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Day: April 12, 2018

Tajikistan: Chinese company gets gold mine in return for power plant

Bridge Agents

(EAN) – A company from China has reportedly been granted a license to operate a gold mine in Tajikistan in exchange for building a power plant free of charge in the country’s capital. Asia-Plus newspaper reported on April 11, citing an unnamed official with the State Geology Department, that Xinjiang-based TBEA has received the concession to develop the Upper Kumarg mine in the Sughd region in northern Tajikistan. The company was previously given the concession for the Eastern Duoba mine. The newspaper’s source said that the mining license was granted…

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When is Sex Work ‘Decent Work’?

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Thailand (OpenDemocracy) – My name’s is Liz Hilton. I’m from Empower Foundation, which is a sex worker organisation. I’ve been part of the Empower family since 1992. The reason why there’s only me here (at the conference ‘Human trafficking, forced labour and modern slavery: understanding popular narratives and planning strategic action’, held by the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women in August 2017 in Bangkok, Thailand), and not the rest of Empower, is that the sex workers in Thailand are sick of talking about trafficking so they sent me. Sam Okyere (oD):…

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Threat of Western Strike on Syria: What is Known So Far

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Trump’s ‘Get Ready’ Tweet On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump threatened a direct strike on the Syrian government forces following an alleged chemical attack in Douma, in a tweet that was followed by another one, in which Trump claimed that relations with Moscow were worse than during the Cold War. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was quick to respond to Trump’s remarks by saying that “smart missiles must strike terrorists, not the legitimate government that has been fighting international terrorism on its territory for several years.” Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they will be…

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‘We Won’t Give Up’: 25 Years of Feminist Resistance to the War on Women’s Bodies in Poland

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Poland (OpenDemocracy) – Before 1993, we could terminate our pregnancies legally and safely. Today, Poland is home to one of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe. In theory, abortion is legal when the mother’s health is at risk, in cases of fetal abnormality, or when pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. But, in practice it is almost impossible to access abortion services legally. According to official statistics, only 1,098 legal abortions were performed in the whole country in 2016. Many more women terminate their pregnancies illegally, in conditions that may…

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