International


Colombia: How Colombia’s 8,880 Mining Titles Are Distributed

Aug 8, 2017 | Larisa Sioneriu, Colombia Reports

The provinces of Antioquia and Boyaca own 33% of the country’s 8,880 mining titles while Amazonas is one of three to be left unexploited, Colombia’s…


Myanmar: Elephant Killed by Poisoned Bolt in Irrawaddy Region

Aug 7, 2017 | Salai Thant Zin, Irrawaddy

A wild elephant was hunted and killed with a poisoned bolt—an arrow shot from a crossbow—in the village tract of Tin Chaung in Irrawaddy Region’s…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Baghdad Temporary Halts Kirkuk’s NOC Oil Export to Turkey, Gives No Reason

Aug 7, 2017 | Mewan Dolamari, Kurdistan 24

The Federal Government of Iraq on Sunday temporarily halted the oil exports from its Kirkuk-based North Oil Company (NOC) to Turkey and later resumed the…


Mining: Mining Industry Can Now Predict Opposition to Projects before It's Too Late

Aug 7, 2017 | Cecilia Jamasmie, Mining.com

It’s sounds too good to be true, but a new company is proving miners they can foresee opposition or any other form of social conflict…


Colombia: Colombia Faces Soaring Deforestation Following FARC Guerrilla Demobilization

Aug 7, 2017 | Taran Volckhausen, Earth Island Journal

Colombia is currently in the midst of a peace process with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the country’s largest guerrilla group. According to…


Afghanistan: Chamber of Industries and Mines Starts Functioning

Aug 7, 2017 | Pajhwok Afghan News

The newly-created Afghanistan Chamber of Industries and Mines (ACIM) on Monday started functioning, vowing to develop industries, prevent illegal mineral extraction and attract investment in…


Colombia: Conflict Victims and Biologists Come Together in Medellin to Protest Proposed Hydroelectric Project

Aug 6, 2017 | Taran Volckhausen, Colombia Reports

Around 50 victims of the armed conflict arrived in Colombia’s second largest city Medellin to meet with university biologists and students to show resistance against…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Kurdistan Deprived from Constitutional Share of Iraq’s International Loans

Aug 6, 2017 | Baxtiyar Goran, Kurdistan 24

Iraq’s international debt has exceeded USD $111 billion due to wars waged by the former regime against neighboring countries, the current war against the Islamic…


Myanmar: Flood-Hit Farmers Given Seeds

Aug 5, 2017 | Eleven

The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fishery will distribute paddy seeds to farmers in flood-hit villages nationwide, according to the Deputy Permanent Secretary Myo Tint…


Myanmar: Substandard Water Firms Suspended

Aug 4, 2017 | Ei Thinzar Kyaw, Eleven

Drinking-water brands that violate good manufacturing practices have been suspended, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). FDA officials launched a surprise inspection on…


Iraq: Iraqi Oil Wealth Not Enough for Broad Economic Growth

Aug 4, 2017 | Daniel J. Graeber, United Press International

Corruption and internal political rifts could be factors weighing on the economy of OPEC-member Iraq, a report from Moody's Investors Service said. Moody's gave Iraq…


China/Vietnam/South China Sea: Vietnam, Yielding to Beijing, Backs off South China Sea Drilling

Aug 4, 2017 | Mike Ives, New York Times

Vietnam appears to have retreated in a high-stakes maritime gambit against China, suspending a gas-drilling project that it had approved in the South China Sea…


Myanmar: Gem Traders Blame Smuggling on Tax Rate

Aug 4, 2017 | Htet Naing Zaw, Irrawaddy

The government is losing a large sum on gems and jewelry sales as gems traders smuggle them into China because of a steep trade tax,…


Liberia: Zoa-Liberia's Commendable Initiative with Value-Added Cassava Products

Aug 4, 2017 | Joaquin M. Sendolo, Observer

Cassava is found in many countries, especially in West Africa, and is the most important food crop besides rice. In many countries in the West…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraq's Kirkuk Province Spurns Plan to Ship Its Oil to Iran

Aug 3, 2017 | Khalid Al Ansary, Bloomberg

Iraq’s northern province of Kirkuk refuses to cooperate with any plans to ship its oil to neighboring Iran because the central government didn’t consult with…


