International
Iraq: Tribal Clashes, Political Void Threaten Oil Installations in Iraq's South
Sep 13, 2017
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Aref Mohammed and Ahmed Rasheed, Reuters
Worsening clashes among tribes and a political void is threatening security at oil installations in Iraq’s main southern oil producing region, officials and security sources…
Urbanisation-Led Sand Shortages Fuelling Violent Conflict and Environmental Disasters
Sep 13, 2017
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Cameron Jewell, The Fifth State
Sand and gravel are now the world’s most extracted materials – surpassing fossil fuels – but overexploitation and shortages are fuelling violent conflict and leading…
Bangladesh: Rohingya Refugees Crossing into Bangladesh Face Another Threat: Land Mines
Sep 13, 2017
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Annie Gowen, Washington Post
More than 300,000 members of Burma’s Rohingya ethnic minority have poured into Bangladesh in recent days, after a brutal military crackdown that the U.N. human…
South Sudan: Corruption Plagues South Sudan and Threatens the Growth of Its Oil Industry
Sep 13, 2017
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Paul Ilado, Star
Many major international oil companies that had entered into EPSAs with the pre-independence government in Khartoum have found it difficult ,if not impossible, to negotiate…
Colombia: Colombia's Ex-FARC Guerrillas Are Training as Coffee Growers and Baristas in Cauca
Sep 13, 2017
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Sorrel Moseley-Williams, Independent
“I want Colombia to be different,” says Jhon Benavides, an aspiring barista and, from the age of 14 until last year, a guerrilla in the…
Afghanistan/Iran: Iran, Afghanistan to Launch Joint Project to Restore Hamun Lake
Sep 13, 2017
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Iran Front Page
Head of the Wetlands Office of the Iranian Department of Environment, Arezoo Ashrafizadeh, said Iran and Afghanistan are working together on a joint strategic plan…
South Sudan: War-Ravaged South Sudan May Scrap Expensive Oil Subsidies
Sep 12, 2017
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Denis Dumo, Reuters
War-ravaged South Sudan is considering scrapping state subsidies on oil because it hasn’t been able to pay civil servants for four months and diplomatic staff…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Kurdish Independence Vote Draws Ire in Baghdad
Sep 12, 2017
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Chase Winter, Deutsche Welle
Iraq's parliament on Tuesday voted to reject a Kurdish independence referendum planned later this month, raising already simmering tensions between Baghdad and Erbil that could…
Afghanistan: More Effort Needed to Minimize Impact of Climate Change
Sep 12, 2017
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Nabeela Ashrafi, TOLOnews
Drought and soil erosion as a result of climate change could further destabilize Afghanistan, environmental experts warned on Tuesday. This comes as scientists report that…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Oil Revenues Real Motive for Kurdistan Independence Vote
Sep 10, 2017
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Press TV
Sa’ad al-Muttalibi believes the leader of Iraq’s Kurdistan region, Massoud Barzani, has been using the referendum to further blackmail the political system in the country…
Afghanistan: Grape Farmers Expect Bumper Crop This Year
Sep 9, 2017
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Zabihullah Jahanmal, TOLOnews
According to the ministry, this is an increase of more than 15 percent against last year. MAIL spokesman Lotfullah Rashid said Afghan farmers will earn…
Iraq: Iraq's Killing Fields: The Lethal Legacy of Landmines – in Pictures [Photos]
Sep 8, 2017
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Sean Sutton, Guardian
After decades of conflict, Iraq has been left littered with unexploded booby-traps. The Mines Advisory Group has spent 25 years in the country working to…
Afghanistan: 22 Irrigation Canals to Be Built on Amu River
Sep 7, 2017
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Zarmina Mohammadi, TOLOnews
Officials from the Ministry of Energy and Water said on Thursday that 22 water canals will be built within the next five years to irrigate…
South Sudan: South Sudan President Sacks State-Owned Oil Company Boss
Sep 7, 2017
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Reuters
South Sudan President Salva Kiir has sacked the head of national oil company Nilepet, according to a government decree. Managing Director James Thelweng Mathiang Rok…
Iraq: Cash-for-Work Initiative Aims to Develop Iraq's Agriculture Sector
Sep 7, 2017
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Mina Aldroubi, The National
Iraq’s humanitarian crisis remains at alarming levels as years of conflict has left millions at risk of food insecurity. As the violence continues to force…
