International


Afghanistan: 22 Irrigation Canals to Be Built on Amu River

Sep 7, 2017 | Zarmina Mohammadi, TOLOnews

Officials from the Ministry of Energy and Water said on Thursday that 22 water canals will be built within the next five years to irrigate…


South Sudan: South Sudan President Sacks State-Owned Oil Company Boss

Sep 7, 2017 | Reuters

South Sudan President Salva Kiir has sacked the head of national oil company Nilepet, according to a government decree. Managing Director James Thelweng Mathiang Rok…


Iraq: Cash-for-Work Initiative Aims to Develop Iraq's Agriculture Sector

Sep 7, 2017 | Mina Aldroubi, The National

Iraq’s humanitarian crisis remains at alarming levels as years of conflict has left millions at risk of food insecurity. As the violence continues to force…


Colombia: Continental Gold Invests in Colombia-Based Agricultural Development Programme

Sep 6, 2017 | Samantha Herbst, Mining Weekly

As part of its sustainability strategy, TSX-listed exploration and development company Continental Gold will contribute about $370 000 towards a programme developed to support agricultural…


Afghanistan: Afghanistan Issues Tenders for Three Hybrid Solar Projects Totaling 55 MW

Sep 6, 2017 | Emiliano Bellini, PV Magazine

Afghanistan’s National Procurement Authority has issued three tenders for the construction of three hybrid solar power plants with a combined capacity of 55.5 MW. One…


DRC: Protecting Livelihoods is Key to Mining the DRC’s Riches

Sep 6, 2017 | Nelson Alusala, Institute for Security Studies

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has the potential to become Africa’s richest economy, going by the quantities of its natural resources. At the…


DRC: Resource-Rich DRC Losing U.S.$1.3 Billion Every Year in Unpaid Taxes

Sep 6, 2017 | James Anyanzwa, East African

The Democratic Republic of Congo is losing up to $1.3 billion in revenue each year due to a failure by public bodies, tax agencies and…


Peru: Six Farmers Shot Dead over Land Rights Battle in Peru

Sep 6, 2017 | Dan Collyns, Guardian

Six farmers have been shot dead by a criminal gang who wanted to seize their farms to muscle in on the lucrative palm oil trade,…


South Sudan: South Sudan Army Downplays Rebel's Threat to Stop Oil Production

Sep 5, 2017 | Julius Gale, African Independent

South Sudan's army, Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), on Tuesday vowed to provide adequate security to oil workers and facilities in the northern region, after…


Iraq/Kurdistan: ‘Kexit’ Woes: Why a Kurdish Independence Referendum Has Few Backers

Sep 5, 2017 | Leela Jacinto, France 24

Kurdish regional authorities have called for an independence referendum for Iraqi Kurdistan on September 25. But regional and international powers are united in their opposition…


China/South China Sea: As World Watches Kim, China Quietly Builds South China Sea Clout

Sep 5, 2017 | Jason Koutsoukis and Dan Murtaugh, Bloomberg

As Kim Jong Un’s antics in North Korea capture global attention, China is quietly moving to bolster its grip on disputed territory in the South…


Myanmar: Kachin State Jade-Mining Area to Get Environment Plan

Sep 5, 2017 | Chan Mya Htwe, Myanmar Times

An environmental management plan (EMP) to regulate and ensure sustainable mining in Lone Khin area of Hpakant township in Kachin State has been completed, a consultant…


Bangladesh/Myanmar: Bangladesh Protests over Myanmar's Suspected Landmine Use Near Border

Sep 5, 2017 | Krishna N. Das, Reuters

Bangladesh lodged a protest after it said Myanmar had laid landmines near the border between the two countries, government officials said on Wednesday, amid growing…


West Africa: Climate Change, Hunger, and Terrorism in the Lake Chad Basin

Sep 5, 2017 | Nick Agnew, Geopolitical Monitor

The Lake Chad Basin is centered around the rapidly shrinking Lake Chad, and the area is home to some 30 million people across four countries.…


Afghanistan: Abundant Afghan Harvest Wilts amid Violence and Extortion

Sep 4, 2017 | Mujib Mashal, New York Times

In recent years, the violence in Afghanistan has dipped and peaked with the spring and fall harvests - the propsperity of one and the description…


Timor-Leste: A $50 Billion ‘Breakthrough’ for Timor-Leste?

