International
Myanmar: Value of Seized Illegal Timber Rising Yearly
Oct 6, 2017
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Su Phyo Win, Myanmar TImes
The value of illegal timber seized by the government over the past five years have grown exponentially, according to latest government data, raising fears of…
Myanmar: Kachin Residents Attack Chinese Banana Farms
Oct 6, 2017
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Htun Lin Aung, Eleven
The residents of Tarlawgyi in Kachin state have sent a complaint to the state minister against Chinese tissue-culture banana farms, sources said. The complaint filed…
Iraq/Kurdistan: How a Russian Oil Giant Bankrolled the Kurdish Split from Iraq
Oct 6, 2017
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Greg Walters, VICE News
Virtually no one in the international community wanted Kurdistan to vote for independence. Yet Kurdistan’s President Masoud Barzani appeared unfazed. He pushed forward on his…
Myanmar: Myanmar Taps Israeli Expertise in Agriculture
Oct 6, 2017
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Thompson Chau, Myanmar TImes
Israeli expertise and technologies in agriculture are supporting Myanmar’s efforts in reforming its vast agriculture sector, while the recently enforced investment protection agreement is expected…
Colombia: The Future of Colombian Fruits Lies in Exports
Oct 6, 2017
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Fresh Plaza
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Colombia is the Latin American country with the third highest number of hectares…
Iraq/Kurdistan/Turkey: Erdogan Says Turkey Will Close Iraq Border and Air Space Soon
Oct 5, 2017
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Ece Toksabay and Tuvan Gumrukcu, Reuters
President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that Turkey would soon close its border with northern Iraq and shut its air space in response to last…
Colombia: 'There Is No Peace Here': Afro-Indigenous on Colombia
Oct 5, 2017
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teleSUR
Ensuring lasting peace means “protecting Afro-Colombian and Indigenous peoples' territorial and other collective rights,” said Charo Mina-Rojas. A slew of international human rights organizations, acting…
Sudan/South Sudan: War-Torn South Sudan Sees River Route Boosting Trade with Sudan
Oct 4, 2017
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Okech Francis, Bloomberg
South Sudan said it’s in talks with Sudan to restart river transport and boost trade between the two former foes, potentially easing the war-torn country’s…
Afghanistan: Farah Selenite Mine: Illegal Extraction Continues Unabated
Oct 4, 2017
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Benyamin Bariz, Pajhwok Afghan News
Selenite, a newly discovered mine in western Farah province, is being illegally extracted by powerful individuals and the stone smuggled to Herat and Iran. A…
Iraq: Iraq Hopes to Resume Production from Nineveh Oil Fields in Coming Months
Oct 3, 2017
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Reuters
Iraq hopes to resume production from the Nineveh oil fields in the “next few months” after they were torched by Islamic State during a U.S.-backed…
New Study: Clear Land Rights in Developing World Could Avoid Costly Disputes
Oct 3, 2017
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Astrid Zweynert, Christian Science Monitor
More than half of land rights conflicts in the developing world have not been resolved, pitting companies, governments, and businesses against indigenous communities, researchers said…
Myanmar: Ex-Ministers, Armed Groups Operate Farms in Kachin’s Conflict Areas
Oct 3, 2017
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Moe Myint, Irrawaddy
When clashes erupted along the Waingmaw-Laiza highway in 2011 and 2012, villagers fled their homes and farms and have still not returned as the two…
Iran/Iraq/Kurdistan: Iran Bans Fuel Trade with Kurds after 'Yes' Vote in Independence Referendum
Oct 2, 2017
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France 24
International pressure mounted on Iraqi Kurdistan Saturday after its controversial independence "yes" vote, with neighbouring Iran announcing joint border drills with Iraq and banning fuel…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Islamic State Torches Oil Wells in Northern Iraq: Officials
Oct 2, 2017
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Reuters
Islamic State militants set fire to three oil wells near Hawija, west of the oil city of Kirkuk, one of two areas of Iraq still…
Myanmar: Myanmar Timber Smugglers Adapt to Tightening Regulations
Oct 2, 2017
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Coconuts Yangon
In the face of government efforts to stem the flow of illegally felled timber from Myanmar, smugglers have learned new tricks to avoid the eyes…
Afghanistan: Greenhouse Farming Paying off for Local Farmers
Oct 1, 2017
