International
Niger: UN Environment, Niger Sign Pact to Assess Impacts of Armed Conflict on Environment
Dec 6, 2017
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Xinhua
The UN Environment and the government of Niger on Wednesday signed an agreement to assess environmental and human impacts caused by the armed conflict and…
World Experts Gather to Review Progress on Climate and Security in 2017
Dec 6, 2017
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ANP Pers Support
Governments and experts are being urged to use the shifting geopolitical landscape to cement action on the climate and security agenda at a major conference…
South Sudan: South Sudan Hopes Higher Oil Prices Will Restore Ravaged Economy
Dec 5, 2017
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Tsvetana Paraskova, OilPrice.com
Rising oil prices are vital for South Sudan to revitalize its battered economy, as oil revenues are almost all of the country’s hard currency export…
Sudan/South Sudan: South Sudan Owes Sudan $1.3 Billion from 2012 Oil Deal: Official
Dec 5, 2017
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Denis Dumo, Reuters
South Sudan still owes neighboring Sudan $1.3 billion from a 2012 deal that ended a dispute over oil payments between the two nations, the deputy…
Sierra Leone: Peace Diamond: Precious Stone Fetches $6.5m in New York
Dec 4, 2017
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BBC
A giant 709-carat diamond unearthed in Sierra Leone has sold at auction in New York for $6.5m (£4.8m). Half of the proceeds, $3.8m, will be…
Iraq/Kurdistan: More Oil Found in the Kurdish North of Iraq
Dec 4, 2017
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Daniel J. Graeber, United Press International
Though it's too early to make any estimate on the reserve potential, British energy company Genel said it found more oil in the Kurdish region…
Myamar: Analysis: Tug Of War over Indigenous Rights and Govt’s Forestry Plan
Dec 4, 2017
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Moe Myint, Irrawaddy
Civil society organizations (CSOs) want the rights of indigenous people to be officially recognized in Myanmar’s Nationally Determined Commitment (NDC), the government’s action plan to…
Myanmar: Myanmar Bamboo Market Eyes Growth Potential
Dec 4, 2017
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Kyaw Ye Lynn, Frontier
The shortage of a special variety of bamboo is creating challenges for the handmade umbrella industry established a century ago in the Ayeyarwady Region capital,…
Afghanistan: Afghan Farmers Revert to Growing Opium, Sending Yields Soaring
Dec 3, 2017
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Ruchi Kumar, The National
While Afghanistan has been the world’s largest opium-producing nation for decades, the UN agency reported that a staggering 328,000 hectares of land was under opium…
Myanmar: Myanmar’s Environmental Degradation Worrying: Kyi Kyi Hla
Nov 30, 2017
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Subir Bhaumik, Mizzima
Myanmar's environmental degradation is cause for much worry, said environmentalist Dr Kyi Kyi Hla, at the launch of her book "The Ethics of Climate Change…
Afghanistan: USAID Empowers Afghan Women to Access Agriculture Credits
Nov 29, 2017
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USAID
One of the most difficult challenges for female farmers and women operating agriculture-related businesses in Afghanistan is access to credit. In addition, many women often…
Colombia: Ex-Rebels Working to Show Peace Is Possible in Colombia
Nov 29, 2017
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Latin American Herald Tribune
Oswaldo Sanchez, whose brother was killed in the country’s armed conflict, is one of 253 former members of the FARC guerrillas in central Colombia who…
Colombia: With Deforestation on the Rise, Colombia Businesses Join Fight to End Destruction
Nov 29, 2017
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Anastasia Moloney, Reuters
Colombia’s palm oil industry and big businesses have pledged to eliminate deforestation from their supply chains as the country battles to reverse the growing destruction…
Colombia: Coca and Agriculture in Post-Peace Accord Colombia (Part I)
Nov 29, 2017
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Isabel Peñaranda, North American Congress on Latin America
After the peace accord, can the Colombian government incentivize coca planters to cultivate other crops? Not if they don’t address the inequality and land grabbing…
DRC: Deforestation in DRC Threatens Climate, Wildlife
Nov 29, 2017
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Godfrey Olukya, Anadolu Agency
Deforestation in the Democratic Republic of Congo has become a pressing domestic and transnational issue with potentially high environmental costs. According to the UN Environment…
EcoPeace Middle East Wins GCSP 2017 Prize for Innovation in Global Security