Sep 4, 2017 | Anthony Fensom, Diplomat

Timor-Leste and Australia have praised an “historic” agreement over their longstanding boundary dispute in the Timor Sea. For the oil-dependent Southeast Asian nation, the deal…


Myanmar: Annan Commission Repeats Call for Kyaukphyu SEZ Assessment

Sep 4, 2017 | Thompson Chau, Myanmar Times

AN advisory commission tasked with finding solutions to the ethnic conflict in Rakhine State has recommended that the government conducts a strategic environmental assessment and…


Afghanistan: In Kabul, Access to Safe Drinking Water Is a Matter of Money

Sep 4, 2017 | Pamela Constable, Washington Post

In much of greater Kabul, where the population has tripled to 5 million in the past decade, the quest for safe drinking water is more…


Myanmar: Tatkon Farmers Protest over Land Grabs

Sep 4, 2017 | Kyaw Myo, Eleven

Farmers from Tatkon Township staged a protest on September 3 over land that was taken from them by the military to set up defence industrial…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraq's Kurdistan Poised for Bumper Gas Growth

Sep 4, 2017 | Dmitry Zhdannikov, Reuters

Iraq’s Kurdistan is poised for a major increase in gas output following the settlement of a court case with developers who are now looking to…


Australia/Timor-Leste: Maritime Deal between Australia, Timor-Leste Cautiously Welcomed by Analysts

Sep 3, 2017 | SBS World News

The deal ends a long running row between the two nations that's stalled a multibillion-dollar offshore gas project in the Timor Sea. The details will remain…


Australia/Timor-Leste: Australia and Timor-Leste Strike Deal on Maritime Boundary Dispute

Sep 2, 2017 | Paul Karp, Guardian

Australia and Timor-Leste have reached a historic agreement, concluding a long-running and bitter maritime boundary dispute over the Timor Sea through conciliation. The deal clarifies…


Afghanistan: Parwan Vegetable Growers Say Bear Losses This Year

Sep 2, 2017 | Farid Tanha, Pajhwok Afghan News

Vegetable prices went down by 43 percent in central Parwan province compared to last year after Pakistan barred the import of vegetables, causing heavy financial…


DRC: Democratic Republic of Congo Army General Profits from Illegally Mining Conflict Gold

Sep 1, 2017 | Kate Hairsine, Deutsche Welle

As gold continues to fuel the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a UN report says Major General Gabriel Amisi Kumba with a history…


El Salvador: Water Wars in El Salvador: Tacuba Resists

Sep 1, 2017 | Hilary Goodfriend, North American Congress on Latin America

The struggle in Tacuba occurs in the legal vacuum generated by decades of deregulation in El Salvador, where organizers are campaigning for a nation-wide Water…


Cambodia: Land Grab Families Given Deadline

Sep 1, 2017 | Zahron Sokry, Khmer Times

Nearly 300 families accused of grabbing state land to build huts near a canal in Kandal province have been given three days to dismantle the…


Climate Change: Climate Change Leaves Women Farmers in Central Asia Fighting for Water

Sep 1, 2017 | Katie Arnold, NewsDeeply

In the Fergana Valley, mass migration of men has left women in charge of many of the farms. But patriarchal attitudes and a Soviet irrigation…


Colombia: Price of Peace: Deforestation in Colombia

Aug 31, 2017 | Chris Fitch, Geographical

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) has rarely ever been credited with positive environmental outcomes, intentional or otherwise. But the previously long-standing presence of…


North Korea: Hungry North Korean Soldiers 'Ordered to Steal Corn because War is Imminent'

Aug 31, 2017 | Nicola Smith, Telegraph

As North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un boasts of his military prowess and flaunts his high tech weapons to the world, his malnourished soldiers are said…


Myanmar: In a Fragile Partnership, Dolphins Help Catch Fish in Myanmar

Aug 31, 2017 | Doug Clark, New York Times

Mr. Thin Myu is one of a few dozen fishermen left in Myanmar who know how to cooperate with Irrawaddy dolphins to fill their nets.…