News
How a Pink Flower Defeated the World’s Sole Superpower
Feb 21, 2016
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Alfred W. McCoy
After fighting the longest war in its history, the United States stands at the brink of defeat in Afghanistan. How can this be possible? How…
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…
Afghanistan’s Opium Solution
Feb 19, 2016
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Ryan Mernin
For fourteen years, beginning in 2001, the U.S. fought a war on two fronts in Afghanistan: one to destroy the Taliban, the other to destroy…
The Role of Women in Creating Climate Resilient Communities: Focus on the Philippines
Feb 19, 2016
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Laura Fairman
The Philippines is one of the world’s most vulnerable populations to the effects of climate change. When the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction…
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,…
Fair Share: Toward an Equitable Resource Revenue System
Feb 17, 2016
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Andrew Bauer
Myanmar’s government currently collects much of the trillions of kyat generated by oil, gas, gemstones and other minerals each year, primarily through its state-owned economic…
From Fragility to Resilience: Managing Natural Resources in Fragile Situations in Africa
Feb 17, 2016
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African Development Bank and ELI
The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) and the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) have produced a new report on natural resources management in fragile and conflict-affected…
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…
Deadline Extended: Environmental Peacebuilding Study Abroad Opportunities
Feb 15, 2016
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International Peace Park Expeditions
International Peace Park Expeditions and Ohio University will offer the following accredited academic expeditions focused on Environmental Peacebuilding this summer with a deadline to apply…
Water and Security Hotspots to Watch in 2016 [Infographic]
Feb 15, 2016
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Gracie Cook
The ongoing violence in Syria exhibits the potential for water problems – a historic drought, in this case – to exacerbate existing social and political…
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…
Postdoctoral Researcher in Water Resources
Feb 14, 2016
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Oxford University
The REACH Programme is a 7-year, £15m programme funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DfID). This project, led by the University of Oxford,…