International


Myanmar: Substandard Water Firms Suspended

Aug 4, 2017 | Ei Thinzar Kyaw, Eleven

Drinking-water brands that violate good manufacturing practices have been suspended, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). FDA officials launched a surprise inspection on…


Iraq: Iraqi Oil Wealth Not Enough for Broad Economic Growth

Aug 4, 2017 | Daniel J. Graeber, United Press International

Corruption and internal political rifts could be factors weighing on the economy of OPEC-member Iraq, a report from Moody's Investors Service said. Moody's gave Iraq…


China/Vietnam/South China Sea: Vietnam, Yielding to Beijing, Backs off South China Sea Drilling

Aug 4, 2017 | Mike Ives, New York Times

Vietnam appears to have retreated in a high-stakes maritime gambit against China, suspending a gas-drilling project that it had approved in the South China Sea…


Myanmar: Gem Traders Blame Smuggling on Tax Rate

Aug 4, 2017 | Htet Naing Zaw, Irrawaddy

The government is losing a large sum on gems and jewelry sales as gems traders smuggle them into China because of a steep trade tax,…


Liberia: Zoa-Liberia's Commendable Initiative with Value-Added Cassava Products

Aug 4, 2017 | Joaquin M. Sendolo, Observer

Cassava is found in many countries, especially in West Africa, and is the most important food crop besides rice. In many countries in the West…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraq's Kirkuk Province Spurns Plan to Ship Its Oil to Iran

Aug 3, 2017 | Khalid Al Ansary, Bloomberg

Iraq’s northern province of Kirkuk refuses to cooperate with any plans to ship its oil to neighboring Iran because the central government didn’t consult with…


Myanmar: Myanmar’s Resources Fine but Fast Disappearing

Aug 3, 2017 | Myat Moe Aung, Myanmar Times

Myanmar is among the few countries in the world whose natural resources exceed the requirements of its citizens, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)…


Colombia: Colombian Avocado Grower Invests in New Land, Bee Hives to Boost Production

Aug 3, 2017 | Fresh Fruit Portal

A Colombian avocado grower is making the most of the national government’s “Pacts for Innovation” program, setting up bee hives on its farms to both…


South China Sea: Repsol Suspends Oil Project in Disputed Sea off Vietnam

Aug 3, 2017 | Channel NewsAsia

Spanish oil giant Repsol said it has suspended a multi-million-dollar oil exploration project in an area of the South China Sea off Vietnam claimed by…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Kurds' Statehood Vote Could Spark Conflict, Erdogan Aide Warns

Aug 3, 2017 | Selcan Hacaoglu, Bloomberg

Iraqi Kurds run the risk of armed conflict with government forces and alienating neighbors if they push ahead with a proposed referendum on independence, according…


Colombia: Chinese Investment Can Help Conserve the Environment in Peace Process Colombia

Aug 3, 2017 | Fabíola Ortiz, Dialogo Chino

Colombia is at a historic juncture after ratifying a peace accord with guerrilla group the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in November last year…


Afghanistan: Tackling Ozone Depleting Substances as Casualties Mount in Afghanistan

Aug 3, 2017 | UN Environment

National stakeholders, industry, civil society, government officials and international environment experts gathered in Kabul to create awareness for and implement a national phase out plan…


South Sudan: Crop-Eating Worms, Cattle Disease Add to South Sudan Anguish

Aug 2, 2017 | Okech Francis, Bloomberg

More than three years of fighting have slashed South Sudan’s oil output and left half its people facing severe food shortages. Now crop-eating caterpillars and…


Colombia: Environmental Risks Behind Peace Accords in Colombia

Aug 2, 2017 | Fabíola Ortiz, InDepthNews

The peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) – signed in November 2016 and ratified early December by the Colombian Congress –…


Myanmar: Israeli Agricultural Experts Bring ‘Sustainable Experience’ to Myanmar

Aug 2, 2017 | Pan Pwint, Mizzima

Last week two Israeli agricultural experts came to Myanmar to exchange views on agricultural practices that might be suitable for the country’s rural sector. Professor…


Myanmar: IFC Promotes Better Usage of Agriculture Inputs through Good Agriculture Practices

