International
China/South China Sea: China Foreign Minister Downplays Missile Deployment Reports
Feb 17, 2016
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Christopher Bodeen and Ralph Jennings, Associated Press
Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday sought to downplay reports that China had positioned anti-aircraft missiles on a disputed South China Sea island, accusing the…
Kurdistan/Iraq: Iraq PM Offers Cash-Strapped Kurds Salaries for Oil
Feb 16, 2016
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Agence France-Presse
Iraq’s federal government will pay the salaries of the cash-strapped Kurdish region’s employees if it halts its independent oil exports, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said…
Iraq: Iraq Ready to Freeze Oil Output at January Levels Pending Deal - Source
Feb 16, 2016
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Reuters
Iraq is ready to commit to freezing its oil production at January levels if a deal is reached among OPEC and non-OPEC countries, an Iraqi…
Myanmar: Jade Trade: Official Export Earnings Down for 2015
Feb 16, 2016
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Kyaw Hsu Mon, The Irrawaddy
Revenue derived from Burma’s official jade exports declined in the first nine months of the 2015-16 fiscal year, as the lucrative industry continues to draw…
Colombia: Colombia Continues Gaining Ground in the Avocado Market
Feb 16, 2016
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Portafolio
Colombia continues gaining ground in the global avocado market; a market in which it competes against Peru, South Africa, Chile, Israel, and Kenya. Last year,…
Myanmar: Myanmar Prepares for Water Shortages as El Nino Persists
Feb 16, 2016
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John Zaw, Union of Catholic Asian News
Myanmar's meteorologists and government officials have warned that the country could face El Nino effect of severe heat, drought and water scarcity this summer. El…
Afghanistam: Penetrating Every Stage of Afghan Opium Chain, Taliban Become a Cartel
Feb 16, 2016
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Azam Ahmed, New York Times
Mullah Rashid is just one of dozens of senior Taliban leaders who are so enmeshed in the drug trade that it has become difficult to…
Timor-Leste: How Far is Fair Enough? New Moves in Timor Gap's 40-Plus Years of Boundary Battles
Feb 15, 2016
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Michael Leach, Lowy Interpreter
Many Australians remain unaware that Australia and Timor-Leste have no settled maritime boundary. Instead, a complex series of revenue-sharing agreements has allowed some oil and…
Myanmar: Hpakant Protesters Negotiate with Authorities over Waste Soil Dumps
Feb 15, 2016
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Zarni Mann, The Irrawaddy
Locals in Kachin State’s Hpakant Township, who began protesting in three different villages on Saturday against the continued dumping of waste soil in their areas,…
Afghanistan: Tasked with Combating Opium, Afghan Officials Profit from It
Feb 15, 2016
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Azam Ahmed, New York Times
In the district of Garmsir, poppy cultivation not only is tolerated, but is a source of money that the local government depends on. Officials have…
China/South China Sea: Satellite Images: China Manufactures Land at New Sites in the Paracel Islands
Feb 13, 2016
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Victor Robert Lee, Diplomat
Satellite images show dredging and land filling by China at two new sites in the South China Sea, both in the Amphitrite group of the…
Liberia: Clashes Between Liberian, Burkinabe Communities Kill 3 People
Feb 13, 2016
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Agence Africaine de Presse
Reports from Grand Gedeh County in northeastern Liberia say three people have died in a clash between residents and Burkinabe occupying land in the area.The…
Iraq: Iraq Oil Revenues Now at Just 15% of Level Two Years Ago: PM
Feb 12, 2016
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Agence France-Presse
Iraq's oil revenues have sunk to just 15 percent of their value two years ago, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Thursday, as he urged the…
Myanmar: Mining Ministry Calls for By-Law Proposals
Feb 12, 2016
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Chan Mya Htwe, Myanmar Times
The Ministry of Mines is preparing to amend the by-laws for a new mining law and has asked for suggestions and proposals. The Pyidaungsu Hluttaw…
Myanmar: Illegal Trade Soars without Customs Teams
Feb 12, 2016
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Chan Mya Htwe, Myanmar Times
Illegal trade has risen since the government abolished its smuggling taskforce in December, leading to a fall in official business through the country’s largest cross-border…
