International

Colombia: Land Access and Restitution at the Heart of Peacebuilding in Colombia

Jan 8, 2017 | Military News

FAO will support Colombia in carrying out a comprehensive rural reform aimed at strengthening food security and peace, including measures which address issues of land…

Afghanistan: The Story Behind China's Long-Stalled Mine in Afghanistan

Jan 7, 2017 | Mohsin Amin, Diplomat

The year 2017 marked the ninth anniversary of the Mes Aynak concession, which was awarded in May 2008 to two Chinese state-owned companies, the China Metallurgical Group…

Myanmar: Resource Ministry Plans Reduction in Export Eligible Timber

Jan 6, 2017 | Su Phyo Win, Myanmar Times

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation will reduce the volume of timber that can be exported abroad starting from May 1, according to…

Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraqi Kurdistan Oil a Slippery Issue

Jan 6, 2017 | Ali Mamouri, Al-Monitor

Iraqi Kurdistan has been shipping oil to Turkey without Baghdad's knowledge, resulting in Iraq violating an OPEC agreement, according to accusations leveled Jan. 3 by…

South Sudan: South Sudan Renews Oil Deals with China, Malaysia

Jan 6, 2017 | Parach Mach, Anadolu Agency

South Sudan signed an agreement on Friday to renew all oil drilling contracts with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and Malaysia's Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS)…

Afghanistan: Gunmen Attack Hazara Miners in Afghanistan, Killing at Least 9

Jan 6, 2017 | Mujib Mashal and Fahim Abed, New York Times

Gunmen in northern Afghanistan ambushed ethnic Hazara coal miners on Friday, shooting at least nine of them dead and seemingly adding to a string of…

Conflict Minerals: Chinese Industry Body Launches Cobalt Sourcing Programme

Jan 5, 2017 | Chemical Watch

Companies urged to align supply chain policies with OECD and China's due diligence guidance.

Iraq/Kurdistan: How a Rex Tillerson Oil Deal Nearly Sparked an Iraqi-Kurdish War

Jan 5, 2017 | Stephen Snyder, Public Radio International

A 2011 oil exploration deal, between Exxon Mobil and Kurdish leaders in northern Iraq, could raise concerns as the US Senate prepares for confirmation hearings on President-elect Donald…

Brazil: Brazil's Quilombos Face Eucalyptus Giant in Land War

Jan 5, 2017 | Luisa Torre and Patrik Camporez Macao, Al Jazeera

In Sape do Norte, in the far north of Espirito Santo, Brazil, 32 communities refer to the 111,000 hectares of land as the "green desert". Quilombolas,…

Syria: A New Casualty of Syria’s War: Drinking Water in Damascus

Jan 4, 2017 | Ben Hubbard, New York Times

For millions of Damascus residents, long-term concerns about the direction of the war in Syria have been replaced by worries about where to get enough…

Iraq/Syria/Islamic State: ISIS Continues to Sell Iraqi Oil to Syria to Fund Terrorist Activities Despite Coalition Strikes

Jan 4, 2017 | Ananya Roy, International Business Times

Despite continued coalition air strikes on Islamic State's (ISIS) oil infrastructure in Iraq, the militant group is dispatching oil tankers from Mosul. The jihadists sent…

Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraqi PM Says KRG Exports Enough Oil to Pay for Its Public Servants

Jan 4, 2017 | Rudaw

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi blamed the worsening financial crisis in the Kurdistan Region on Kurdish authorities, suggesting that lack of transparency has made it…

Sierra Leone: One Man's Search for Diamonds [Photos]

Jan 4, 2017 | BBC

During its 11-year-long civil war, Sierra Leone became famous for blood diamonds. Rebel and government groups fought brutally over diamond-rich territory in the north of…

Afghanistan: In Afghanistan, Farmer Trades Old Horticultural Practices for New to See Income Rise

Jan 4, 2017 | World Bank

The National Horticulture and Livestock Project (NHLP) operates under the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL). With a $190 million grant support from the…

Afghanistan: Afghanistan Having Trouble Replacing Poppy with Pomegranate

Jan 4, 2017 | Fresh Plaza

Frosty relations between Kabul and Islamabad have put a brake on Afghanistan’s ambitious plans to boost fruit exports. Seen as vital in providing farmers with…

Egypt/Ethiopia: A River Runs through an African Rivalry

Jan 4, 2017 | Stratfor

Geography forces Egypt and Ethiopia to compete over the Nile's water.

