International

Iran/Iraq: Iran Says IS Resurgence Could Hamper Oil Deal with Iraq

Mar 14, 2018 | Adnan Abu Zeed, Al-Monitor

The Islamic State (IS) appears to be staging a comeback in parts of Iraq, which could endanger the country's oil deal with Iran. Hamid Hosseini,…

Afghanistan: Pine Nut Union Formed amid Ongoing Challenges

Mar 13, 2018 | TOLOnews

The Afghanistan Pine Nut Union was inaugurated at a ceremony in Kabul on Tuesday with the aim of overcoming challenges faced by investors and farmers…

Colombia: Making Land Safe for the People of Putumayo, Colombia

Mar 13, 2018 | Halo Trust

Putumayo is a region in the south-west of Colombia, bordering Ecuador and Peru. Located on the margins of the Amazon rainforest, it’s a place of…

Afghanistan: Activists Call on Govt to Step in and End Ghazni Dispute

Mar 12, 2018 | Nabila Ashrafi, TOLOnews

Rights activists and representatives of civil society institutions on Monday called on the Afghan government to accelerate its efforts to resolve a week-long dispute between…

Afghanistan: Mines, Key to Resolve Afghanistan Woes 'Beside Political Strife, Illegal Mining Spurring Conflict in the Country'

Mar 12, 2018 | Farhad Naibkhel, Afghanistan Times

Political analysts and experts at the Rana Think Thank monthly session on Tuesday expressed concerns over the ongoing crisis in the country and said that…

Myanmar: Myanmar Erects Security Structures atop Burned Land: Amnesty

Mar 12, 2018 | Agence France-Presse

Myanmar is building security installations on top of razed Rohingya villages, Amnesty International said Monday, casting doubt on the country's plans to repatriate hundreds of…

Myanmar's River Dolphins and Fishermen Double Down on Unique Relationship, as Fish Stocks Dwindle

Mar 12, 2018 | New Zealand City

Irrawaddy dolphins — the species is known by the river's former colonial spelling — are critically endangered. They exist only in Myanmar's Ayeyarwady River, the…

Myanmar: Villagers Renew Opposition to Yeywa Hydropower Plan

Mar 12, 2018 | Naw Betty Han, Myanmar Times

Residents of Talong village in Shan State oppose the construction of the Yehwa dam and hydropower project and reject the appeal of the government to…

Liberia: CSOs Calls on Pres. Weah, Senate to Reject Land Rights Bill

Mar 12, 2018 | Gerald C. Koinyeneh, FrontPage Africa

The Civil Society Organization (CSO) Working Group on land rights reform in Liberia has reawakened its campaign against the Land Rights Bill (LRB) passed by…

Iraq: Iraq Seeks to Restore IS-Wrecked Oil Field to Previous Production Capacity

Mar 11, 2018 | Mu Xuequan, Xinhua

The Iraqi oil ministry said on Saturday that the first-phase rehabilitation of an oil field in Iraq's central province of Salahudin has been fulfilled. The…

Afghanistan: Afghanistan Can Be a $50 Billion Economy by 2025

Mar 10, 2018 | Daily Outlook Afghanistan

Afghanistan may have seen muted economic growth in recent years; however impetus on specific drivers of growth can turn the clock around. If it wants…

DRC: DR Congo Signs New Mining Law Despite Companies' Opposition

Mar 10, 2018 | BBC

The Democratic Republic of Congo has moved to increase taxes on mining firms and increase government royalties from the industry despite fierce opposition from international…

Iraq/Kurdistan: Kirkuk Oil Smuggling Ring Exposed, Pro-Iran Militia Blocks Investigation: Police

Mar 10, 2018 | Mewan Dolamari, Kurdistan 24

Pressure from Iranian-backed Hashd al-Shaabi militia leaders shut down an investigation in Kirkuk province of oil being smuggled from Iraq to Iran, said a police…

Myanmar: Signs of Hydropower Project’s Return Spark Fears in Shan

Mar 9, 2018 | Naw Betty Han, Myanmar Times

Residents in the vicinity of the proposed Mong Ton Hydropower Project in Shan State have expressed alarm about the possible resumption of scheme following the…

Myanmar: Drinking Water Quality Standards out This Year

Mar 9, 2018 | Myint Kay Thi, Myanmar Times

The government will issue national drinking water quality standards this year, the Occupational and Environmental Health Division (OEHD) announced on Thursday. Dr Kay Khine Aye, deputy…

