International
Myanmar: Flood Victims Rise to More Than 1,000 in Irrawaddy Region
Jul 24, 2017
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Salai Thant Zin, Irrawaddy
Heavy rains and floods have forced more than 1,000 people from their homes to relief camps in Danubyu, Myanaung, and Ingapu townships in Irrawaddy Region.…
Myanmar: Myanmar Floods Kill Two, Displace Tens of Thousands
Jul 24, 2017
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Wa Lone, Reuters
Flooding across large parts of Myanmar has displaced more than 100,000 people, causing two deaths, while dramatic riverbank erosion has washed away a Buddhist pagoda,…
Colombia: Conservationists Attempt to Save Colombia’s Magnolia Tree from Extinction
Jul 24, 2017
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Ann Bush, City Paper
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed the Magnolia Guatapensis on their Red List as a “critically endangered. As the world’s authority on…
Timor-Leste: Time (and Oil) Running out for Timor-Leste
Jul 24, 2017
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Anthony Fensom, Diplomat
Elections in Timor-Leste have highlighted the challenges facing one of Southeast Asia’s poorest nations, amid predictions that its key oil and gas resources could be…
Afghanistan: Mining Industry’s Incomes Decline Due to ‘Embezzlement’
Jul 22, 2017
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Zabihullah Jahanmal, TOLOnews
Finance Minister Eklil Hakimi has expressed his concerns over a descending incomes from the mining industry, urging the relevant government organizations to put in place…
Conflict Minerals: Decreased Enforcement Expected from SEC Regarding Conflict Minerals Regulations – For Now
Jul 22, 2017
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Joan Meyer, Reagan Demas, and Maria McMahon, Global Compliance News
In April 2017, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC’s) Division of Corporate Finance announced it will not recommend enforcement action for companies that disclose,…
Timor-Leste: Timorese Go to the Polls Unaware of 'Gas Shadow' over Their Nation's Future
Jul 21, 2017
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Lindsay Murdoch, Sydney Morning Herald
More than 750,000 East Timorese will cast votes on Saturday to elect a government that will face tough negotiations that could deliver the poverty-stricken nation…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Neverland Tanker with Disputed Kurdish Oil Reappears off Malta
Jul 21, 2017
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Julia Payne and David Goodman, Reuters
The Neverland tanker has reappeared off the coast of Malta after going off radar near Canada on June 30, when it was chartered by Vitol…
Colombia: FAO and the Colombian Territory Renewal Agency Boost USD 8.8 Million to Support Peace Agreement
Jul 21, 2017
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Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN
During a visit to Colombia, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva announced USD 8.8 million in new joint work initiatives with the Territory Renewal Agency…
Colombia: 6.5 Million Pounds (25 Billion-Pesos) to Kick-Start Colombian Bioeconomy
Jul 21, 2017
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Earlham Institute
Colombian innovation is to benefit from nearly £6.5 million (25 billion-pesos) of UK funding. The award is one of 37 announced by Research Councils UK…
Afghanistan: Afghanistan’s Opium Trade: A Free Market of Racketeers
Jul 19, 2017
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Franz J. Marty, Diplomat
Opium has an analgesic effect and is the base for morphine, heroin, and other opioids that are used for medical purposes, but also for illegal…
Colombia: After Decades of War, Colombian Farmers Face a New Test: Peace
Jul 19, 2017
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Nicholas Casey, New York Times
The peace deal signed late last year between the government and the main rebel group — the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia known as FARC…
Afghanistan: Fruit Traders Seek Access to World's Markets
Jul 19, 2017
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Pajhwok Afghan News
Fruit traders in capital Kabul on Tuesday attended a protest gathering against what they called 'lack of access' to international markets for their products. Dozens…
South Sudan: Crop-Eating Caterpillar to Worsen South Sudan's Hunger Woes - UN
Jul 19, 2017
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Umberto Bacchi, Reuters
An infestation of fall armyworm, a crop-eating caterpillar that has ravaged fields across Africa, will deepen hunger in famine-threatened South Sudan, a U.N. official said…
Afghanistan: Urban Governance Problems in Afghanistan Call for Immediate Action
Jul 19, 2017
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Middle East North Africa Financial Network
Rapid urbanization in Afghanistan has created grave challenges for Afghans, such as lack of access to safe drinking water, waste management resources and social services like…
Sudan: Sudan Gold Revenues Reach $1.6 Billion in First Half of 2017
Jul 18, 2017
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Sudan Tribune
Sudan’s Ministry of Minerals on Tuesday said revenues of gold exports during the first half of 2017 has amounted to $1,6 billion. According to the…
Myanmar: Reporter’s Notebook: Has China’s Pipeline Project Benefited Maday Island Locals?
