International
Iraq: Iraq Oil Ministry Companies Must Become Profitable - Minister
Jun 12, 2017
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Ahmed Rasheed, Reuters
Iraq's Oil Minister Jabar al-Luaibi says oil ministry companies must work on becoming profitable by the end of 2017. Luaibi encourages oil ministry companies to…
Ethiopia/South Sudan: Ethiopia, South Sudan to Develop Joint Border Infrastructure Development Projects
Jun 12, 2017
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Xinhua
Ethiopia and the world's newest nation South Sudan are to develop joint infrastructure development projects that would help create regional economic interconnection. The statement was…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraqi Christians Complain about Land-Grabbing by Kurds – USCIRF Report
Jun 11, 2017
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Lorraine Caballero, Christian Daily
Iraqi Christians who have fled to Kurdistan to escape the atrocities of the Islamic State in their hometowns have complained that ethnic Kurds are seizing…
Colombia: Colombia is Fighting Cocaine by Making Coca Farmers Choose “Poverty or Prison”
Jun 10, 2017
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Christopher Crosby, Vice
Under a canopy hiding his laboratorio from patrolling military aircraft, Ricardo shreds green coca leaves until they carpet the jungle floor like confetti. It’s an initial step in a…
South Sudan: South Sudan Seeks More Investment in Oil Sector
Jun 10, 2017
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Xinhua
South Sudan has invited more oil companies to invest in exploration, production and distribution in order to double the country's daily output, Petroleum Minister Ezekiel…
Myanmar: State Agencies Face Legal Dispute over Pak Beng Dam
Jun 9, 2017
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Pratch Rujivanarom, Eleven
Citizens from eight Thai provinces along the Mekong River are suing state agencies for ill planning the Pak Beng hydropower dam. Various provinces are suing…
Colombia: As Colombia's FARC Disarms, Rebels Enlisted to Fight Deforestation
Jun 9, 2017
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Anastasia Moloney, Reuters
Seen from the air, muddy rivers snake through rolling forested hills stretching to the horizon in Colombia's southern province of Caqueta that for decades were…
Conflict Minerals: Financial CHOICE Act Passes House — Would Repeal SEC Conflict Minerals Rule
Jun 9, 2017
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National Law Review
On June 8, 2017, the US House of Representatives passed the Financial CHOICE Act by a vote of 233 to 186. The bill was sponsored…
Conflict Minerals: US Could Fuel War in Africa by Dropping Conflict Minerals Rule Argue Senators, Rights Groups
Jun 8, 2017
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Conor Gaffey, Newsweek
The United States could fuel widespread violence and corruption in central Africa if it drops a rule requiring American companies to account for their use…
Iraq: Iraq on a Tear to Triple Its Refining Capacity, Keep up with Its Growing Production
Jun 8, 2017
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Oil & Gas 360
Iraq is planning to triple its refining capacity as the third-largest oil exporter increases crude oil production, Bloomberg reported, based on an interview with an…
Conflict Minerals: EU Commission Seeks SME Views on Conflict Minerals Regulation
Jun 8, 2017
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Chemical Watch
The European Commission is seeking the views of SMEs on the EU conflict minerals Regulation, which was published in the EU’s Official Journal in May.…
Myanmar: Burma Will Join Asian Forest Cooperation Organization
Jun 7, 2017
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Nyein Nyein, Irrawaddy
The Union Parliament on Tuesday approved the signing of the regional agreement for the establishment of the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO), after President U Htin Kyaw put…
Myanmar: Dam and Water Tax Bill Adopted
Jun 7, 2017
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Soe Min Htike, Nyein Zaw Lin, and Myo Min Htet, Eleven
The farmers have to pay Ks 2,000 (US$1.5) per acre for using water throughout the farming season, plus Ks 500 per acre for the protection…
Myanmar: Over 1900 Unresolved Land Cases in Yangon
Jun 7, 2017
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Myat Nyein Aye, Myanmar Times
There are more than a thousand unresolved cases of land seizure in Yangon so far under the NLD government, according to the committee appointed to…
Conflict Minerals: Violence Warned over US Dropping Conflict Minerals Rule
Jun 7, 2017
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Justin Lynch, Associated Press
Increased violence and corruption in central Africa could be the result of the recent decision by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission not to enforce…
Water: Water a 'Catalyst' for Cooperation, Indus Treaty Survived Three Indo-Pak Wars: UN Chief