Nov 28, 2017
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Geneva Center for Security Policy
The Geneva Center for Security Policy awarded EcoPeace Middle East's Program on Water Security with this year's Prize for Innovation in Global Security. The prize…
European Solar Prize 2017 Awarded to Ten Laureates in Vienna
Nov 28, 2017
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EcoPeace Middle East
The European Solar Prize Award is handed out every year to towns and municipalities, community businesses, associations or organizations, architects, journalists and individuals for their…
Colombia: Colombia Reaps ‘Peace Dividend’ with More Buying by Nespresso
Nov 28, 2017
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Isis Almeida, Bloomberg
Nespresso is extending its coffee buying in Colombia by going deep into previously conflict-hit regions after the Andean nation signed a peace accord last year that…
Afghanistan: Smugglers Exploit Afghan Marble Mine
Nov 28, 2017
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Gul Ahmad Ehsan, Institute for War & Peace Reporting
Officials have warned that smugglers are continuing to pillage Afghanistan’s largest marble mine, with their proceeds helping fund local Taleban groups. Both the Taleban and…
South Sudan: 40 Killed, Dozens Kidnapped in South Sudan Cattle Raid
Nov 28, 2017
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Parach Mach , Anadolu Agency
Forty people were killed and dozens others kidnapped when an armed group attacked a tribal community in Duk Padiet in northeastern Jonglei state during an…
Iraq: Drought and Neglect Have Decimated Iraq’s Breadbasket
Nov 28, 2017
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Alex Dziadosz, Bloomberg
In Iraqi Kurdistan, farmers face a dizzying array of problems, from drought and polluted water supplies, to ruthless urban expansion and an influx of cheap…
Liberia: LEITI Enhances Submission of Payment and Revenue Data
Nov 27, 2017
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FrontPageAfrica
The Liberia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (LEITI) over the weekend conducted a one-day technical workshop on the submission of payment and revenue data for the…
Nigeria/South Sudan: Mini-Refineries as Model for Meeting Nigeria, South Sudan Oil Demands
Nov 27, 2017
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Victor Gbonegun, Guardian
The importance of petroleum refinery especially for a country like Nigeria, which is heavily endowed with crude oil, cannot be over-emphasized. In fact, its significance…
Afghanistan: Afghan Farmers Revive Olive Gardens to Replace Opium Poppies
Nov 27, 2017
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Abdul Haleem, Xinhua
In Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province where many farmers are still growing opium poppies and producing drugs, some have dared to revive the war-damaged olive gardens…
Afghanistan: Ghani Assigns Team to Find New Markets for Afghan Pine Nuts
Nov 27, 2017
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Syed Zabiullah Langari, TOLOnews
Presiding over a meeting of High Economic Council on Sunday, President Ashraf Ghani assigned a team to work on ways that could help to enhance…
Iraq: Iraq Offers Nine Oil and Gas Blocks for Exploration Near Iran, Kuwait Borders
Nov 26, 2017
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Reuters
Iraq will invite foreign energy firms to bid for the exploration and development of nine new oil and gas blocks bordering Iran and Kuwait, the…
China/Vietnam/South China Sea: A Defiant Map-Hunter Stakes Vietnam’s Claims in the South China Sea
Nov 25, 2017
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Mike Ives, New York Times
Eight years ago, officials in Danang asked Tran Duc Anh Son to travel the world in search of documents and maps that support Vietnam’s territorial…
Iraq/Kurdistan/Turkey: Report: Turkey's PM Praises Iraqi Court Ruling on Kurdistan Referendum
Nov 25, 2017
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Rudaw
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has praised the cancellation of Kurdistan's independence vote by Iraq's Federal Court. The Turkish premier spoke by phone with his…
Afghanistan: Aino Mina Project Was Built Legally: Karzai
Nov 25, 2017
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Karim Amini, TOLOnews
A day after a presidential decree on assessment of Aino Mina Township in Kandahar was leaked to media, founder of the township, Mahmoud Karzai, said…
Uganda: Naked Force Meets Naked Resistance in Northern Uganda Land Conflict
Nov 24, 2017
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Liam Taylor, Thomson Reuters Foundation
When a government minister visited a remote part of northern Uganda earlier this year, she was greeted with a sit-down protest, indignant politicians and topless…