International
Iraq: The Truth behind Oil Theft in Iraq's Basra
Feb 5, 2017
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Salam Zidane, Al-Monitor
Iraqi members of parliament have recently addressed the Oil Ministry with allegations related to the daily theft of Basra oil due to the malfunctioning of…
India: No Water Wars Here: How 2 Villages on Kerala-Karnataka Border Share Water Every Year
Feb 3, 2017
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Aishhwariya Subramanian, Better India
Although news is generally dominated by disputes that sprout between different states in India over sharing of water from the country’s rivers, there is a quiet oasis…
Iraq: Emergency Fertilizer Distributions Help Conflict-Affected Iraqi Farmers Increase Wheat Production
Feb 2, 2017
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UN FAO
More than 2 000 farmers affected by conflict in Iraq have received 750 tonnes of fertilizer from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United…
Conflict Minerals: Massachusetts to Sign Legislation Fighting Deadly 'Conflict Minerals' in the DRC
Feb 2, 2017
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Elsa Buchanan, International Business Times
Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker is expected to sign a statewide legislation to fight against deadly "conflict minerals" in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) this…
Afghanistan: EU Project to Monitor Afghan Agri System Signed
Feb 1, 2017
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Pajhwok
The signing ceremony of a European Union (EU)-funded project, aimed at assisting the Afghan government to assess agriculture production systems and to strengthen institutional capacity,…
Myanmar: 571 Tonnes of Illegal Timber Seized in Three Separate Raids at Yangon Port
Feb 1, 2017
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Kyi Kyi Sway, Myanmar Times
The Yangon Forest Department has seized 571 tonnes of illegally logged timber and nabbed the managing directors of two companies, department director U Thein Toe…
Conflict Minerals: Acting SEC Chair Seeks to Scale back 'Conflict Minerals' Rule
Feb 1, 2017
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Sarah N. Lynch, Reuters
The top Republican at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday took the first step toward scaling back the controversial "conflict minerals" rule, which…
Conflict Minerals: For Conflict Minerals and Resource Extraction Disclosures, the End Appears Nigh
Feb 1, 2017
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Kristyn Hyland, Bureau of National Affairs
Acting Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Michael Piwowar took the first steps toward scaling back the conflict mineral disclosure rule Jan. 31, directing the SEC…
Afghanistan: Militant Groups in Afghanistan Get Rich off Mineral Smuggling
Feb 1, 2017
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Noor Zahid, Voice of America
The smuggling of Afghan minerals supplies millions of dollars to armed groups, insurgents and strongmen in the country, an Afghan anti-corruption watchdog reported Wednesday. The…
Iraq: Iraq's Wetland Paradise under Threat
Feb 1, 2017
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Emilienne Malfatto, Deutsche Welle
Climate change, poor usage and distribution of water in Iraq, and above all dams upriver, have dramatically reduced the volume of water flowing into the wetlands. The…
South Sudan: Juba Now Extends Oil Extraction Contracts
Feb 1, 2017
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Kennedy Senelwa, East African
South Sudan has extended the crude oil exploration and production licences given to Asian multinationals by five years to increase output. The Petroleum Ministry has…
Colombia: Land Claimant Assassinated, Presumably by Forces Wanting to Keep War Trophies
Jan 30, 2017
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Adriaan Alsema, Colombia Reports
Deadly attacks against displaced war victims trying to have their land returned cost yet another life on Sunday in an ongoing wave of violence against community leaders in…
Afghanistan: Badakhshan Mining Revenue Goes to Illegal Gunmen
Jan 30, 2017
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Gul Mohammad Tanha, Pajhwok
Illegal gunmen and insurgents have been digging up gold and lapis lazuli mines in northeastern Badakhshan province, local officials said on Monday. Mohammad Akbar Anwari,…
South Sudan: South Sudan Plans to Double Oil Production
Jan 29, 2017
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Sudan Tribune
South Sudan aims to double its oil production to 290,000 barrels per day in fiscal year 2017/2018, up from current output of around 130,000 barrels…
Afghanistan: Taliban, Collecting Bills for Afghan Utilities, Tap New Revenue Sources
Jan 28, 2017
