International
Myanmar: In Shan State, New Water Sources Combat an Old Scourge
May 9, 2016
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Kyaw Phyo Tha, The Irrawaddy
Shan State, much like the rest of Burma, has been suffering from an unusually powerful El Niño weather pattern this year. In the southern parts…
Cambodia: Serial ‘Land Grabber’ Put on New Blacklist
May 9, 2016
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Niem Chheng, Phnom Penh Post
Businesses and individuals with a history of improper land dealings are to be added to a “blacklist” barring them from registering or transferring land, according…
Conflict Minerals: Freeport-McMoRan Announces Agreements to Sell its Interests in TF Holdings Limited for $2.65 Billion in Cash and up to $120 Million in Contingent Consideration
May 9, 2016
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Freeport-McMoRan Inc.
Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX) announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its interests in TF Holdings Limited (TF Holdings) to China…
Myanmar: No Logging Ban for Myanmar Despite Reported Announcement
May 9, 2016
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Morgan Erickson-Davis, Mongabay
Late last month, news reports heralded a new move by the Myanmar government that would ban the logging of all hardwood in the country. However,…
Afghanistan: The Calm before the Storm
May 7, 2016
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Naqeebullah Miakhel and Najibullah Noorzai, Diplomat
The Afghan Government’s position on direct peace negotiations with the Taliban through the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG), involving senior officials from Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United…
South Sudan: Juba Economy: Reviving Tourism
May 6, 2016
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Wolfgang H. Thome, eTurboNews
Information coming out of Juba suggests that the newly-formed South Sudan unity government will now turn its attention to reviving the national economy, all but…
Liberia: Land Rights at Root of Palm Oil Conflict in Liberia, Campaigners Say
May 6, 2016
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Matthew Ponsford, Reuters
The lack of tenure over ancestral lands lies at the root of violent clashes on land leased to foreign palm oil producers in Liberia, a…
Indonesia/Timor-Leste: Indonesia 'May Be Drawn into Timor Talks'
May 6, 2016
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Lisa Martin, Australian Associated Press
The foreign affairs department says potentially reopening border negotiations with East Timor could draw Indonesia into the fray. Federal Labor has pledged to reopen good-faith…
Myanmar: One-Year Logging Ban Proposed
May 5, 2016
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Catherine Trautwein, Myanmar Times
A temporary ban on logging has been proposed to the government and is likely to be approved, according to Myanma Timber Enterprise managing director U…
Liberia: Equatorial Palm Oil Signs MOU with Liberian Communities
May 5, 2016
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Josh White, Digital Look
Palm oil development and production company Equatorial Palm Oil announced on Thursday that its Liberian operation has signed a memorandum of understanding with designated community…
South Sudan: South Sudan Sees Oil Output Rise Limited by Damage to Fields
May 5, 2016
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Okech Francis, Bloomberg
Damage to South Sudan’s oil fields after more than two years of civil war will hamper plans to boost output, Petroleum Minister Dak Duop Bischok…
Afghanistan: Bountiful Afghan Opium Harvest Yields Profits for the Taliban
May 4, 2016
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Taimoor Shah and Mujib Mashal, New York Times
As the opium harvest winds down across Helmand Province, Afghanistan’s largest in territory and poppy cultivation, farmers and officials are reporting high yields. The skies…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Explosions Hit Two Oil Wells in Northern Iraq's Kirkuk: Sources
May 4, 2016
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Reuters
Explosions at two oil wells near territory controlled by Islamic State in northern Iraq halted production on Wednesday as firefighters worked to put out the…
Could a Lack of Water Cause Wars?