Myanmar: Central Myanmar Already Short on Water
Feb 12, 2016
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Eleven Myanmar
Residents from Myaing Township in Pakokku District, Magway Region, are already facing water scarcity as artesian wells are running dry. Myaye Yint village has faced…
Kurdistan/Iraq: Iraqi PM Discourages Kurdish Independence Referendum
Feb 11, 2016
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Reuters
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi urged the country's autonomous Kurdistan region not to go ahead with a proposed referendum on independence, saying it would be…
Conflict Minerals: University of Glasgow Commits to Clearing Supply Chains of Conflict Minerals
Feb 11, 2016
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Blue and Green Tomorrow
Student campaigners have celebrated action taken by the University of Glasgow to address human rights abuses in its ethical procurement policy. They say that the…
Conflict Minerals: Negotiations Begin in Europe on Proposed Legislation
Feb 10, 2016
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Institute of Printed Circuits
Informal negotiations between the EU Council, Commission and Parliament (trialogue) started on the conflict minerals dossier on February 1, 2016. The trialogue is an informal,…
Sudan/Darfur: Sudan Summons U.S. Envoy over Darfur Sanctions Draft Resolution
Feb 10, 2016
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Reuters
Sudan's foreign ministry summoned the U.S. charge d'affairs in Khartoum on Wednesday over Washington's sponsorship of a draft UN Security Council resolution extending sanctions related…
Timor-Leste: Labor Offers New Maritime Boundary Deal for East Timor
Feb 10, 2016
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Tom Allard, Sydney Morning Herald
Labor has pledged to submit to international adjudication over the disputed maritime boundary between Australia and East TImor if "good faith" negotiations fail to produce…
Afghanistan: Newcastle Man Helped Rebuild Agriculture in Afghanistan
Feb 10, 2016
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Maia Zewert, Lincoln County News
Merle Parise, of Newcastle, credited serving on various local boards and organizations and his studies in environmental science and climate and society as contributing factors…
Colombia: Drought in Colombia Causes Food Prices to Skyrocket
Feb 10, 2016
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teleSUR
Colombia has been suffering the effects of El Niño for months, causing intense drought in certain regions of the country. But the drying up of…
South Sudan: South Sudan Says 500 Elephants May Have Died During Two-Year War
Feb 9, 2016
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Okech Francis, Bloomberg
At least 500 elephants may have been killed during South Sudan’s two-year civil war, including 15 slaughtered in one day last month, the African nation’s…
Colombia: Colombia Court Revokes all 347 Mining Licenses in Paramos
Feb 9, 2016
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Adriaan Alsema, Colombia Reports
Colombia’s constitutional court has revoked all mining licenses granted to companies that wanted to carry out mining activities in one of the South Americans paramos, according to…
Afghanistan: IS Runs Timber Smuggling Business in Afghanistan, Officials Say
Feb 8, 2016
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Zia-U-Rahman Hasrat, Voice of America
Islamic State has started cutting down trees in some parts of eastern Afghanistan in a timber-smuggling operation to neighboring Pakistan, according to Afghan officials and…
South Sudan: Unprecedented Food Crisis Looms over Strife-Torn South Sudan, UN Agencies Warn
Feb 8, 2016
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United Nations
South Sudan faces unprecedented levels of food insecurity, with 2.8 million people, nearly 25 per cent of the population, in urgent need of aid, at…
Myanmar: With Mining Law Changes, Are Foreign Firms Set to Dig In?
Feb 8, 2016
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Seamus Martov, The Irrawaddy
Long-anticipated revisions to Burma’s Mining Law, which were passed by the outgoing Parliament at the end of last year, could spur foreign investment in a…
Kurdistan/Iraq: KRG Oil Exports Earn $682M a Month
Feb 7, 2016
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Daniel J. Graeber, United Press International
With formal statehood under consideration, the Kurdish government continues to make its regular payments for crude oil exports, Genel Energy said. Genel, which has headquarters…
South Sudan/Sudan: South Sudanese Government Says Will Pay Sudan Unpaid Arrears in Kind
Feb 7, 2016
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Sudan Tribune
South Sudanese government said Sunday it has reached an understanding with the government of neighbouring Sudan to pay in kind as a payment for unpaid…