International
Colombia: No Guns, No Drugs, No Atrocities, No Rape, No Murder. Just Bananas…
Feb 25, 2018
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Tm Adams, Guardian
In the previous days travelling among the banana workers of the provinces of Magdalena and Urabá Antioquia, on roads that until a year or two…
Iraq/Kurdistan: IS Militants Kill 2 Policemen in Attack on Oil Well in Iraq's Kirkuk
Feb 25, 2018
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Xinhua
Two policemen were killed Saturday and three wounded in an attack by Islamic State (IS) militants on an oil well in Iraq's oil-rich province of…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraq Denies Pull-out from Oil-Rich Kirkuk
Feb 25, 2018
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Middle East Monitor
Iraq’s Defence Ministry on Saturday denied media reports about the withdrawal of federal police forces from the oil-rich Kirkuk province. Local media said federal police…
No Guns, No Drugs, No Atrocities, No Rape, No Murder. Just Bananas…
Feb 25, 2018
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Tim Adams
Don José Manuel Suarez has seen some things. Father of seven and grandfather of 15, his 80 years have been spent farming a patch of…
Myanmar: From Trash to Treasure: Myanmar Start-up Spins Rubbish into Handicrafts in Fight Against waste
Feb 24, 2018
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Pichayada Promchertchoo, Channel NewsAsia
Yangon produces 2,800 tonnes of rubbish every day. Much of it ends up on the streets and in waterways – such as the river separating…
Afghanistan: 500 Land Ownership Certificates Handed out in Herat
Feb 24, 2018
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Samim Faramarz, TOLOnews
President Ashraf Ghani on Saturday handed out land ownership certificates to a number of Herat residents as part of a ceremony to confirm legal ownership…
Afghanistan: Afghanistan Breaks Ground on 1,127-Mile ‘Peace Pipeline’
Feb 23, 2018
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Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times
One of the boldest efforts to date to stabilize Afghanistan through economic development began on Friday with a ceremonial start to construction on a $22.5…
Afghanistan: Private Wells Siphon off Afghanistan's Water
Feb 23, 2018
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Bismillah Pashtoonmal, Institute for War & Peace Reporting
A proliferation of privately-dug wells are draining water resources in Zabul province and threatening the livelihoods of hundreds of local farmers. Low rainfall has led…
Afghanistan: UNDP Launches Tender for Hydro-Solar Hybrid Mini Grid in Afghanistan
Feb 23, 2018
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Emiliano Bellini, PV Magazine
The United Nations Development Programme Afghanistan Country Office, has issued a tender for the construction of a 340 kW hydro-solar hybrid mini grid in Dara-e-Noor…
Myanmar: Myanmar to Hold Pearl Auction in HK to Penetrate Global Market
Feb 23, 2018
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Eleven
Myanmar will hold its sixth International Pearl Auction in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) starting Friday, according to the official Global New Light…
Myanmar: Conservationists Sound Alarm over Pollution, Abuse of Wetlands
Feb 23, 2018
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Phyo Wai Kyaw, Myanmar Times
Conservationists have expressed grave concern over the deterioration of the country’s wetlands mainly due to pollution, converting them to farmland and climate change. Daw Thiri…
Sudan: Sudan to Tighten Punishment for Gold Smugglers
Feb 22, 2018
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Sudan Tribune
The Sudanese Presidency on Wednesday has formed a committee to introduce strict measures against gold and money smuggling. Sudan, which has 6,780 kilometres of borders…
Liberia: Mineral Survey Drones to Begin Operation in Liberia Soon
Feb 22, 2018
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Joaquin M. Sendolo, Daily Observer
The Chinese government through China-Aid has dispatched two mineral prospecting drones to Liberia to conduct geophysical surveys of areas with potential mineral deposits. The geophysical…
Afghanistan: Bazar: Two Pine Nuts Processing Centers to Be Built
Feb 21, 2018
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TOLOnews
Afghanistan's Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) said two processing and packaging centers for pine nuts will be established in the next year. The…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraq, Kurdistan Nearing Agreement on Oil Dispute
Feb 21, 2018
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Tsvetana Paraskova, OilPrice
Iraq and the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan are close to settling their dispute over oil exports and oil revenue sharing, according to an Iraqi oil…
