International


Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraq Still in Talks with Turkey, KRG over Resuming Kirkuk Oil Exports

Jul 3, 2018 | Ahmed Rasheed, Reuters

Iraq is still in talks with Turkey and Kurdish regional authorities to resume Kirkuk oil exports through the Ceyhan port, Iraqi Oil Minister Jabar al-Luaibi…


Iraq/Kurdistan: KRG Unaware of Negotiations with Baghdad on Resuming Kirkuk Oil Exports

Jul 3, 2018 | Rudaw

A senior Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) official has denied knowledge of any negotiations between Erbil and Baghdad on the possible resumption of Kirkuk exports via…


South Sudan: US Envoy Sees Rise in Oil Output Easing South Sudan Peace Deal

Jul 3, 2018 | Okech Francis, Bloomberg

South Sudan’s plan to boost oil production should help it fund a forthcoming transitional government that seeks to end more than four years of civil…


Colombia: Colombia’s Serranía de Chiribiquete becomes World’s Largest Tropical Rainforest National Park

Jul 3, 2018 | WebWire

Serranía de Chiribiquete National Park, located in the heart of the Colombian Amazon, was expanded today to 4.3 million hectares, making it the world’s largest…


Myanmar/Thailand: Water Purification Plant to Be Built Near Letpadaungtaung Copper Project

Jul 2, 2018 | Kaung Khant Lin, Eleven Myanmar

Thailand and Myanmar will invest US$5 million to build a water purification plant near Letpadaungtaung copper mining project in Monywa, Sagaing Region, according to the…


South Sudan: 'The Conflict Must End' - Fighting Threatens to Drive up Hunger Lean Season

Jul 2, 2018 | Africa Renewal

On Saturday, a new ceasefire came into effect in South Sudan. But within hours it had been violated - terrible news for millions of South…


Myanmar: Chasing Dinosaurs in Myanmar's Conflict-Ridden North

Jul 1, 2018 | Richard Sargent, Agence France-Presse

"Amber hunters" on a quest for a Jurassic Park-style discovery of dinosaur remains sift through mounds of the precious resin in Myanmar -- a lucrative…


Myanmar: Bid to Boost Good Governance in Myanmar’s Extractive Industries

Jun 30, 2018 | Khine Kyaw, The Nation

In an effort to improve transparency and good governance in extractive industries such as mining, gems and jade, oil and gas, Myanmar on Thursday launched…


China/South China Sea: China Will Not Give up 'Any Inch of Territory' in the Pacific, Xi Tells Mattis

Jun 28, 2018 | Steven Jiang, CNN

China will not give up "any inch of territory" in the Pacific Ocean, President Xi Jinping told US Defense Secretary James Mattis Wednesday during a…


Climate Change: Climate and Security: July 2018 Monthly Report

Jun 28, 2018 | Security Council Report

The Council is increasingly being exposed to evidence of the linkages between climate change and security, and has taken some steps in recent years to…


Climate Change: EU Event Addresses Linkages between Climate Change and Security

Jun 28, 2018 | Adam Fishman, International Institute for Sustainable Development

An EU high-level event titled, ‘Climate, Peace and Security: The Time for Action,’ brought together ministers, UN officials and subject experts to discuss security threats…


Myanmar: Myanmar President Promises to Return Confiscated Farmland to Original Owners

Jun 27, 2018 | Xinhua

Myanmar President U Win Myint has given a directive to local authorities to swiftly return the confiscated farmland to their original rightful owners, Myanmar News…


Myanmar: Government Moves to Revive and Promote Bamboo Forests

Jun 27, 2018 | Myat Moe Aung, Myanmar Times

The Forest Department is inviting people interested in growing bamboo, saying it will offer help to planters in producing quality bamboo products. People in a…


Iraq: UK Court Begins Criminal Proceedings against Oil Firm for Corruption in Iraq

Jun 27, 2018 | John J. Catherine, Kurdistan 24

Criminal proceedings began in London on Tuesday against two companies run by Unaoil, a Monaco-based energy consultancy firm accused of corrupt business practices in Iraq.…


Sudan/South Sudan: Sudan, South Sudan Agree Deal to Increase Oil Output - Minister

Jun 27, 2018 | Reuters

Sudan and South Sudan on Tuesday agreed on a deal to nearly double oil output from South Sudanese fields by the end of the year,…


