International


Colombia: 6.5 Million Pounds (25 Billion-Pesos) to Kick-Start Colombian Bioeconomy

Jul 21, 2017 | Earlham Institute

Colombian innovation is to benefit from nearly £6.5 million (25 billion-pesos) of UK funding. The award is one of 37 announced by Research Councils UK…


Afghanistan: Afghanistan’s Opium Trade: A Free Market of Racketeers

Jul 19, 2017 | Franz J. Marty, Diplomat

Opium has an analgesic effect and is the base for morphine, heroin, and other opioids that are used for medical purposes, but also for illegal…


Colombia: After Decades of War, Colombian Farmers Face a New Test: Peace

Jul 19, 2017 | Nicholas Casey, New York Times

The peace deal signed late last year between the government and the main rebel group  — the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia known as FARC…


Afghanistan: Fruit Traders Seek Access to World's Markets

Jul 19, 2017 | Pajhwok Afghan News

Fruit traders in capital Kabul on Tuesday attended a protest gathering against what they called 'lack of access' to international markets for their products. Dozens…


South Sudan: Crop-Eating Caterpillar to Worsen South Sudan's Hunger Woes - UN

Jul 19, 2017 | Umberto Bacchi, Reuters

An infestation of fall armyworm, a crop-eating caterpillar that has ravaged fields across Africa, will deepen hunger in famine-threatened South Sudan, a U.N. official said…


Afghanistan: Urban Governance Problems in Afghanistan Call for Immediate Action

Jul 19, 2017 | Middle East North Africa Financial Network

Rapid urbanization in Afghanistan has created grave challenges for Afghans, such as lack of access to safe drinking water, waste management resources and social services like…


Sudan: Sudan Gold Revenues Reach $1.6 Billion in First Half of 2017

Jul 18, 2017 | Sudan Tribune

Sudan’s Ministry of Minerals on Tuesday said revenues of gold exports during the first half of 2017 has amounted to $1,6 billion. According to the…


Myanmar: Reporter’s Notebook: Has China’s Pipeline Project Benefited Maday Island Locals?

Jul 18, 2017 | Moe Myint, Irrawaddy

It has been seven years since construction began on a China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) pipeline project that cuts 480 miles across Myanmar. The transmission…


Afghanistan: New Water Resources Strategy Lands in Parliament

Jul 17, 2017 | Daily Outlook Afghanistan

The energy and water minister on Monday presented a new strategy on the country's water resources to the Wolesi Jirga or lower house of the…


Water: Global Hotspots for Potential Water Conflict Identified

Jul 17, 2017 | Oregon State University

More than 1,400 new dams or water diversion projects are planned or already under construction and many of them are on rivers flowing through multiple…


Afghanistan/Iran: Water Talks with Kabul

Jul 16, 2017 | Financial Tribune

Iran and Afghanistan have held preliminary talks about the water rights of transboundary Hamoun Wetlands, Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi said. Speaking to ILNA,…


Syria: Islamic State Set Oil Fields in Raqqa Ablaze

Jul 16, 2017 | Loaa Adel, Syria News

The self-proclaimed Islamic State group, on Sunday, set several oil wells ablaze in the southern countryside of Raqqa, after being recaptured by the Syrian regime…


Colombia: Colombia Coca Cultivation Rises by 50% Says UN

Jul 15, 2017 | BBC

The United Nations says there was a 50% increase last year in the area of land being used to cultivate coca leaf in Colombia. The…


Syria: Syrian Army Takes More Oil Fields from Islamic State in Raqqa and Eastern Desert

Jul 15, 2017 | Suleiman Al-Khalidi, Reuters

The Syrian army backed by heavy Russian air strikes seized a string of oil wells in southwest Raqqa province on Saturday, as retreating Islamic State…


Myanmar: Lawmaker Criticizes Military Action in Illegal Mining Areas

Jul 14, 2017 | Nan Lwin Hnin Pwint, Irrawaddy

Lower House lawmaker representing Kachin’s Tanai Township U Lin Lin Oo criticized a military crackdown on illegal gold and amber mines in the township during…