Liberia: Demarcation Sparks Violence In Gola Forest National Park

Mar 9, 2018 | FrontPage Africa

The December 2016 Act establishing the Gola Forest National Park clearly states government and citizens’ mutual responsibilities in the management of the natural reserve. “If…

Timor-Leste: How Australia-East Timor Treaty Unlocks US$65 Billion Gas Fields

Mar 8, 2018 | Reuters

East Timor and Australia this week signed a treaty at the United Nations setting their maritime boundary for the first time, and striking a deal…

South Sudan: Dinka-Ngok, Misseriya Sign Peace Accord in Abyei

Mar 8, 2018 | Dabanga

Representatives of the Dinka Ngok and Misseriya tribes have signed a community peace agreement for peaceful coexistence on Monday. More than 150 delegates from both…

Liberia: Weah Warned Against Cruel Land Reform

Mar 7, 2018 | P. Nas Mulbah, New Democrat

Enacting the Land Rights Bill, which has been severely altered against the interest of poor forest dwellers would no doubt undermine Liberia’s peace, security, economic…

Liberia: Dowry and Women’s Land Rights in Liberia: A “Double-Edged Sword” for Women

Mar 7, 2018 | Justine Uvuza, Thomson Reuters Foundation

Dowry is a double-edged sword. Research indicates that, on one side of the sword, it can afford a woman social status from both her biological…

Myanmar: Erosion Prevention Work under Way along Banks of Ayeyarwady River

Mar 7, 2018 | Kyaw Ko Ko, Myanmar Times

To solve the problem with erosion of the banks of the Ayeyarwady River, the Directorate of Water Resources and Improvement of River Systems is carrying…

Myanmar: Villages Brace for Water Shortages This Summer

Mar 7, 2018 | Myat Moe Aung, Myanmar Times

As summer sets in, hundreds of villages throughout the country are likely to face water shortages in the coming months, warned the water supply and sanitation…

Timor-Leste: Treaty Confirms Australia Profited from Timor-Leste Oil and Gas, Rights Groups Say

Mar 7, 2018 | Helen Davidson and Christopher Knaus, Guardian

Australia has received billions of dollars in revenue from contested oil and gas fields which a new border treaty officially confirms belonged to Timor-Leste, civil…

Colombia: La Secreta’s Honey, a Sweet Product of a More Peaceful Colombia

Mar 6, 2018 | Latin American Herald Tribune

In the foothills of northern Colombia’s Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains, farmers who were displaced by violence have started remaking their lives with a…

Colombia: European Space Agency to Help Colombia Monitor Deforestation

Mar 6, 2018 | Adriaan Alsema, Colombia Reports

The European Space Agency (ESA) will help Colombia monitor the ongoing deforestation of the country’s Amazon forest, the South American country announced on Tuesday. With…

Timor-Leste: Australia and Timor-Leste Sign Historic Maritime Border Treaty

Mar 6, 2018 | Helen Davidson, Guardian

Australia and Timor-Leste have a permanent maritime border for the first time after the signing of a significant and unprecedented treaty in New York on…

Iraq: Iraq Parliament Votes to Create National Oil Company - Lawmakers

Mar 5, 2018 | Ahmed Rasheed, Reuters

Iraq’s parliament voted on Monday to establish a new National Oil Company to manage its energy sector, lawmakers told Reuters. The new company will serve…

South Sudan: South Sudan Oil Money Corruptly Funds Civil War, Say Reports

Mar 5, 2018 | Sam Mednick, Associated Press

South Sudan’s state-owned oil company has been “captured by predatory elites” and is being used to fund the country’s civil war, including a government-aligned militia…

Climate Change/Food Security: Hunger Rates Remain High amid Conflict, Climate Shocks, Warns UN Food Security Report

Mar 5, 2018 | UN

Increased hunger and food insecurity, fuelled by conflict and climatic challenges, continues to inflict suffering on populations in different parts of the world, forcing them…

Iraq/Kurdistan: Russia's Rosneft Holds Key to Fixing Iraqi Kurdistan Oil Flows: Sources

Mar 5, 2018 | Ahmed Aboulenein and Dmitry Zhdannikov, Reuters

Russian state oil company Rosneft has emerged with an important role in talks between Iraq’s government and Iraqi Kurdistan on resuming full oil exports from…