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Zabihullah Jehanmal, TOLOnews
An Afghan businessman is harvesting up to 1,400kg of cucumbers every two days after building a massive greenhouse that covers five acres of land in…
Sudan/South Sudan: Khartoum and Juba Agree over Resumption of Oil Production
Oct 1, 2017
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Sudan Tribune
Juba has agreed with Khartoum to resume production from the oil field in the Unity region, after boosting the security of the troubled region near…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraq Offering to Pay KRG Gov’t Employees in Full in Return for Kirkuk Oil: PM Abadi
Oct 1, 2017
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Reuters
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi Saturday pressed the case for the central government in Baghdad to receive the revenue from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)'s…
Myanmar: This Forest in Myanmar Has Survived a 68-Year Civil War. Now Its Future Is Uncertain
Oct 1, 2017
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Gretchen Miller, ABC News
The Karen ethnic minority and their uniquely protected wilderness is just emerging from a 68-year civil war, with the self-titled Karen State and the Myanmar…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraqi PM Presses Case for Baghdad to Receive Kurdistan Oil Revenue
Sep 30, 2017
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Reuters
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Saturday pressed the case for the central government in Baghdad to receive the income from Kurdistan’s oilfields, saying the…
South Sudan: The Price of Water: South Sudan's Capital Goes Thirsty as Costs Soar
Sep 30, 2017
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Stefanie Glinski, Reuters
South Sudan, home to the Nile, is not considered to be a water-scarce country. But civil war and hyperinflation have created a water crisis. For…
Myanmar: FIDH Report Warns of “Potential Land Conflict Epidemic”
Sep 29, 2017
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Su Phyo Win, Myanmar Times
Myanmar may soon face a land conflict epidemic as a result of the growing influx of investments and the subsequent demand for land, unless the…
Colombia: Colombia Peace Accord Set to Open up Areas with Mining Potential
Sep 29, 2017
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Alex Emery, BNamericas
The Colombian peace accord signed last year to end Latin America's oldest insurgency opens up vast areas of land for mining exploration, an industry official…
Myanmar: Loans to Boost Farm Productivity
Sep 28, 2017
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Htoo Thant, Myanmar Times
Farmers throughout the country can avail of loans from the government to boost their productivity, U Sein Hla Tun, the general manager of the Myanmar Agricultural…
Iraq/Kurdistan/Turkey: Iraq Says Turkey Backs Baghdad in Fight Over Kurdish Oil Exports
Sep 28, 2017
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Khalid Al Ansary, Bloomberg
Iraq said Turkey agreed to deal exclusively with its central government over exports of Kurdish crude oil, a step that could disrupt shipments from the…
Philippines: Inequality, Land Grabbing at the Root of Crisis in Mindanao – Moro Leader
Sep 28, 2017
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Marya Salamat, Bulatlat.com
“They refer to us as ‘terrrorists,’ but in truth they torture us and they are just out to facilitate landgrabbing,” Jehad Muhamad said of the…
Myanmar: Conservation Helps Rare Myanmar Tortoise Population Rebound to 14,000
Sep 28, 2017
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Si Thu Lwin, Myanmar Times
Rare Myanmar star tortoises – which were close to extinction in 2000-2001 – have been carefully cared for, and their population has risen to 14,000, according…
Iraq/Kurdistan: What's Next for Kurds? Iraq Refuses Referendum Vote, Wants Its Oil and Airports Back
Sep 27, 2017
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Tom O'Connor, Newsweek
Iraqi Kurds have voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence from the country's central government in Baghdad, but the historic referendum has been widely opposed in the region…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraq Could Soon Deploy Troops in Disputed Oil-Rich Kirkuk
Sep 27, 2017
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Tsvetana Paraskova, Oilprice.com
Following Kurdistan’s referendum on independence that the central Iraqi government is vehemently opposing, Iraq’s Parliament has given “mandate” to Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to send…
Myanmar: Government Will Take over Burned Myanmar Land: Minister
Sep 27, 2017
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Simon Lewis, Reuters
Myanmar’s government will manage the redevelopment of villages torched during violence in Rakhine state that has sent nearly half a million Rohingya Muslims fleeing to…