Iraq/Kurdistan: US Concerned about 'Date' of the Kurdish Referendum

Jul 14, 2017 | Rudaw

The United States thinks that the Kurdish referendum should not take place in September as the process seems to be happening in a "fast timeline",…


Myanmar: Govt Makes K5.3 Billion from Sale of Seized Timber in 2016-17

Jul 14, 2017 | Htoo Thant, Myanmar Times

The Government earned more than K5.3 billion from selling seized timber at auction in fiscal year 2016-17, U Ohn Win, minister of Natural Resources and…


Colombia: Colombia Expands Indigenous Reserves Near Key Deforestation Hotspot

Jul 14, 2017 | Mike Gaworecki, Mongabay

The Colombian government announced yesterday the expansion of two indigenous reserves in the buffer zone of Serrania de Chiribiquete, the South American country’s largest national…


Syria: Animal Health Campaign Helps Support Food Security and Livelihoods for More Than 230,000 People

Jul 14, 2017 | Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN

In strife-torn Syria, the food security and livelihoods situation of some 234,000 people has received a strong boost thanks to a recently completed animal health…


Myanmar: Myanmar Government Begins Responding to Land Grab Protests

Jul 14, 2017 | Coconuts Yangon

The ongoing drama over land seizures in Mandalay Region ended for some farmers on Tuesday when the Myanmar government returned over 300 acres of land…


Colombia: Starbucks Partners with NGOs to Invest Nearly $5 Million USD in Colombian Coffee Industry

Jul 13, 2017 | Jared Wade, Finance Colombia

Seattle-based coffee giant Starbucks announced this week that is has expanded its program to help to support coffee farmers in Colombia with loans, technical training,…


Myanmar: Committee Suggests Detailed Land Scheme

Jul 13, 2017 | Soe Min Htike, Eleven

The committee for development of agriculture, livestock and fisheries has suggested the Upper House create a detailed scheme for land management. The committee offered the…


Myanmar: Eight Elephants Poached in Six Months in Irrawaddy Division

Jul 13, 2017 | Salai Thant Zin, Irrawaddy

Eight wild elephants were killed by poachers in six months from January to the end of June in Irrawaddy Division, according to the divisional police…


Israel/Palestine: Israelis and Palestinians Agree to Water Deal to Help Communities Suffering Chronic Shortages

Jul 13, 2017 | Joshua Mitnick, Los Angeles Times

Israeli and Palestinian officials said Thursday they had agreed to a water-sharing plan to help Palestinian communities suffering chronic shortages, a goal included in a…


Namibia: Land Grabbing Threatens Stability of Otjozondjupa - Governor

Jul 13, 2017 | Albertina Nakale, New Era

Land grabbing in Otjozondjupa is threatening the stability of the region, the regional governor Otto Ipinge said. Ipinge said Otjiwarongo, being Otjozondjupa's regional capital, hosts…


Israel/Palestine: Israel, Palestinians Reach Landmark Water Deal for West Bank, Gaza

Jul 13, 2017 | Raphael Ahren and Melanie Lidman, Times of Israel

Israel and the Palestinian Authority on Thursday announced an agreement that will provide millions of cubic meters of drinking water to the Palestinians from a…


South Sudan: South Sudan to Hold its First-Ever Oil and Gas Conference

Jul 12, 2017 | United Press International

South Sudan in October will highlight its potential for energy investments in its first-ever conference for potential investors, the organizer said. African Oil & Power…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Erbil, Baghdad Ready to ‘Reorganize’ Cooperation on Oil, Electricity

Jul 12, 2017 | Rudaw

Erbil and Baghdad are ready to “open a new chapter” in their relations, and have discussed the possibility of forming a joint committee to “reorganize”…


Myanmar: Yangon Floods, Rain Insurance a New Probably Market

Jul 12, 2017 | Eleven

Once again, Myanmar’s crowning jewel of progress Yangon was awash with writing waters of assorted ingredients on July 11 as continuous heavy rain battered the…


Colombia: Colombia’s Agriculture Posts Second Highest Growth in 15 Years

Jul 12, 2017 | Nederland Wereldwijd

A couple of weeks ago, the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE) published a report on Colombia’s economic growth in the first quarter of 2017.…