Jun 7, 2017
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India TV
Citing the example of Indus Water Treaty between India and Pakistan that has survived three wars, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday said that…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraqi Kurds to Hold Independence Referendum in September
Jun 7, 2017
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Chase Winter, Deutsche Welle
Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region on Wednesday announced it would hold an independence referendum in September, bringing the Kurds one step closer to achieving a century-long dream…
South Sudan: S. Sudanese Strive to Make Local Agricultural Products Competitive
Jun 7, 2017
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Xinhua
South Sudanese local agricultural innovations are slowly gaining recognition amid difficulty in financing and high operational costs due to lack of infrastructure further compounded by…
Colombia: Cargill and Solidaridad Establish Palm Oil Sustainability Program in Colombia
Jun 7, 2017
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PRNewswire
Cargill, in collaboration with the international nonprofit Solidaridad and the Colombian-based international trading company, C.I. Biocosta S.A., announced today a new palm oil smallholder sustainability…
Myanmar: Skin Cure Fad Driving Myanmar Elephant Poaching Surge: WWF
Jun 5, 2017
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Agence France-Presse
Myanmar's wild elephants are being poached in record numbers with at least 20 killed this year due to surging demand for their hide, WWF said…
Afghanistan/Pakistan: Unrest as Pakistan-Afghan Border Cuts through Tribal Land [Video]
Jun 3, 2017
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Zein Basravi, Al Jazeera
The disputed border that divides Afghanistan and Pakistan has become a flashpoint in recent months. Afghan troops recently shot and killed Pakistani soldiers and civilians…
Myanmar: New EIA/SIA Causes Fear among Local Villagers of Coal Mining Expansion in Nam Ma
Jun 2, 2017
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Shan State Farmers’ Network
A recent visit by a Burmese environmental consulting company to Nam Ma, Hsipaw township, northern Shan State, has caused local villagers to fear that the…
Myanmar: Watchdog Accuses Companies of Mining in Kachin with Expired Permits
Jun 1, 2017
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Chan Mya Htwe, Myanmar Times
Mining companies in the Hpakant and Lone Khin jade mining areas have been operating in each other’s existing licensed plots after the expiration of their…
Afghanistan: 6:30 Report: A Look at Illegal Mining in Afghanistan [Video]
Jun 1, 2017
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TOLOnews
In this episode of 6:30 Report, host Tariq Majidi looks at evidence that reveals the extent of ongoing illegal extraction of minerals from mines in…
Myanmar: Proposed Gemstone Legislation Risks Leaving Flawed System Intact
May 30, 2017
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Thompson Chau, Myanmar Times
In July 2016, the new NLD-led government decided to suspend issuing jade and gemstone licences until relevant laws could be reviewed and an environmental management…
Myanmar: Deputy Defense Minister: Army Agriculture on Confiscated Land Saves Money
May 30, 2017
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Pe Thet Htet Khin, Irrawaddy
The Burma Army’s farming projects inside cantonments and on confiscated land saves more than 75 billion kyats annually from the state’s budget, said Deputy Minister…
South Sudan: Indian ‘Blue Helmets’ in South Sudan Tackle Deadly Cattle Raids
May 29, 2017
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Press Trust of India
At the centre of the raging South Sudan conflict is not oil or territory but cattle, which, Indian UN peacekeepers posted to the African nation…
Myanmar: In Myanmar, a Lake that Sustained Generations Feels Strains
May 28, 2017
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Doug Clark, New York Times
Today, every morning and afternoon, fishermen still paddle out, singing Burmese songs, trailing gillnets with soda bottle buoys. But despite the encircling mountains and buffering…
Myanmar: Myanmar's Peace Conference Reaches Agreement for Most Points with Five Sectors on Second Day Session
May 26, 2017
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Zhou Xin, Xinhua
Myanmar's ongoing 21st Century Panglong Peace Conference reached agreement for most points in five sectors on Thursday, the second day session of the conference held…
DRC: Study Finds Congo's Miners often Resort to Hunting Wildlife for Food
May 26, 2017
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Phys.org
A new study by WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) has revealed how mining for valuable minerals in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a major…