News
Afghanistan: Chamber of Industries and Mines Starts Functioning
Aug 7, 2017
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Pajhwok Afghan News
The newly-created Afghanistan Chamber of Industries and Mines (ACIM) on Monday started functioning, vowing to develop industries, prevent illegal mineral extraction and attract investment in…
Colombia: Conflict Victims and Biologists Come Together in Medellin to Protest Proposed Hydroelectric Project
Aug 6, 2017
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Taran Volckhausen, Colombia Reports
Around 50 victims of the armed conflict arrived in Colombia’s second largest city Medellin to meet with university biologists and students to show resistance against…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Kurdistan Deprived from Constitutional Share of Iraq’s International Loans
Aug 6, 2017
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Baxtiyar Goran, Kurdistan 24
Iraq’s international debt has exceeded USD $111 billion due to wars waged by the former regime against neighboring countries, the current war against the Islamic…
Myanmar: Flood-Hit Farmers Given Seeds
Aug 5, 2017
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Eleven
The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fishery will distribute paddy seeds to farmers in flood-hit villages nationwide, according to the Deputy Permanent Secretary Myo Tint…
How the Conflict Minerals Rule Failed
Aug 4, 2017
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Rick Paulas
Between 1998 and 2007, more than 5.4 million people died in the Democratic Republic of Congo due to mass displacement, food shortages, lack of medical infrastructure, and other causes…
Where Will Myanmar's Energy Come From?
Aug 4, 2017
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Amara Thiha
Myanmar’s high growth in electricity demand — rising by around 13 percent annually — is a challenge for the government. Demand is estimated to reach 4,500 MW by 2020 and 13,410…
Myanmar: Substandard Water Firms Suspended
Aug 4, 2017
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Ei Thinzar Kyaw, Eleven
Drinking-water brands that violate good manufacturing practices have been suspended, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). FDA officials launched a surprise inspection on…
Iraq: Iraqi Oil Wealth Not Enough for Broad Economic Growth
Aug 4, 2017
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Daniel J. Graeber, United Press International
Corruption and internal political rifts could be factors weighing on the economy of OPEC-member Iraq, a report from Moody's Investors Service said. Moody's gave Iraq…
China/Vietnam/South China Sea: Vietnam, Yielding to Beijing, Backs off South China Sea Drilling
Aug 4, 2017
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Mike Ives, New York Times
Vietnam appears to have retreated in a high-stakes maritime gambit against China, suspending a gas-drilling project that it had approved in the South China Sea…
Myanmar: Gem Traders Blame Smuggling on Tax Rate
Aug 4, 2017
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Htet Naing Zaw, Irrawaddy
The government is losing a large sum on gems and jewelry sales as gems traders smuggle them into China because of a steep trade tax,…
Liberia: Zoa-Liberia's Commendable Initiative with Value-Added Cassava Products
Aug 4, 2017
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Joaquin M. Sendolo, Observer
Cassava is found in many countries, especially in West Africa, and is the most important food crop besides rice. In many countries in the West…
Solar Energy — Putting Power back into the Hands of Ordinary Gazans
Aug 3, 2017
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Sara Badiei
"We have electricity for two hours every 24 hours," says a high-ranking energy official in Gaza. Up to just 10 years ago, Gaza enjoyed full,…
From Reports to Results: How the Liberia Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative Makes Transparency Count
Aug 3, 2017
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Christoph Buchberger
How do you make sure that increased transparency in the natural resource sector yields the desired results? The Liberia Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (LEITI) asked…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraq's Kirkuk Province Spurns Plan to Ship Its Oil to Iran
Aug 3, 2017
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Khalid Al Ansary, Bloomberg
Iraq’s northern province of Kirkuk refuses to cooperate with any plans to ship its oil to neighboring Iran because the central government didn’t consult with…
Myanmar: Myanmar’s Resources Fine but Fast Disappearing
Aug 3, 2017
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Myat Moe Aung, Myanmar Times
Myanmar is among the few countries in the world whose natural resources exceed the requirements of its citizens, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)…
