and Htet Naing Zaw, The Irrawaddy

RANGOON — Between 2000 and 2013, Burma’s rich forests were decimated through authorized logging as well as a massive illegal timber trade that saw 22.8…

Myanmar: Burma's Logging Export Ban Aims to Protect Shrinking Forests

Mar 26, 2014 | Gabrielle Paluch, Voice of America

RANGOON — Burma’s more than $6 billion trade in illegal timber has continued despite attempts to limit logging, according to a new report released by…

Myanmar: Loss of Forests Accelerates as Myanmar Opens for Business

Mar 26, 2014 | Amantha Perera, Thomson Reuters Foundation

YANGON, Myanmar (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – It is still home to some of the most pristine forests in Southeast Asia. But forest experts warn that…

Myanmar: Energy giants win Myanmar blocks

Mar 26, 2014 | SAPA-AFP

Yangon - Myanmar named energy giants Chevron, Shell and Total among the winners Wednesday of a landmark auction of offshore oil and gas exploration rights,…

Iraq: ‘Environmental Poisoning’ of Iraq Is Claimed

Mar 26, 2014 | Jada F. Smith, The New York Times

WASHINGTON — An advocacy group representing American military veterans and Iraqi civilians arrived here on Wednesday armed with a message for the United States government:…

Africa: Insecure Land Tenure Holds Back Post-Conflict African Societies, Say Experts

Mar 26, 2014 | Kayode Ogunbunmi, Thomson Reuters Foundation

WASHINGTON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A lack of clear-cut and secure land rights means people from post-conflict African countries are prevented from getting the most…

Myanmar: Myanmar’s Six Billion Dollar Timber Corruption Black Hole

Mar 25, 2014 | Environmental Investigation Agency

LONDON: New analysis of the Myanmar Government’s forestry and trade data points to a multi-billion dollar illegal logging and exports black hole – indicating widespread…

Myanmar: Myanmar’s Growing—and Dangerous—Jade Trade

Mar 25, 2014 | Christina Larson, Business Week

In the final three quarters of 2013, export earnings from Myanmar’s jade trade reached $920 million—up more than a third from a year earlier—according to…

Israel/Gaza: The Next Round in Gaza

Mar 25, 2014 | International Crisis Group

The ceasefire between Israel and Gaza has eroded during the past several months and recently threatened to come to an abrupt end. The day after…

Moldova: Russian Military Holds Exercises in Breakaway Moldova Region: Agency

Mar 25, 2014 | Vladimir Soldatkin and Steve Gutterman, Reuters

Russia's military staged training exercises on Tuesday in Transdniestria, a breakaway sliver of Moldova that is a focus of tension following Russia's annexation of Ukraine's…

Myanmar: Myanmar Marchers Seek Cancellation of Chinese-backed Dam Project

Mar 24, 2014 | South China Morning Post

Dozens of protesters began a 2,400-kilometre march yesterday to northern Myanmar, calling for the cancellation of a Chinese-backed hydroelectric dam project over environmental concerns.

The US$3.6…

Crimea: Kabul Recognizes Crimean Annexation; India Arrests Alleged Terrorists; Pakistani Peace Committees to Meet This Week

Mar 24, 2014 | Bailey Cahall and Ana Swanson, Foreign Policy

In a snub to its Western backers, Afghanistan joined Syria and Venezuela this weekend to become one of the few countries to publicly support Russia's…