Colombia: Continental Gold Invests in Colombia-Based Agricultural Development Programme
Sep 6, 2017
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Samantha Herbst, Mining Weekly
As part of its sustainability strategy, TSX-listed exploration and development company Continental Gold will contribute about $370 000 towards a programme developed to support agricultural…
Afghanistan: Afghanistan Issues Tenders for Three Hybrid Solar Projects Totaling 55 MW
Sep 6, 2017
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Emiliano Bellini, PV Magazine
Afghanistan’s National Procurement Authority has issued three tenders for the construction of three hybrid solar power plants with a combined capacity of 55.5 MW. One…
DRC: Protecting Livelihoods is Key to Mining the DRC’s Riches
Sep 6, 2017
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Nelson Alusala, Institute for Security Studies
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has the potential to become Africa’s richest economy, going by the quantities of its natural resources. At the…
DRC: Resource-Rich DRC Losing U.S.$1.3 Billion Every Year in Unpaid Taxes
Sep 6, 2017
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James Anyanzwa, East African
The Democratic Republic of Congo is losing up to $1.3 billion in revenue each year due to a failure by public bodies, tax agencies and…
Peru: Six Farmers Shot Dead over Land Rights Battle in Peru
Sep 6, 2017
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Dan Collyns, Guardian
Six farmers have been shot dead by a criminal gang who wanted to seize their farms to muscle in on the lucrative palm oil trade,…
South Sudan: South Sudan Army Downplays Rebel's Threat to Stop Oil Production
Sep 5, 2017
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Julius Gale, African Independent
South Sudan's army, Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), on Tuesday vowed to provide adequate security to oil workers and facilities in the northern region, after…
Iraq/Kurdistan: ‘Kexit’ Woes: Why a Kurdish Independence Referendum Has Few Backers
Sep 5, 2017
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Leela Jacinto, France 24
Kurdish regional authorities have called for an independence referendum for Iraqi Kurdistan on September 25. But regional and international powers are united in their opposition…
China/South China Sea: As World Watches Kim, China Quietly Builds South China Sea Clout
Sep 5, 2017
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Jason Koutsoukis and Dan Murtaugh, Bloomberg
As Kim Jong Un’s antics in North Korea capture global attention, China is quietly moving to bolster its grip on disputed territory in the South…
Myanmar: Kachin State Jade-Mining Area to Get Environment Plan
Sep 5, 2017
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Chan Mya Htwe, Myanmar Times
An environmental management plan (EMP) to regulate and ensure sustainable mining in Lone Khin area of Hpakant township in Kachin State has been completed, a consultant…
Bangladesh/Myanmar: Bangladesh Protests over Myanmar's Suspected Landmine Use Near Border
Sep 5, 2017
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Krishna N. Das, Reuters
Bangladesh lodged a protest after it said Myanmar had laid landmines near the border between the two countries, government officials said on Wednesday, amid growing…
West Africa: Climate Change, Hunger, and Terrorism in the Lake Chad Basin
Sep 5, 2017
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Nick Agnew, Geopolitical Monitor
The Lake Chad Basin is centered around the rapidly shrinking Lake Chad, and the area is home to some 30 million people across four countries.…
Afghanistan: Abundant Afghan Harvest Wilts amid Violence and Extortion
Sep 4, 2017
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Mujib Mashal, New York Times
In recent years, the violence in Afghanistan has dipped and peaked with the spring and fall harvests - the propsperity of one and the description…
Timor-Leste: A $50 Billion ‘Breakthrough’ for Timor-Leste?
Sep 4, 2017
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Anthony Fensom, Diplomat
Timor-Leste and Australia have praised an “historic” agreement over their longstanding boundary dispute in the Timor Sea. For the oil-dependent Southeast Asian nation, the deal…
Myanmar: Annan Commission Repeats Call for Kyaukphyu SEZ Assessment
Sep 4, 2017
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Thompson Chau, Myanmar Times
AN advisory commission tasked with finding solutions to the ethnic conflict in Rakhine State has recommended that the government conducts a strategic environmental assessment and…
Afghanistan: In Kabul, Access to Safe Drinking Water Is a Matter of Money
Sep 4, 2017
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Pamela Constable, Washington Post
In much of greater Kabul, where the population has tripled to 5 million in the past decade, the quest for safe drinking water is more…