International
Myanmar: Bank Loosens Repayment Period for Farmers
Oct 24, 2019
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Yu Wai, Myanmar Times
Myanmar Agricultural Development Bank (MADB) has announced that it will extend the repayment period for its agricultural loans for the winter crop season by next…
Iraq/Kurdistan/Syria: US Sudden Syria Exit Leaves Angry Iraqi Kurds Looking to Iran: 'Oil Thicker Than Innocent Blood'
Oct 24, 2019
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Tom O'Connor and Naveed Jamali, Newsweek
The United States' sudden withdrawal from northern Syria has angered Kurds not only in this war-torn country, but in neighboring Iraq, where the ethnic minority…
Egypt/Ethiopia: Egypt, Ethiopia Follow Diplomatic Route over River Nile Water-Sharing
Oct 24, 2019
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Edward Yeranian, Voice of America
Both Egypt and Ethiopia are working to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict over water-sharing as construction of the Renaissance Dam on the River…
Iraq: How Microbes May Help Clean up Oil Spills in Iraq
Oct 24, 2019
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DownToEarth
The United Nations has rolled out a project to use naturally occuring soil bacteria to decontaminate land poisoned by oil spills in war-torn Iraq. The aim…
Sudan/South Sudan: Sudan, South Sudan Resolve Border Dispute
Oct 23, 2019
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East African
Sudan and South Sudan have made a major breakthrough in border talks that concluded on Tuesday in Khartoum leaving only five areas subject to further…
Syria: US Has Plan to Send Tanks and Troops to 'Secure' Syria Oil Fields amid Withdrawal
Oct 23, 2019
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James LaPorta and Tom O'Connor, Newsweek
The United States has drawn up a plan to send troops and tanks to guard Syria's eastern oil fields amid a withdrawal from the country's…
Iraq: Microbes Offer Hope of Cleaning up Iraq Conflict’s Pollution Legacy
Oct 23, 2019
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UN Environment
A biological remediation pilot project seeking to enhance nature’s own ability to clear up oil spills in Iraq’s conflict-affected areas has been launched in Kirkuk…
Somalia: Peacebuilding in Somalia - Another Victim of Climate Change?
Oct 23, 2019
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Nita Bhalla, Reuters
Climate change is hampering peacebuilding in Somalia as droughts and floods strengthen the hand of militants and weaken the power of government, a report said…
Syria: 'Secured the Oil': US Troops Stay behind to Guard Oilfields
Oct 22, 2019
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Al Jazeera
The United States is weighing whether to retain a military presence near oilfields in northeastern Syria in order to prevent the sites falling under the…
DRC: Health and Safety Bigger Risks to Artisanal Miners Than Conflict Minerals — Report
Oct 22, 2019
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Cecilia Jamasmie, Mining.com
Risks related to occupational health and safety are more prevalent than human rights abuses and conflict financing among global artisanal and small-scale miners (ASM), a new…
Afghanistan: Afghanistan Struggles to Find Housing for Returning Refugees
Oct 21, 2019
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Rina Chandran, Reuters
Housing millions of refugees returning to Afghanistan is one of the biggest challenges facing the country as it attempts to meet the basic needs of…
Liberia: Locals Seek Justice against Oil Palm Companies
Oct 21, 2019
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William Q. Harmon, Observer
Representatives from communities embroiled in land disputes with oil palm plantations have visited the Netherlands to call on the Dutch banks facilitating these companies’ operations…
Afghanistan: MEC: Ministry of Mines Is Weak to Prevent Corruption
Oct 20, 2019
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Afghanistan Times
The Anti-Corruption Monitoring and Evaluation Committee (MEC) accuses the ministry of mines and petroleum of weak performance in preventing corruption, saying the government entity has…
Myanmar: Ministry to Speed up Establishment of Community-Owned Forest Plantations
Oct 19, 2019
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Eleven
The ministry plans to reduce timber production and will step up its efforts to establish community-owned forest plantations, said Union Minister for Natural Resources and…
Myanmar: E-Commerce Threat for Myanmar’s Jade
Oct 19, 2019
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Jason Thomas, Asean Post
As if human rights abuses, corruption charges and deadly landslides haven’t hurt the industry enough, Myanmar’s multi-billion-dollar jade and gemstone industry now has to deal…
Palestine: Bedouin Kids Join Global Climate Strike in Palestine’s First Extinction Rebellion Protest
Oct 19, 2019