Aug 2, 2017 | Mizzima

At a one-day workshop on Good Agriculture Practices (GAP) organized by IFC and MoALI in Nyuang Shwe, 300 participants — including 200 tomato farmers —…


Afghanistan: Nepal-Funded Greenhouse Built in Kabul

Aug 2, 2017 | Xinhua

A greenhouse to preserve fruit products has been constructed with the financial support of Nepal in Paghman, a district of Afghanistan's Kabul, the Ministry for…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Kurdistan Claims Iraq-Iran Oil Pipeline Violates US Sanctions

Aug 1, 2017 | Tsvetana Paraskova, OilPrice.com

The autonomous Iraqi region of Kurdistan has not been informed of plans by the central government that Iraq and Iran agreed to study the potential…


Liberia: RIA Land Dispute, Legal Team Issues Statement

Aug 1, 2017 | Global News Network

The residents of the Roberts International Airport(RIA) and its environs headed by Morris Boer, Isaac Boer and Nimely Bestman have on 25 July, 2016, filed…


Afghanistan: Khost Lakan Tribe Seeks End to Land Dispute with Kuchis

Jul 31, 2017 | Mohammad Haroon, Pajhwok Afghan News

Lakan tribesmen in southeastern Khost province have demanded of the government to intervene and resolve a fresh dispute between them and Kuchi tribe over a…


Sierra Leone: Calls for Urgent Land Audit

Jul 31, 2017 | Zainab Joaque, Awoko

A land audit is certainly a must for this country, and it must include assessments of land ownership, plot size, vacant lots and spaces that…


China/Philippines/South China Sea: Joint Oil Exploration with China is against Philippines' Interest, Says Security Expert

Jul 31, 2017 | Noel Tarrazona, International Business Times

A security expert in the Philippines contested that the government's move to have a joint oil exploration with China is against the country's security. Former…


Iran/Iraq: Iran, Iraq Talk 'Joint Delivery' of Kirkuk Oil

Jul 31, 2017 | Rudaw

Iran and Iraq have strengthened their energy-sector ties, including the possible construction of a pipeline to export Kirkuk’s crude oil to refineries in Iran.  Kirkuk’s…


Iraq: Gunmen Steal IQD 400 Million Belonging to Oil Ministry

Jul 30, 2017 | Elwy Elmanzalawy, Iraqi News

Gunmen have stolen IQD 400 million belonging to the Iraqi ministry of oil, Alsumaria News reported on Sunday. Bombings and armed attacks are seen on…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraqi Kurds’ Ambitions Tied to Ability to Keep Energy Sector on Track

Jul 30, 2017 | Robin Mills, The National

This month a new version of Finding Neverland emerged. The star of this instalment was not Johnny Depp or Kate Winslet, but an Italian-registered crude…


Afghanistan: Taliban Militants Blow up Dam in Southern Afghanistan

Jul 30, 2017 | Trend

Member of the Taliban terrorist group, banned in Russia, have blown up a dam in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar leaving a swathe of…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Independence Will Bring Many Economic, Financial Tools to Kurdistan: KRG Representative

Jul 29, 2017 | Mewan Dolamari, Kurdistan 24

The Kurdistan Region has no control over monitoring policies, and independence will bring many economic and financial tools to the Region, said a Kurdish official…


Myanmar: MPs Back Calls for Deforestation Action

Jul 29, 2017 | Nyein Zaw Lin and Myo Min Htet, Eleven

The Lower House has unanimously approved a proposal to handle illegal logging and the timber trade in accord with a law submitted by MP Kyaw Aung Lwin for…


Afghanistan: MAIL Promotes Saffron, Soybean Farming in Bamiyan

Jul 29, 2017 | Zabihullah Jahanmal, TOLOnews

The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) is promoting the saffron and soybean farming in Bamiyan province in the center of Afghanistan, the agriculture…


Liberia: “The Land Beneath Our Feet” Documentary to be Screened in Four Counties

Jul 28, 2017 | Eric Doue, Bush Chicken

A documentary on land issues in Liberia, titled “The Land Beneath Our Feet,” is expected to be launched locally over the next couple of days.…