May 4, 2016
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Pola Lem, ClimateWire
Water scarcity is expected to increase globally as populations boom and climate change sharpens uncertainty around the resource's availability, according to a report by the…
Sudan/South Sudan: South Sudan Ex-Minister Calls for Global Mediation over Oil Charges with Sudan
May 4, 2016
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Sudan Tribune
South Sudanese outgoing oil minister has criticized the government of neighbouring Sudan for allegedly backtracking from its initial positive gesture to renegotiate the charges for…
Liberia: FDA Halts Liberian Hardwood
May 3, 2016
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Joe Abban, New Dawn
The Forestry Development Authority or FDA, has with immediate effect ordered the Liberian Hardwood Corporation (LHC) to haltfelling of logs in Bloquiah forest, Gboe Chiefdom,…
Israel/Palestine/Gaza: Gaza Sewage Crisis, Festering in Conflict, Poisons Coast
May 3, 2016
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Fares Akram and Daniella Cheslow, Associated Press
Each day, millions of gallons of raw sewage pour into the Gaza Strip’s Mediterranean beachfront, spewing out of a metal pipe and turning miles of…
Afghanistan: Islamic State Eradicating Afghan Poppy Crops
May 2, 2016
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Zia-U-Rahman Hasrat and Noor Zahid, Voice of America
The United States and the West have long targeted Afghan opium and heroin production. Now the industry has a new enemy: Islamic State (IS). Afghan…
Thailand: Under the Pump
May 1, 2016
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Paritta Wangkiat, Bangkok Post
Farmers are crippled by debt and drought, but debate over water management and the government's focus on monoculture means a solution is far from cut…
Iraq: Iraq Oil Exports Near Record Even as Protests Threaten Paralysis
May 1, 2016
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Khalid Al Ansary and Anthony Dipaola, Bloomberg
Iraq’s oil exports approached a record high in April, adding barrels to a worldwide supply glut even as protests against public corruption threatened to paralyze…
Libya: Tanker with Disputed Libyan Oil Returns to Country for Unloading
May 1, 2016
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Laura Hurst, Hatem Mohareb, and Anthony Dipaola
A tanker with oil from eastern Libya returned with its cargo to the North African country after the United Nations blacklisted the shipment, amid an…
Conflict Minerals: Fairphone: One Smartphone Company's Search for Conflict-Free Gold
Apr 29, 2016
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Claudia Cahalane, Guardian
Fairphone was among the first to use certified conflict-free tin and tantalum from DRC when it launched its first phone in 2013. It is close…
Myanmar: Myanmar Bans Lucrative Logging in Bid to Preserve Forests
Apr 28, 2016
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Timothy Mclaughlin and Aung Hla Tun, Reuters
Myanmar has banned lucrative logging operations as the newly-elected government of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi steps up a battle on deforestation, an environment…
Islamic State: Islamic State Turns to Selling Fish, Cars to Offset Oil Losses: Report
Apr 28, 2016
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Stephen Kalin, Reuters
Islamic State earns millions of dollars a month running car dealerships and fish farms in Iraq, making up for lower oil income after its battlefield…
Myanmar: Mining Companies Found to Be Polluting in Sagaing
Apr 27, 2016
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Moe Myint, The Irrawaddy
Seven coal mining firms in Kalaywa, Sagaing Division, are operating without any regard for the environmental impact of their projects, according to a report released…
Myanmar: Parliamentary Committee: 6,000 Land Confiscation Complaints Yet to Be Addressed
Apr 27, 2016
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Tin Htet Paing, The Irrawaddy
Some 6,000 outstanding complaints of farmland seizure from the previous parliamentary body are slated to be investigated by the current legislative body, the Upper House’s…
Sudan/South Sudan: Oil Plunge Casts Doubt on South Sudan Plan to End Civil War
Apr 27, 2016
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William Davison, Bloomberg
South Sudanese rebel leader Riek Machar returned to the capital of the world’s newest nation to rejoin the government and end a two-year civil war. An…
Liberia: World Bank/GoL Sign US36.7 Million Forestry Deal
Apr 27, 2016
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Joe Abban, New Dawn
The World Bank and the Government of Liberia Wednesday signed a US$36.7 million grant from the Government of Norway to support the country’s efforts to…
Iraq: Aerial Bombardment Kills ISIS Oil Minister in Mosul
Apr 26, 2016
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AhlulBayt News Agency
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan announced on Monday, that the so-called ISIS Oil Minister was killed in an aerial bombardment targeted his vehicle in central…
Myanmar: El Niño Dry Spell Wreaks Havoc in Myanmar
Apr 25, 2016
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Indo-Asian News Service
At least 10 regions of Myanmar are facing severe water shortagesdue to searing summer temperatures brought on by El Nino, leading to dried up wells,…