Jul 18, 2017
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Moe Myint, Irrawaddy
It has been seven years since construction began on a China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) pipeline project that cuts 480 miles across Myanmar. The transmission…
Afghanistan: New Water Resources Strategy Lands in Parliament
Jul 17, 2017
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Daily Outlook Afghanistan
The energy and water minister on Monday presented a new strategy on the country's water resources to the Wolesi Jirga or lower house of the…
Water: Global Hotspots for Potential Water Conflict Identified
Jul 17, 2017
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Oregon State University
More than 1,400 new dams or water diversion projects are planned or already under construction and many of them are on rivers flowing through multiple…
Afghanistan/Iran: Water Talks with Kabul
Jul 16, 2017
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Financial Tribune
Iran and Afghanistan have held preliminary talks about the water rights of transboundary Hamoun Wetlands, Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi said. Speaking to ILNA,…
Syria: Islamic State Set Oil Fields in Raqqa Ablaze
Jul 16, 2017
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Loaa Adel, Syria News
The self-proclaimed Islamic State group, on Sunday, set several oil wells ablaze in the southern countryside of Raqqa, after being recaptured by the Syrian regime…
Colombia: Colombia Coca Cultivation Rises by 50% Says UN
Jul 15, 2017
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BBC
The United Nations says there was a 50% increase last year in the area of land being used to cultivate coca leaf in Colombia. The…
Syria: Syrian Army Takes More Oil Fields from Islamic State in Raqqa and Eastern Desert
Jul 15, 2017
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Suleiman Al-Khalidi, Reuters
The Syrian army backed by heavy Russian air strikes seized a string of oil wells in southwest Raqqa province on Saturday, as retreating Islamic State…
Myanmar: Lawmaker Criticizes Military Action in Illegal Mining Areas
Jul 14, 2017
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Nan Lwin Hnin Pwint, Irrawaddy
Lower House lawmaker representing Kachin’s Tanai Township U Lin Lin Oo criticized a military crackdown on illegal gold and amber mines in the township during…
Iraq/Kurdistan: US Concerned about 'Date' of the Kurdish Referendum
Jul 14, 2017
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Rudaw
The United States thinks that the Kurdish referendum should not take place in September as the process seems to be happening in a "fast timeline",…
Myanmar: Govt Makes K5.3 Billion from Sale of Seized Timber in 2016-17
Jul 14, 2017
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Htoo Thant, Myanmar Times
The Government earned more than K5.3 billion from selling seized timber at auction in fiscal year 2016-17, U Ohn Win, minister of Natural Resources and…
Colombia: Colombia Expands Indigenous Reserves Near Key Deforestation Hotspot
Jul 14, 2017
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Mike Gaworecki, Mongabay
The Colombian government announced yesterday the expansion of two indigenous reserves in the buffer zone of Serrania de Chiribiquete, the South American country’s largest national…
Syria: Animal Health Campaign Helps Support Food Security and Livelihoods for More Than 230,000 People
Jul 14, 2017
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Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN
In strife-torn Syria, the food security and livelihoods situation of some 234,000 people has received a strong boost thanks to a recently completed animal health…
Myanmar: Myanmar Government Begins Responding to Land Grab Protests
Jul 14, 2017
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Coconuts Yangon
The ongoing drama over land seizures in Mandalay Region ended for some farmers on Tuesday when the Myanmar government returned over 300 acres of land…
Colombia: Starbucks Partners with NGOs to Invest Nearly $5 Million USD in Colombian Coffee Industry
Jul 13, 2017
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Jared Wade, Finance Colombia
Seattle-based coffee giant Starbucks announced this week that is has expanded its program to help to support coffee farmers in Colombia with loans, technical training,…