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International Solidarity Movement
Bedouin children in the West Bank joined global climate protests yesterday, calling out the Israeli occupation’s role in exacerbating the effects of climate change on…
Myanmar: Myanmar’s Oil, Gas, Mining Sectors Need More Reform, Says Transparency Watchdog
Oct 18, 2019
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Nan Lwin, Irrawaddy
The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) board stated Wednesday that Myanmar is making progress on transparency but urged the government to improve public disclosure about…
Colombia: Mothers of Colombia's Disappeared Seek Justice At War Tribunal
Oct 17, 2019
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Anastasia Moloney, Reuters
BOGOTA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Mothers of young men and teenagers who say their sons were murdered by government soldiers during Colombia’s conflict begged a…
Syria: Aid Agencies Struggle in Northeast Syria with Water Shortages
Oct 17, 2019
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Stephanie Nebehay, Reuters
Aid agencies said on Thursday they were struggling to meet the needs of up to 200,000 civilians who fled fighting in northeast Syria and reported…
South Africa: South African Sisters Shine in Diamond Business Dominated by Men
Oct 17, 2019
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Sierra Leone Times
BEDFORDVIEW, SOUTH AFRICA - Mosibudi Jo Mathole and Khomotso Ramodipa are rare gems in the male-dominated diamond industry. The South African sisters run one of…
Myanmar: Myanmar Angers Coal Region Residents by Extending Life of Polluting Chinese-Run Mine
Oct 17, 2019
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Radio Free Asia
Residents of Tigyit village tract in Myanmar’s northern Shan state are up in arms over the central government’s decision in August to extend the operation…
Egypt/Ethiopia: Former Egyptian Minister Calls for UN Security Council Intervention into GERD Crisis
Oct 16, 2019
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Al Masry Al-Youm, Egypt Independent
Former Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohamed Nasr Eddin Allam called on Tuesday for the UN Security Council to stop the construction of…
Colombia: Women in Colombia Defy Violence to Help Build Peace
Oct 16, 2019
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Shauna Bowers, The Irish Times
Although the Colombian peace accord was signed more than three years ago, domestic and gender-based violence remains all too familiar for women who attempt to…
Rural Women Reclaim Their Financial Independence
Oct 16, 2019
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Cristobal Baeza, BBVA
The foundation organized a round table discussion in commemoration of International Day of Rural Women to give visibility to their role as an economic and social engine.…
Lebanon/Syria: Blazes Spread through Parts of Lebanon, Syria
Oct 16, 2019
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Energy & Environment News
Wildfires spread through parts of Lebanon yesterday after forcing some residents to flee their homes in the middle of the night, while others were stuck…
Liberia: Family in Gbarpolu Accuses Chinese Mining Company of Doing Illegal Mining on Their Licensed Area
Oct 16, 2019
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Kennedy L. Yangian, FrontPage Africa
There seems to be brewing tension over land encroachment between the John P. Saah Family in Gbarpolu County and a Chinese Company, “Sheng Xin De…
Liberia: EPA, UNDP Conduct Weather Information Training to Enhance Access to Climate Information
Oct 16, 2019
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Danise Love Dennis, FrontPage Africa
In an effort to enhance access to weather and climate information nationally, the Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia (EPA) in collaboration with the United Nation…
Colombia: Women Defenders of Land, Environment, at Risk in Colombia
Oct 15, 2019
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Oxfam
Women defenders of land rights and the environment in Colombia are being attacked at an alarming rate, according to Oxfam’s partners in the country.
The expansion…
China/Vietnam/South China Sea: Vietnam Pulled Dreamworks' 'Abominable' Movie because It Used a Map Staking China's Claim over the Disputed South China Sea
Oct 15, 2019
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Bill Bostock, Business Insider
Vietnam outlawed Dreamworks' new animation "Abominable" on Sunday because it showed a map acknowledging China's claim to a disputed part of the South China Sea.…
Liberia: Liberia on Verge of Delisting from Global Extractives Transparency Body Risking Further Blow to Economy
Oct 15, 2019
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FrontPage Africa
Liberia risks being delisted from the Extractives Industries Transparency Initiative, the global body which monitors transparency in oil and mining industries, in a move that…