Colombia: Colombia Tree Loss Spikes as Peace Deal Leads to Land Grabs

Jun 27, 2018 | Caitlin Tilley, Climate Change News

Tree loss in Colombia for 2017 jumped by 46% from 2016 to 2017, a World Resources Institute report revealed on Wednesday. It follows a doubling of tree loss between 2001 and…


China: China's Water Wars

Jun 27, 2018 | Scott Moore, University of Pennsylvania and China Policy Institute

China is often thought of as a country that suppresses internal conflicts, usually to great effect. But there are a number of notable exceptions and,…


Myanmar: Securing Land Rights for the Displaced in Myanmar

Jun 27, 2018 | Norwegian Refugee Council

Most internally displaced people (IDPs) are not aware of their land rights, and the fear of losing their land is making it hard for them…


Colombia: Colombia's Latest Weapon in the War on Drugs? Crop-Killing Drones

Jun 27, 2018 | Jim Wyss, Miami Herald

Amid a dramatic spike in coca production, Colombia is rolling out a new weapon in the war on drugs: crop-killing drones. Jarred by reports of…


Afghanistan/Iran: Iran, Afghanistan Agree on Transboundary Waters, Says Ambassador

Jun 27, 2018 | Tehran Times

Transboundary waters – the aquifers, and lake and river basins shared by two or more countries – support the lives and livelihoods of great numbers…


DRC: The Rise and Rise of the Chinese Miners in Katanga

Jun 26, 2018 | Africa Intelligence

Taking the long-term approach has paid off for the Chinese mining operators, services and trading firms patiently lobbying to take control of Congo-K's mining sector.


Africa: African Negotiators Tipped on Water Resources Conflicts

Jun 26, 2018 | Michael Wambi, Uganda Radio Network

The growing population, climate change, water for irrigation combined with desire for electricity generation are new challenges to negotiators around transboundary water resources in Africa…


Colombia: Talking about Challenges and Opportunities for Adaptation to Climate Change in Four Regions of Colombia

Jun 26, 2018 | UNDP and Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN

Using the Three Horizons Methodology for innovation, joint FAO-UNDP Integrating Agriculture in National Adaptation Plans Programme (NAP-Ag) facilitates dialogues to improve climate governance in Colombia…


Myanmar: NGOs Urge National ‘Land Bank’ for Climate-Change Victims

Jun 25, 2018 | Myat Moe Aung, Myanmar Times

Local environmental advocates have urged the government to set up a ‘land bank’ that would be used to relocate the growing number of people displaced…


Nigeria: Nigeria’s Farmers and Herders Fight a Deadly Battle for Scarce Resources

Jun 25, 2018 | Emmanuel Akinwotu, New York Times

Clashes between armed herdsmen and farmers in Nigeria are escalating to increasingly violent episodes as a battle for scarce resources stirs long-held tensions over religion…


Colombia: US Report: Colombia Coca Production Surges to Record High

Jun 25, 2018 | Christine Armario, Associated Press

The amount of land where peasants and drug traffickers harvest the plant used to make cocaine has surged to a record high in Colombia, a…


Afghanistan: Concerns Mount Over Drop in Water Levels for Kabul

Jun 23, 2018 | Zabiullah Jhanmal, TOLOnews

The General Directorate of Kabul River Basin said Friday that a drop of 47 percent in rainfall this year in the Kabul river basin area…


Africa: How Cheap Oil Hurts Sub-Saharan Africa

Jun 21, 2018 | Emily Meierding, Washington Post

Over the past four years, oil-producing countries have experienced a wild ride. After oil prices exceeded $110 per barrel for Brent crude in 2014, they…


Myanmar: Gems Emporium to Sell over 7,000 Lots of Jewels, Pearls and Jade

Jun 21, 2018 | Nay Yaing and Zeya Tun, Eleven

The 55th Myanmar Gems Emporium will put up for sale 7,491 lots of precious stones including 15 million Euros worth of jade. Pearl lots are…


Nigeria: Herder-Farmer Clashes Threaten Nigerian Food Security

Jun 20, 2018 | Andrew Thomson, Future Directions International

Violent conflicts between nomadic herders from northern Nigeria and sedentary farming communities in central and southern regions have increased dramatically, with armed groups of Fulani…