Liberia: Weah’s Promised Land: Liberia Confronts Age-Old Disputes
Feb 21, 2018
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Jennifer O'Mahony, Agence France-Presse
Liberia's new government is expected to reconsider a four-year old Land Rights bill that campaigners say was considerably watered down by the House of Representatives…
Myanmar: Myanmar Parks Could Stop Thousands of Karen Refugees Returning Home
Feb 21, 2018
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Jared Ferrie, Thomson Reuters Foundation
Plans to protect swathes of mountainous jungle in Myanmar could prevent refugees from returning and uproot 16,000 people living within the proposed boundaries of two…
DRC: Apple in Talks to Buy Cobalt Directly from Miners
Feb 20, 2018
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Jack Farchy and Mark Gurman, Bloomberg
Apple Inc. is in talks to buy long-term supplies of cobalt directly from miners for the first time, according to people familiar with the matter,…
Myanmar: Myanmar to Implement 10-Year Elephant Conservation Action Plan
Feb 20, 2018
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Xinhua
Myanmar's government has planned to conduct a 10-year action plan on elephant conservation (2018-2027), which is aimed at preventing a decrease in the number of…
Myanmar: Agricultural Apps Ploughing the Way for Farmers in Myanmar
Feb 20, 2018
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Pamela Victor, Asean Post
According to the World Bank, the Asian region supports the food demands of 60 percent of the global population by using just 23 percent of…
Colombia: Land Rights Essential for Peace in Colombia
Feb 20, 2018
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Gloria Pallares, Forest News
Recognition of collective land tenure rights in Colombia is among the strongest in Latin America: there has been constitutional backing since 1991, and more than…
Afghanistan/Pakistan: Afghan Nomads Trapped, Hungry as Pakistan Blocks Access to Grazing Land
Feb 19, 2018
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Jared Ferrie, Thomson Reuters Foundation
Donors have refused to support 200,000 nomadic herders in Afghanistan who are running out of food and stranded with their dying animals after Pakistan closed…
Myanmar: Abnormally Low Chindwin River Flows Plays Havoc with River Traffic
Feb 19, 2018
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Aung Thu Tun, Eleven
A decrease in the flow of the Chindwin River has caused ships to be unable to dock at Mawleik jetty, while locals are concerned that…
Colombia: Colombia’s GDP Grew 1.8% in 2017, Slowest in 8 Years
Feb 16, 2018
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Reuters
Colombia’s economy expanded more than the market expected in 2017 compared with the previous year, even as growth remains tepid in Latin America’s fourth largest…
Kyrgyzstan/Tajikistan: Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan Border Impasse: Finding a Way Out of a Tight Spot
Feb 15, 2018
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Nurjamal Djanibekova, Eurasianet
The districts of Batken and Lelik are tucked away in a southwest corner of Kyrgyzstan with the northern part of Tajikistan on either side. On…
Afghanistan: Afghan Province Declared Landmine-Free after 10-Year Clearance Drive
Feb 15, 2018
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Jared Ferrie, Reuters
Afghanistan’s deadliest province for landmines has been declared free of the explosive devices after a decade-long clearance effort, the demining group HALO Trust said on…
Jordan: Water Closely Linked to World’s Refugee Crisis
Feb 15, 2018
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Circle of Blue
Behind barbed-wire fences at this camp in northern Jordan, about 33,000 Syrians—half of them children—exist uneasily, housed in rows of rudimentary shelters that barely protect…
Myanmar: The Search for More Responsible Rubies
Feb 14, 2018
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Joshua Carroll, Frontier
Amber Cernov's jewellery store, Mia Ruby, aims to show that the blood-red gems can be traded in a “responsible” way. That involves avoiding military-run mines…
Myanmar: Illegal Drinking Water Plants Choking Mandalay Bottlers
Feb 14, 2018
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Khin Su Wai, Myanmar Times
Illegal bottled water manufacturers are giving legitimate bottlers in Mandalay Region unfair competition, said Ma Su, chair of the Myanmar Drinking Water Entrepreneurs Association. Ma Su…
Iraq: Iraq Could Save $5.2bn in Four Years from Flared Gas Reduction, Says Siemens
Feb 14, 2018
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Jennifer Gnana, National
Iraq could save about US$5.2 billion over the next four years by reducing gas flared from its fields in addition to other power generation efficiency…