Environmental Peacebuilding Association

International

Iraq: Fighting Robs Iraqi Farmers of Harvest

Sep 29, 2014 | Omar al-Jaffal, Al Monitor

Approximately 60% of the residents of the Salahuddin province, 175 kilometers (109 miles) north of Baghdad, work in farming. Salahuddin was ranked the top producing…

Middle East: Middle East Wild Crops Essential for World Food Security

Sep 29, 2014 | Nadia El-Awady, Nature Middle East

Wild-growing crops in the Middle East could be key to global food security and should be protected and utilised. Two areas in Syria have the world’s…

Sri Lanka: Land Grabs Galore in Uva

Sep 28, 2014 | Nirmala Kannagara

Rampant land grabbing in Uva by the ruling party politicians was one of the key reasons why the government faced a setback at the recently…

Syria: US-Led Airstrikes Hit Militant-Held Syrian Oil Refinery Near Turkish Border

Sep 28, 2014 | Matthew Desmond, Associated Press, US News & World Report

SANLIURFA, Turkey — Airstrikes likely carried out by the U.S.-led coalition struck an oil refinery in Syria held by the Islamic State group on Sunday,…

Iraq/Syria: Isil Oil Funds Don’t Stretch as Far as You Might Think

Sep 28, 2014 | Robin Mills, The National

As repeatedly happens in Middle East conflict, oil infrastructure was a military target last week. On Wednesday, UAE and Saudi warplanes supported US forces in…

South Sudan: 'Dead Aid': Is There Any Hope Left for South Sudan's Economy?

Sep 28, 2014 | Al Bawaba

When South Sudan was born, the world's youngest country had generous Western allies and sturdy oil exports, a formula that offered a chance to build a modern economy and drag its…

Iraq: Turkey, Iraq Trade Ties to Boom, Says Energy Minister

Sep 27, 2014 | Daily Sabah

ISTANBUL — Energy Minister Taner Yıldız, speaking at an interview on Friday dismissed the allegations that Turkey is ignoring ISIS's oil trade along Turkey's borders.…

Iraq/Syria: ISIS Oil Is Going to Its Enemy, the Syrian Regime

Sep 26, 2014 | Ellen Weiss, ABC News

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Call it an unholy alliance, call it complicated, call it the Middle East – but according to several experts, it appears that…

Timor-Leste: Oil Dispute Prompts East Timor PM to Stay

Sep 26, 2014 | Matthew Pennington, Herald Sun

Veteran East Timorese leader Xanana Gusmao says he's pushing back plans to stand down as the fledgling nation's prime minister as his fledgling nation continues…

Syria: Militants Stop Pumping Oil in East Syria after Raids, Activists Say

Sep 26, 2014 | AFP

Beirut: Militants with Daesh have stopped oil extraction from fields in Deir Al Zor province in eastern Syria after US-led strikes targeted refineries, activists told…

Myanmar: MPs Urge Prompt Return of Confiscated Land

Sep 26, 2014 | Nyein Nyein and Zarni Mann, The Irrawaddy

Lawmakers in Burma’s Parliament have urged relevant government ministries to swiftly facilitate the return of unused land that had been confiscated from farmers, or to…

Russia/Ukraine: Under Pact, Russia to Give Gas to Ukraine

Sep 26, 2014 | Melissa Eddy and Alison Smale, New York Times

BERLIN — European officials said Friday that they had brokered a deal between Russia and Ukraine aimed at ensuring gas flows to keep factories running…

China/India/Kashmir: India and China Step Back from Standoff in Kashmir

Sep 26, 2014 | Hari Kumar, New York Times

NEW DELHI — India and China have agreed to defuse the nearly three-week-old standoff between troops in the disputed border region of Ladakh, Kashmir, the…

Colombia: Mining Companies Ordered to Return Land to Natives in Colombia

Sep 26, 2014 | World Bulletin

A Colombian legal tribunal has ordered 11 companies to halt gold-mining operations in a 50,000-hectare (124,000-acre) reserve in the northwest of the country and return…

Bangladesh: Protect Indigenous Rakhines

Sep 25, 2014 | The Daily Star

The state must ensure that the indigenous Rakhines, whose population is down to a few thousand now, do no get wiped out from the country,…

Syria: U.S., Coalition Forces Hit Oil Refineries in Syria

Sep 25, 2014 | Doug Stanglin and Ray Locker, USA TODAY

U.S. aircraft and those from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates struck Islamic State targets in Syria on Wednesday, including 12 oil refineries, the…

Iraq/Syria: Details of Oil Fields in Syria, Oil Locations in Iraq Under Control of Islamic State Group

Sep 25, 2014 | Bassem Mroue, Times Colonist

BEIRUT - For the first time since the Unites States and five Arab countries started bombing positions of the Islamic State group in Syria, oil…

United States: US Homeland Security Moves to Tackle Climate Change Risks

Sep 25, 2014 | Lisa Anderson, Reuters

NEW YORK - Protecting the infrastructure of American cities from the effects of climate change is rising on the agenda of the U.S. Department of…

Conflict Minerals: Canadian Conflict Minerals Bill Fails at Second Reading

Sep 25, 2014 | Metal Bulletin

Canada’s proposed conflict minerals legislation has failed at its second reading, which took place in the country’s House of Commons on Wednesday September 24.Bill C-486:…

Conflict Minerals: Campaigners Push for 'Conflict-Free' Phones

Sep 25, 2014 | Tim Friend, Al Jazeera

A huge number of phones and electronic items are made with metals from mines in conflict-ridden countries, but campaigners in Europe are looking to end…

South Sudan: China to Send UN Troops to South Sudan, Denies Deployment Related to Oil Investment

Sep 25, 2014 | Kathleen Caulderwood, International Business Times

China will send 700 troops to South Sudan as part of a U.N. peacekeeping mission to help civilians after nine months of violent conflict that…

Myanmar: Govt Accused of Blocking Debate Over MP’s Coal-Fired Plant

Sep 25, 2014 | Eleven Myanmar

MPs from different parties in the Aeyeywady Region parliament are uniting in their effort to urge the regional government to discuss its plans to build…

Syria: Warplanes Blast Militants' Refineries in Syria, Targeting a Source of Cash

Sep 25, 2014 | Helene Cooper and Anne Barnard, New York Times

WASHINGTON — Warplanes from the United States, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on Thursday attacked what military officials believe were the majority of…

Myanmar: Inspectors to Fan Out Along China Border to Curb Timber Smuggling: Ministry

Sep 24, 2014 | Eleven Myanmar

Inspection teams and checkpoints will be expanded in major timber smuggling areas in Sagaing and Mandalay regions as well as northern Shan State to seal…

Conflict Minerals: EU Failing To Stifle Deadly Trade In Conflict Minerals: Rights Groups

Sep 24, 2014 | RTT News

The European Union is failing to stifle a deadly trade in conflict minerals, a coalition of rights groups warned on Wednesday, ahead of weak new…

Iraq: Iraq Army Counters ISIL Attack on Baiji Oil Refinery

Sep 24, 2014 | Press TV

The Iraqi army, backed by Sunni tribesmen and Shia volunteers, has countered an attack by the ISIL terrorist group on the country’s largest oil refinery.

The…

South Sudan: Humanitarian Assistance Helps Stabilise South Sudan Food Security, But Concerns Remain For Next Year, WFP Warns

Sep 24, 2014 | World Food Programme

JUBA – In the wake of a new food security analysis announcing improvements in South Sudan, the UN World Food Programme (WFP), which has provided…