International
Afghanistan: MAIL Plans to Establish Five Wheat Storage Facilities
Jan 11, 2018
|
Zarmina Mohammadi, TOLOnews
Officials from the Afghan Ministry of Agriculture Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) on Thursday said that the ministry plans to build at least five wheat storage…
Colombia: In Colombia, Marxist Rebels Hold the Oil Industry Hostage
Jan 10, 2018
|
Maximo Anderson, Bloomberg
A three-month cease-fire—the first in three years of negotiations between the ELN and the government—expired on Jan. 9. While the group’s leadership, which claims around…
DRC: Congo May More Than Double Tax on Critical Cobalt Supply
Jan 10, 2018
|
William Clowes and Thomas Wilson,
The Democratic Republic of Congo is preparing to more than double a tax on two-thirds of global cobalt supply, potentially increasing the cost of the…
Liberia: Forest Benefits for River Cess in Limbo
Jan 10, 2018
|
Joaquin M. Sendolo, Observer
Projects that would have been the first tangible benefits for citizens of River Cess County accrued from commercial logging are now stalled because the money…
Colombia: Reintegrating 14,000 Ex-Combatants Remains a Challenge, Security Council Told
Jan 10, 2018
|
UN
Colombia's peace efforts remain challenged by the task of reintegrating 14,000 former rebel combatants, the top United Nations official in the country said Wednesday as…
Africa: When Humans War, Animals Die
Jan 10, 2018
|
Ed Yong, Atlantic
Together with Rob Pringle, from Princeton University, Joshua Daskin compiled 65 years’ worth of data on the abundance of large mammals across all of Africa.…
Myanmar: Illegal Burmese Wood Used in British Boats, Says Organization
Jan 9, 2018
|
Lauren Crothers, Mongabay
Timber that is being illegally logged and smuggled out of Myanmar is ending up as decking on luxury yachts in the UK, according to one…
Afghanistan: Afghanistan Destroying Hamoun Wetlands
Jan 9, 2018
|
Financial Times
Over 70% of the southeastern Hamoun Wetlands (also known as Hamouns) in Sistan-Baluchestan Province are drying up, largely because of Afghanistan's injudicious dam construction on…
Myanmar: Timber Smuggling Still Thrives in Kachin and Northern Shan State
Jan 8, 2018
|
Eleven
Timber smuggling is still thriving in Kachin and Northern Shan State, according to political leaders, people close to timber smugglers and locals who spoke with…
Egypt/Sudan: 'Water War' Escalates between Egypt, Sudan
Jan 8, 2018
|
Giorgio Cafiero, Al-Monitor
So far, 2018 has been a negative year for Egyptian-Sudanese relations. On Jan. 4, Sudan recalled its ambassador from Egypt. Without providing further details, Sudan’s…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraq Bans Kurdish Firm Kar Group from Operating Kirkuk Oilfields
Jan 8, 2018
|
Ahmed Rasheed, Reuters
Iraq’s parliament voted on Monday to ban Kurdish engineering firm Kar Group from operating Kirkuk’s oilfields, following Iraq’s recapture of the Kurdish-held oil region in…
Afghanistan: Illegal Extraction of Badakhshan Mines Goes on
Jan 7, 2018
|
Middle East North Africa Financial Network
All mines in northeastern Badakhshan province are illegally extracted by armed men and militants as the government collected no revenue this solar year from mining…
Afghanistan: UNICEF to Invest in Water, Hygiene in 27 Provinces
Jan 7, 2018
|
Zabiullah Jhanmal, TOLOnews
Officials from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) announced on Sunday that it plans to launch a two-year water distribution program to the people in…
Afghanistan: Potable Water Soon in Rural Areas: MoRRD Signed Agreement to Provide Drinkable Water to 1.8 Million People
Jan 7, 2018
|
Afghanistan Times
Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MoRRD) signed agreement with UNICEF to provide 1.8 million people drinkable water and hygiene services in rural areas across…
Afghanistan: Parliament Mocks Environment Protection Committee
Jan 6, 2018
|
Afghanistan Times
The Environment Protection Committee on Saturday failed to satisfy Wolesi Jirga (Lower House) of parliament during impeachment that was strongly criticized by the lawmakers. Even…