Colombia: Colombian Avocado Grower Invests in New Land, Bee Hives to Boost Production
Aug 3, 2017
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Fresh Fruit Portal
A Colombian avocado grower is making the most of the national government’s “Pacts for Innovation” program, setting up bee hives on its farms to both…
South China Sea: Repsol Suspends Oil Project in Disputed Sea off Vietnam
Aug 3, 2017
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Channel NewsAsia
Spanish oil giant Repsol said it has suspended a multi-million-dollar oil exploration project in an area of the South China Sea off Vietnam claimed by…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Kurds' Statehood Vote Could Spark Conflict, Erdogan Aide Warns
Aug 3, 2017
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Selcan Hacaoglu, Bloomberg
Iraqi Kurds run the risk of armed conflict with government forces and alienating neighbors if they push ahead with a proposed referendum on independence, according…
Colombia: Chinese Investment Can Help Conserve the Environment in Peace Process Colombia
Aug 3, 2017
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Fabíola Ortiz, Dialogo Chino
Colombia is at a historic juncture after ratifying a peace accord with guerrilla group the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in November last year…
Afghanistan: Tackling Ozone Depleting Substances as Casualties Mount in Afghanistan
Aug 3, 2017
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UN Environment
National stakeholders, industry, civil society, government officials and international environment experts gathered in Kabul to create awareness for and implement a national phase out plan…
Will Afghanistan's Minerals Shape Trump's Policy Toward the Region?
Aug 2, 2017
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Ahmad Shah Katawazai
In addition to Afghanistan’s geopolitical and geostrategic importance, its lucrative mineral resources — estimated to be worth between $1 and $3 trillion — could be one of the…
China-Vietnam Relations Fall to a One-Year Low over a New Maritime Dispute
Aug 2, 2017
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Ralph Jennings
After a world court tribunal ruled last year in July that Beijing lacked legal rights to claim most of the South China Sea, it stepped…
South Sudan: Crop-Eating Worms, Cattle Disease Add to South Sudan Anguish
Aug 2, 2017
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Okech Francis, Bloomberg
More than three years of fighting have slashed South Sudan’s oil output and left half its people facing severe food shortages. Now crop-eating caterpillars and…
Colombia: Environmental Risks Behind Peace Accords in Colombia
Aug 2, 2017
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Fabíola Ortiz, InDepthNews
The peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) – signed in November 2016 and ratified early December by the Colombian Congress –…
Myanmar: Israeli Agricultural Experts Bring ‘Sustainable Experience’ to Myanmar
Aug 2, 2017
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Pan Pwint, Mizzima
Last week two Israeli agricultural experts came to Myanmar to exchange views on agricultural practices that might be suitable for the country’s rural sector. Professor…
Myanmar: IFC Promotes Better Usage of Agriculture Inputs through Good Agriculture Practices
Aug 2, 2017
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Mizzima
At a one-day workshop on Good Agriculture Practices (GAP) organized by IFC and MoALI in Nyuang Shwe, 300 participants — including 200 tomato farmers —…
Afghanistan: Nepal-Funded Greenhouse Built in Kabul
Aug 2, 2017
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Xinhua
A greenhouse to preserve fruit products has been constructed with the financial support of Nepal in Paghman, a district of Afghanistan's Kabul, the Ministry for…
Afghanistan: All That Glitters Is Not Gold
Aug 1, 2017
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Catherine Putz
The Trump administration would benefit from recalling the cautionary adage “All that glitters is not gold” when contemplating the theoretical wealth of resources hidden in…
Trump’s New Afghanistan Strategy: Keep the Minerals!
Aug 1, 2017
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Eric Levitz
Donald Trump spent most of his campaign sounding like the adult son of George Wallace and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. But every once in…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Kurdistan Claims Iraq-Iran Oil Pipeline Violates US Sanctions
Aug 1, 2017
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Tsvetana Paraskova, OilPrice.com
The autonomous Iraqi region of Kurdistan has not been informed of plans by the central government that Iraq and Iran agreed to study the potential…