International
Myanmar: MP Submits Urgent Proposal for El Niño Preparedness
Feb 23, 2016
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Eleven Myanmar
A parliamentary representative from the Union Solidarity and Development Party submitted an important proposal to Lower House of Parliament yesterday urging the Union government to…
Myanmar: El Niño Drives Up Temperatures Across Swaths of Burma
Feb 23, 2016
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The Irrawaddy
As El Niño hits the most extreme of its 12- to 18-month cycle, large swaths of Burma have been beleaguered by high temperatures and water…
DRC: As UN Chief Comes to Congo, New Report Tracks Efforts to Dismantle Resource Curse
Feb 23, 2016
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ENOUGH Project
As UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrives today in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Enough Project released an in-depth status report on initiatives…
Conflict Minerals: The Dutch Approach to the EU Conflict Minerals Regulation
Feb 23, 2016
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Justmeans
The trialogue negotiations taking place between the EU Commission, EU Council, and EU Parliament have proved to be challenging. However, there has been one promising…
China/South China Sea: Contest Over South China Sea Spurred in Part by Resources
Feb 23, 2016
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Shannon Van Sant, Voice of America
With tensions mounting over maritime disputes in the South China Sea, the cause of the problem, at least in part, is believed to lie at…
Liberia: Two IFAD-Supported Projects Contribute to Post-Ebola Recovery in Liberia
Feb 22, 2016
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International Fund for Agricultural Development
The Republic of Liberia and the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) signed two agreements today to finance the Tree Crops Extension Project…
Colombia: Colombian Court Bans Oil, Gas and Mining Operations in Paramos
Feb 21, 2016
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David Hill, Guardian
Colombia’s Constitutional Court has ruled against a controversial legal loophole permitting oil, gas and mining operations in the country’s paramos - high altitude eco-systems. Colombia’s…
Myanmar: Myanmar Vigilante Opium Stand-Off Continues
Feb 21, 2016
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BBC
A stand-off is continuing in Myanmar between police and Christian anti-drug vigilantes, who want to destroy poppy fields in the northern state of Kachin. Police…
Cyprus: Water Wars Jeopardises Coalition in North
Feb 20, 2016
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Cyprus Mail
The National Unity Party (UBP), which is part of the ‘government coalition’ in the north along with the Republican Turkish Party (CTP), gave an ultimatum…
Turkey: Sabotaged Oil Pipeline to Turkey to be Repaired Next Week: Source
Feb 20, 2016
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Reuters
A pipeline sabotaged in Turkey last Tuesday halting oil flows from northern Iraq to a Turkish port is expected to be repaired next week though…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Abadi Promises 17% of Budget to KRG in Exchange for Ceasing Oil Sales
Feb 20, 2016
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NRT
Iraqi Member of Parliament Bakhtyar Shaways announced on Saturday (Feb. 20) that Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has reaffirmed his offer to provide the Kurdistan…
Myanmar: Myanmar Activists Say Destruction of Opium Fields Blocked
Feb 19, 2016
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Associated Press
Anti-drug activists said Friday the military and local police are preventing them from destroying fields of opium poppies in northern Myanmar, a major cultivation area…
Myanmar: Chinese Company to Begin Controversial Copper Mining Operation in Myanmar
Feb 19, 2016
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Radio Free Asia
A Chinese mining company will begin copper production at a controversial site in central Myanmar in May, a month after the new government led by…
Iraq: Post-War Iraq: 'Everybody is Corrupt, from Top to Bottom. Including Me'
Feb 19, 2016
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Martin Chulov, Guardian
One of Iraq’s anti-corruption leaders sat in his office, waving his hands in exasperation. “There is no solution,” he said. “Everybody is corrupt, from the…
Myanmar: Kachin State Authorities Continue Illegal Timber Seizures, Myanmar Official Says
Feb 18, 2016
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Radio Free Asia
Kachin state government authorities in northern Myanmar seized more than 20,000 metric tons (22,046 U.S. tons) of illegal timber near the country’s border with China…
Iraq: Iraq to Shrink Paramilitary Forces Due to Shortage of Funds