Myanmar: Timber Auctions Temporarily Suspended as Illegal Trading Rises
Jan 5, 2018
|
Su Phyo Win, Myanmar Time
Auctions for timber rejected by the Myanma Timber Enterprise (MTE), which are conducted by the Forest Department under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental…
Myanmar: Mandalay Region Increases Water Charges and Scales up Access
Jan 5, 2018
|
Phyo Wai Kyaw, Myanmar Times
Eight thousand water meters will be installed free of charge in Pyigyitagun township with a total of US$20 million funding from Japan International Cooperation Agency…
Sudan: Sudan Recalls Egyptian Ambassador as Relations Sour
Jan 5, 2018
|
Middle East Eye
Sudan has recalled its ambassador from neighbouring Egypt for consultations, the foreign ministry said on Thursday, without giving details on why or how long he…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Abadi Asked Oil Minister to Prepare for Talks with Kurdistan
Jan 5, 2018
|
Rudaw
Iraqi’s prime minister requested the oil minister to prepare for talks with the Kurdistan Region about oil, the minister revealed, adding he expected a visit…
Afghanistan: ‘No Progress’ on Expansion of Key Mines in Afghanistan
Jan 5, 2018
|
TOLOnews
The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP) said the government is currently assessing Karkar, Dodkash mines and the Ghori cement factory to establish how it…
Iraq/Kurdistan: KRG Questions Reliability of Oil Revenue, Salary Data from Iraqi PM Abadi
Jan 4, 2018
|
Rudaw
The spokesperson of the KRG dismissed claims by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi who had alleged that the Kurdish government exported 2 trillion Iraqi dinars…
SIS Professor Works to Build Global Environmental Peace
Jan 4, 2018
|
Katie Catania, American University
School of International Service Professor Ken Conca’s relationship with water has sustained and taken him around the world as an expert in global environmental governance,…
South Sudan: South Sudan Urged to Adopt Renewable Energy Potentials
Jan 4, 2018
|
Sudan Tribune
A donor-led shift from total reliance on diesel to renewable energy in South Sudan can deliver short-term humanitarian cost savings while creating a longer-term building…
Afghanistan: Deadly Silence Against Air Pollution
Jan 4, 2018
|
Mohammad Zahir Akbari, Daily Outlook Afghanistan
Both government and citizens are aware that air-pollution have reached a serious threatening level in Afghanistan but knowingly underestimate the deteriorating issue! thousands of people…
Myanmar: Villagers Turn to Charcoal Trade to Tap Chinese Demand
Jan 3, 2018
|
Khin Su Wai, Myanmar Times
Charcoal demand has risen over the past two years after the Chinese opened a banana plantation across 20,000 ares of land in Myitkyina, not far…
Myanmar: Inaugural Yangon Gems and Jewellery Fair to Promote Value-Added Products, Say Organisers
Jan 3, 2018
|
Kyaw Ye Lynn, Frontier
Organisers of an international gems and jewellery fair in Yangon this month say a boycott of precious stones from Myanmar by some luxury brands because…
Myanmar: Overseas Demand for Locally-Produced Coffee Expected to Rise in 2018
Jan 3, 2018
|
Phyo Wai Kyaw, Myanmar Times
Prospects are looking good for the Myanmar coffee industry, with coffee prices kicking off the New Year on a high level and domestic market conditions…
Colombia: The Colombian Monkeys That Could Save Themselves and Their Habitat
Jan 2, 2018
|
Rachel Stern, Deutsche Welle
Colombia's cotton-top monkeys and other primates play a key role in preserving their ecosystems. Yet they are under threat due to deforestation, farming and the…
Myanmar: An Army, a Mountain and the Asian Development Bank
Jan 2, 2018
|
Su Myat Mon, Frontier
When s group of Kayin State villagers travelled to inspect a big quarrying operation on Mount Lun Nya earlier this month they soon realised their…
Afghanistan: Pollution of Groundwater Threatens Kabul Districts
Jan 2, 2018
|
Nargis Mosavi, TOLOnews
A new study has found that many serious health problems among the people in Kabul are due to a dramatic increase in air pollution and…