Myanmar: Myanmar’s Resources Fine but Fast Disappearing

Aug 3, 2017 | Myat Moe Aung, Myanmar Times

Myanmar is among the few countries in the world whose natural resources exceed the requirements of its citizens, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)…


Colombia: Colombian Avocado Grower Invests in New Land, Bee Hives to Boost Production

Aug 3, 2017 | Fresh Fruit Portal

A Colombian avocado grower is making the most of the national government’s “Pacts for Innovation” program, setting up bee hives on its farms to both…


South China Sea: Repsol Suspends Oil Project in Disputed Sea off Vietnam

Aug 3, 2017 | Channel NewsAsia

Spanish oil giant Repsol said it has suspended a multi-million-dollar oil exploration project in an area of the South China Sea off Vietnam claimed by…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Kurds' Statehood Vote Could Spark Conflict, Erdogan Aide Warns

Aug 3, 2017 | Selcan Hacaoglu, Bloomberg

Iraqi Kurds run the risk of armed conflict with government forces and alienating neighbors if they push ahead with a proposed referendum on independence, according…


Colombia: Chinese Investment Can Help Conserve the Environment in Peace Process Colombia

Aug 3, 2017 | Fabíola Ortiz, Dialogo Chino

Colombia is at a historic juncture after ratifying a peace accord with guerrilla group the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in November last year…


Afghanistan: Tackling Ozone Depleting Substances as Casualties Mount in Afghanistan

Aug 3, 2017 | UN Environment

National stakeholders, industry, civil society, government officials and international environment experts gathered in Kabul to create awareness for and implement a national phase out plan…


South Sudan: Crop-Eating Worms, Cattle Disease Add to South Sudan Anguish

Aug 2, 2017 | Okech Francis, Bloomberg

More than three years of fighting have slashed South Sudan’s oil output and left half its people facing severe food shortages. Now crop-eating caterpillars and…


Colombia: Environmental Risks Behind Peace Accords in Colombia

Aug 2, 2017 | Fabíola Ortiz, InDepthNews

The peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) – signed in November 2016 and ratified early December by the Colombian Congress –…


Myanmar: Israeli Agricultural Experts Bring ‘Sustainable Experience’ to Myanmar

Aug 2, 2017 | Pan Pwint, Mizzima

Last week two Israeli agricultural experts came to Myanmar to exchange views on agricultural practices that might be suitable for the country’s rural sector. Professor…


Myanmar: IFC Promotes Better Usage of Agriculture Inputs through Good Agriculture Practices

Aug 2, 2017 | Mizzima

At a one-day workshop on Good Agriculture Practices (GAP) organized by IFC and MoALI in Nyuang Shwe, 300 participants — including 200 tomato farmers —…


Afghanistan: Nepal-Funded Greenhouse Built in Kabul

Aug 2, 2017 | Xinhua

A greenhouse to preserve fruit products has been constructed with the financial support of Nepal in Paghman, a district of Afghanistan's Kabul, the Ministry for…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Kurdistan Claims Iraq-Iran Oil Pipeline Violates US Sanctions

Aug 1, 2017 | Tsvetana Paraskova, OilPrice.com

The autonomous Iraqi region of Kurdistan has not been informed of plans by the central government that Iraq and Iran agreed to study the potential…


Liberia: RIA Land Dispute, Legal Team Issues Statement

Aug 1, 2017 | Global News Network

The residents of the Roberts International Airport(RIA) and its environs headed by Morris Boer, Isaac Boer and Nimely Bestman have on 25 July, 2016, filed…


Afghanistan: Khost Lakan Tribe Seeks End to Land Dispute with Kuchis

Jul 31, 2017 | Mohammad Haroon, Pajhwok Afghan News

Lakan tribesmen in southeastern Khost province have demanded of the government to intervene and resolve a fresh dispute between them and Kuchi tribe over a…


Sierra Leone: Calls for Urgent Land Audit

Jul 31, 2017 | Zainab Joaque, Awoko

A land audit is certainly a must for this country, and it must include assessments of land ownership, plot size, vacant lots and spaces that…