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Mujib Mashal and Najim Rahim, New York Times
The Afghan government faces a peculiar problem in at least two major provinces: It provides precious electricity, some of it imported at costly rates from…
Timor-Leste: Under the Radar: East Timor’s $40 Billion Oil Conundrum
Jan 28, 2017
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Global Risk Insights
With the host of maritime disputes in the Pacific, it is encouraging to see efforts at reconciliation and compromise, as Australia and East Timor have…
Conflict Minerals: European Parliamentary Committee Backs Conflict Minerals Regulation
Jan 27, 2017
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Tammy Lovell, Chemical Watch
European parliamentary committee backs conflict minerals Regulation. The European Parliament's international trade committee (Inta) has backed an agreement to adopt an EU Regulation on conflict…
Myanmar: Kachin Park Handed Back to Original Owners
Jan 26, 2017
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Eleven
Some parts of the Kareinnaw recreation gardens, one of the most prominent parks in Myitkyina, has been transferred to the family of the original owner,…
Myanmar: Dozens Facing Trespass Charge for Cutting Bamboo in Delta
Jan 26, 2017
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Mratt Kyaw Thu, Frontier
Thirty-seven farmers in Ayeyarwady Region are facing the possibility of prison time after the son of a retired military officer accused them of cutting bamboo…
Myanmar: Mandalay Govt to Confiscate Unused Farmland
Jan 25, 2017
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Eleven
The Mandalay Region government announced Tuesday that it will confiscate unused farmland from its current owners. The announcement stated the government plans to confiscate 40,895…
Iraq: PM Abadi Says Iraq's Oil is for Iraqis, in Reaction to Trump
Jan 24, 2017
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Reuters
Iraq's oil is the property of Iraqis, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Tuesday, in reaction to U.S. President Donald Trump who argued that the…
Afghanistan/Pakistan: Pakistan Aims for Water Treaty with Afghanistan
Jan 23, 2017
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Maqbool Malikm, The Nation
Pakistan is about to start talks with Afghanistan to secure a bilateral treaty for the use of water related to Kabul River. The move apparently…
Iraq: The Minister of Oil Declares the Accomplishment of the Draft of the Oil and Gas Law
Jan 23, 2017
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Rebuilding Iraq
Mr. Jabbar A. Allibi, the Minister of Oil, declared for the accomplishment of the laws of the national petroleum company and the national gas company…
Liberia: Chinese Firm to Make $2.6bn Investment in Liberian Iron Ore Mining
Jan 23, 2017
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Tech Featured
China Union intends to spend US$2.6bn to bring the Bong iron ore deposit to production within two years, and will also recondition the capital’s port…
Afghanistan/Iran: Afghan Authorities Accuse Iran of Using Taliban to Undercut Water Projects
Jan 23, 2017
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Noor Zahid, Voice of America
Afghan governors in southern and western provinces charged on Monday that Iran is using an increasingly close relationship with the Afghan Taliban to target power…
India: MPs’ Panel Asks WB to Arbitrate on Indus Waters Treaty
Jan 21, 2017
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Israr Khan, The News
In the face of the India’s threat to Indus Water Treaty 1960, Pakistani parliamentarians in a special combine standing committee on foreign affairs and water…
Iraq: Trump on Iraq: ‘We Should Have Kept the oil’
Jan 21, 2017
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Danny McDonald, Boston Globe
On the day after he was sworn in as the 45th president in American history, Donald Trump stepped in foreign policy controversy, saying the US…
Myanmar: Freed Myanmar Farmers Renew Fight against Army over Land
Jan 20, 2017
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Wa Lone, Reuters
Farmers locked in a land dispute with Myanmar's armed forces pledged to renew their fight after being released from jail on Friday, in a case…
Iraq: Iraqi Sheep, Locals, Environment Suffer Islamic State Oil Fires
Jan 19, 2017
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Girish Guptam, Reuters
Shepherds herd blackened flocks through the Iraqi desert. Locals cough and wheeze under vast clouds of smoke, and NASA images show oil threatening to encroach…
Vietnam/South China Sea: Vietnam Police Halt Anti-China Protest over Islands
Jan 19, 2017
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Reuters
Police in Vietnam's capital stopped an anti-China protest within minutes on Thursday at a ceremony to commemorate a clash between the two countries in the…