Myanmar: Myanmar's Military Land Grab

Jan 2, 2017 | Reuters

In Ye Bu, interviews with civilian officials, an army major and nearly two dozen farmers show that the local military command is putting up a…

South Sudan: South Sudan to Experience Acute Food Insecurity Levels

Jan 2, 2017 | Sudan Tribune

War-torn South Sudan will experience extreme levels of food insecurity across the country in the first half of 2017, a new food security report show.…

Afghanistan: Poor Kabul-Islamabad Ties Affect Afghan Fruit Exports

Jan 2, 2017 | Agence France-Presse

Frosty relations between Kabul and Islamabad have put a brake on Afghanistan’s ambitious plans to boost fruit exports, according to analysts. Pomegranates and grapes have…

Afghanistan: Afghans Struggle to Supplant Poppies with Fruit Crops

Jan 1, 2017 | Agence France-Presse

Frosty relations between Kabul and Islamabad have put a brake on Afghanistan's ambitious plans to boost fruit exports, seen as vital to providing farmers an…

Vietnam: Reliving Agent Orange: What If Casualties Don’t End on the Battlefield, but Extend to Future Generations?

Dec 31, 2016 | Mike Hixenbaugh, Virginian-Pilot and Charles Ornstein, ProPublica

There are many ways to measure the cost of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War: in bombs (7 million tons), in dollars ($760 billion in…

Afghanistan: Farmers without Markets: Afghanistan's Struggle toward an Agricultural Economy

Dec 30, 2016 | Mohammad Abed Shirzai, Diplomat

Afghan farmers struggle to gain access to regional markets as insecurity, poor market conditions, lack of technical support from the government, farmers’ displacement, and cheap…

Iraq/Kurdistan: International Oil Companies Pull out of Kurdistan

Dec 30, 2016 | Dilshad Abdullah, Al-Monitor

Exxon Mobil has pulled out of three of the six exploration blocks it operated in the Kurdistan Region. The American oil giant withdrew from Betwata,…

Iraq/Kurdistan: Kurdish MP Demands Investigations on Selling Oilfields

Dec 30, 2016 | Rebuilding Iraq

Kurdish Union Party MP Shwan Dawoodi called for opening an "expanded investigation" on Wikileaks reports on selling Kurdish oilfields to Turkey.  Wikileaks published secret information…

Colombia: About 40% of Colombia’s Land is Degraded

Dec 29, 2016 | María Andrea Márquez, LatinAmerican Post

According to the Colombian Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development 40% of the country’s land suffers some king of degradation. The factors affecting the land…

Colombia: Rebels and Soldiers Who Don’t Qualify for Colombia’s Amnesty Could Pay Their Debt to Society by Clearing Land Mines

Dec 29, 2016 | Gideon Lichfield, Quartz

Colombia’s congress today passed an amnesty law for FARC rebels and Colombian soldiers who committed crimes during the country’s half-century-long civil war. It’s the first,…

Conflict Minerals: Massachusetts Considers Reviewing Purchasing Policies Related to Congo 'Conflict Minerals'

Dec 29, 2016 | Shira Shoenberg, MassLive

A bill sitting on Gov. Charlie Baker's desk would require the administration to review the state's procurement policies and issue a report on policies related…

Iraq/Kuwait: Kuwait Agrees Long-Delayed Iraq Gas Import Deal

Dec 29, 2016 | Anthony McAuley, The National

Kuwait has agreed to start a long-delayed gas import deal with Iraq, the two countries announced during a visit of Iraq’s oil minister that was…

Egypt/Ethiopia: Ethiopia Says Dialogue with Egypt the Only Way to Resolve Conflict over Nile Dam

Dec 26, 2016 | Middle East Monitor

Ethiopia’s foreign minister said on Sunday that dialogue is the only way to resolve any problem that may arise with Egypt over the Renaissance Dam…

Myanmar: Court Verdicts Show Suu Kyi's Uphill Battle on Myanmar Land Disputes

Dec 23, 2016 | Wa Lone and Simon Lewis, Reuters

The court in Taunggyi on Thursday sentenced 72 farmers to a month in prison each and fined others, making a quick solution unlikely in the…