Feb 18, 2016
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Sinan Salaheddin, Associated Press
The Iraqi government has decided to cut the number of state-financed paramilitary forces due to a shortage of funds as the international oil price declines,…
Myanmar: Local Mining Applications Delayed by New Gemstones Law
Feb 17, 2016
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Chan Mya Htwe, Myanmar Times
New concessions to explore gem-rich areas in upper Myanmar will not be granted until by-laws to the Myanmar Gemstones Law have been passed, which is…
Abyei/Sudan: Dinka Council of Elders Accused of Trying to Annex Parts of Abyei to Twic State
Feb 17, 2016
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Radio Tamazuj
'Elites of Twic Mayardit community' including at least one member of Salva Kiir Mayardit's advisory group, the Dinka Council of Elders, have been accused of…
China/South China Sea: China Foreign Minister Downplays Missile Deployment Reports
Feb 17, 2016
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Christopher Bodeen and Ralph Jennings, Associated Press
Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday sought to downplay reports that China had positioned anti-aircraft missiles on a disputed South China Sea island, accusing the…
Kurdistan/Iraq: Iraq PM Offers Cash-Strapped Kurds Salaries for Oil
Feb 16, 2016
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Agence France-Presse
Iraq’s federal government will pay the salaries of the cash-strapped Kurdish region’s employees if it halts its independent oil exports, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said…
Iraq: Iraq Ready to Freeze Oil Output at January Levels Pending Deal - Source
Feb 16, 2016
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Reuters
Iraq is ready to commit to freezing its oil production at January levels if a deal is reached among OPEC and non-OPEC countries, an Iraqi…
Myanmar: Jade Trade: Official Export Earnings Down for 2015
Feb 16, 2016
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Kyaw Hsu Mon, The Irrawaddy
Revenue derived from Burma’s official jade exports declined in the first nine months of the 2015-16 fiscal year, as the lucrative industry continues to draw…
Colombia: Colombia Continues Gaining Ground in the Avocado Market
Feb 16, 2016
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Portafolio
Colombia continues gaining ground in the global avocado market; a market in which it competes against Peru, South Africa, Chile, Israel, and Kenya. Last year,…
Myanmar: Myanmar Prepares for Water Shortages as El Nino Persists
Feb 16, 2016
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John Zaw, Union of Catholic Asian News
Myanmar's meteorologists and government officials have warned that the country could face El Nino effect of severe heat, drought and water scarcity this summer. El…
Afghanistam: Penetrating Every Stage of Afghan Opium Chain, Taliban Become a Cartel
Feb 16, 2016
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Azam Ahmed, New York Times
Mullah Rashid is just one of dozens of senior Taliban leaders who are so enmeshed in the drug trade that it has become difficult to…
Timor-Leste: How Far is Fair Enough? New Moves in Timor Gap's 40-Plus Years of Boundary Battles
Feb 15, 2016
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Michael Leach, Lowy Interpreter
Many Australians remain unaware that Australia and Timor-Leste have no settled maritime boundary. Instead, a complex series of revenue-sharing agreements has allowed some oil and…
Myanmar: Hpakant Protesters Negotiate with Authorities over Waste Soil Dumps
Feb 15, 2016
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Zarni Mann, The Irrawaddy
Locals in Kachin State’s Hpakant Township, who began protesting in three different villages on Saturday against the continued dumping of waste soil in their areas,…
Afghanistan: Tasked with Combating Opium, Afghan Officials Profit from It
Feb 15, 2016
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Azam Ahmed, New York Times
In the district of Garmsir, poppy cultivation not only is tolerated, but is a source of money that the local government depends on. Officials have…
China/South China Sea: Satellite Images: China Manufactures Land at New Sites in the Paracel Islands
Feb 13, 2016
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Victor Robert Lee, Diplomat
Satellite images show dredging and land filling by China at two new sites in the South China Sea, both in the Amphitrite group of the…
Liberia: Clashes Between Liberian, Burkinabe Communities Kill 3 People
Feb 13, 2016
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Agence Africaine de Presse
Reports from Grand Gedeh County in northeastern Liberia say three people have died in a clash between residents and Burkinabe occupying land in the area.The…