More than 18,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh in recent days to escape fighting in western Myanmar. The two nations share a border of 270 kilometers; Bangladesh is 90 percent Muslim, and Myanmar is about 90 percent Buddhist and 4 percent Muslim. Bangladesh, already hosting 400,000 Rohingya...
Dams, volatile weather patterns, pollution complicate the water supply from cross-border rivers, increase environmental hazards and even brings ruin to some communities in China and India. The two countries have shared hydrological data since 2006 with some disruptions, such as damaged equipment...
Although slow progress in aid, trade, and debt relief casts doubt on the feasibility of the Millennium Development Goals and the sincerity of rich nations to the Millennium Development Compact, Indonesia is generally making good progress toward realizing the development objectives. However, inter-...
The issue of debt relief is most critical for the Sub-Saharan African countries, where currently the amount of money spent on foreign debt servicing is estimated at twice the amount spent on basic social services...
Authoritarian regimes strive to interfere with democratic governments via social media and other information warfare. Such interference can be regarded as “sharp power” as opposed to “soft power,” or government’s reliance on culture and values to enhance strength. “Over the past decade, Beijing and...
Major shifts in world systems can result in global downturns, argues Greg Ip for the Wall Street Journal. This was the case for the end of the era of cheap oil but not the advent of the internet. Increasing resistance to globalization and open markets fueled by nationalism and populism – and a...
The US president issued a proclamation expanding limits for foreign workers, including a suspension on new H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign scholars and employees for tech firms. The block will not extend to current visa holders, but that does not ease their uncertainty. “The Trump...
The internet contributed to Arab uprisings in North Africa, and worried leaders question what they consider control of the internet by the US. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), a non-profit organization based in California under contract to the US government,...
Click here for the article in The Washington Post.
Increasing accuracy of weather predictions has saved countless lives, and now satellite mapping that monitors flooding is doing the same, reports IRIN, a United Nations news service. During disasters, countries without technology can obtain access to satellite programs free of charge. Since 2000,...
BANGKOK, 11 October 2011 (IRIN) - As residents across flood-ravaged Southeast Asia look up to the skies and brace for more rain, satellites 35,800km away are looking down on them.
Space technology has become a critical tool in protecting people...