International
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…
Iraq: Iraq Oil Revenues Now at Just 15% of Level Two Years Ago: PM
Feb 12, 2016
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Agence France-Presse
Iraq's oil revenues have sunk to just 15 percent of their value two years ago, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Thursday, as he urged the…
Myanmar: Mining Ministry Calls for By-Law Proposals
Feb 12, 2016
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Chan Mya Htwe, Myanmar Times
The Ministry of Mines is preparing to amend the by-laws for a new mining law and has asked for suggestions and proposals. The Pyidaungsu Hluttaw…
Myanmar: Illegal Trade Soars without Customs Teams
Feb 12, 2016
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Chan Mya Htwe, Myanmar Times
Illegal trade has risen since the government abolished its smuggling taskforce in December, leading to a fall in official business through the country’s largest cross-border…
Myanmar: Central Myanmar Already Short on Water
Feb 12, 2016
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Eleven Myanmar
Residents from Myaing Township in Pakokku District, Magway Region, are already facing water scarcity as artesian wells are running dry. Myaye Yint village has faced…
Kurdistan/Iraq: Iraqi PM Discourages Kurdish Independence Referendum
Feb 11, 2016
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Reuters
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi urged the country's autonomous Kurdistan region not to go ahead with a proposed referendum on independence, saying it would be…
Conflict Minerals: University of Glasgow Commits to Clearing Supply Chains of Conflict Minerals
Feb 11, 2016
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Blue and Green Tomorrow
Student campaigners have celebrated action taken by the University of Glasgow to address human rights abuses in its ethical procurement policy. They say that the…
Conflict Minerals: Negotiations Begin in Europe on Proposed Legislation
Feb 10, 2016
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Institute of Printed Circuits
Informal negotiations between the EU Council, Commission and Parliament (trialogue) started on the conflict minerals dossier on February 1, 2016. The trialogue is an informal,…
Sudan/Darfur: Sudan Summons U.S. Envoy over Darfur Sanctions Draft Resolution
Feb 10, 2016
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Reuters
Sudan's foreign ministry summoned the U.S. charge d'affairs in Khartoum on Wednesday over Washington's sponsorship of a draft UN Security Council resolution extending sanctions related…