International
Sierra Leone: Destitute Diamond Diggers: Artisanal Diamond Miners in Sierra Leone Struggle for Survival
Jun 4, 2020
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Emma Black, Politico
“Artisanal mining” means mining operations must be less than ten metres deep, less than one acre and only rudimentary hand-held tools can be used. The…
Conflict Minerals: Trucking-Related Companies Find It Difficult to Identify 'Conflict Minerals' in Supply Chains
Jun 4, 2020
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Eric Miller, Transit Topics
It has been more than six years since America’s public companies began searching for African “conflict minerals” throughout their complex supply chains, with the goal…
Fighting the Climate Battle
Jun 3, 2020
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Jane Ahern, The Madras Pioneer
A local woman's dedication to family traditions, community service and social justice has led to what she describes as her dream job. Madras resident Katherine…
Myanmar: Southern Myanmar’s Indigenous Groups Say the UN Should Scrap $21 Million Conservation Plan
Jun 3, 2020
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Skylar Lindsay, ASEAN Today
Myanmar’s Tanintharyi Region is among the most vibrantly biodiverse places in Asia. The southern tail of kite-shaped Myanmar, Tanintharyi encompasses hundreds of islands in the…
Myanmar: Myanmar Condemns Report on Illegal Teak Exports to EU
Jun 3, 2020
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Thiha Lwin, Irrawaddy
Myanmar’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation has disputed the London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA)’s latest report which claims illegal teak from Myanmar is…
Myanmar: Recovering an Underwater Forest of Lost Teak
Jun 2, 2020
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Clare Sidwell, SuperyachtNews
Thirty years ago, Bob Steber, managing director at Ginnacle Import - Export Pte Ltd., initiated a project in Burma that recovered 2,000 teak logs and…
Colombia: ‘Stigmatized, Segregated, Forgotten’: Colombia’s Poor Being Evicted Despite Lockdowns
Jun 2, 2020
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Joe Parkin Daniels and Nadège Mazars, Guardian
Hundreds of Bogotá’s poorest residents are caught between two brutal forces: a nationwide quarantine that makes working impossible and authorities forcing people from homes they…
Sudan: Expanding Wheat Farming in Sudan
Jun 1, 2020
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UNDP
Bread is an essential commodity in Sudan and a staple for millions. Affordability and limited supply are crucial issues; rising costs have sparked protests in…
Afghanistan: Afghanistan Faces Humanitarian Disaster as COVID-19 Spreads Undetected, Warns the IRC
Jun 1, 2020
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International Rescue Committee
As confirmed COVID-19 cases grew 684% in May, many more cases are going untested throughout Afghanistan. Decades of conflict have left millions facing severe food…
Colombia: From Cocaine to Coffee: The Docu-Film That Tells the Redemption of Colombia
May 30, 2020
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NJ MMA News
A story of redemption , of a new life, of a hope, but also the story of a journey through places of great beauty in…
Colombia: Coronavirus Spread Threatens Colombia's Amazonian Indigenous Communities
May 29, 2020
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Jorge Valencia, The World
Along the Amazon River, people have long moved freely among the small towns that sit where the borders of Brazil, Colombia and Peru converge —…
COVID-19 and Conflict Minerals
May 28, 2020
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Dynda A. Thomas, National Law Review
National Law Review has been following this year’s conflict minerals filings to determine whether reporting companies have highlighted any impact of the COVID-19 shut-downs on…
South Sudan: Fixing South Sudan: Roads Minister Calls for Review of Oil-For-Road Projects in South Sudan [Video]
May 28, 2020
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PaanLuel Wël
Myanmar: Investigation Exposes European Firms Exploiting Loophole to Import Myanmar Teak
May 28, 2020
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Mongabay
Investigators have uncovered a scheme by European timber traders to evade E.U. laws by supplying Myanmar teak to the continent’s marine sector, including for decking…
On Peacekeepers Day, UN to Spotlight Vital Role of Women Peace Operations
May 27, 2020
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UN News
Women in Peacekeeping, this year’s theme, highlights their central role in UN operations.
“Women often have greater access in the communities we serve, enabling us to…
Myanmar: Campaigners in Myanmar’s Tanintharyi Region Oppose $21m Conservation Project
May 27, 2020
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Daniel Quinlan, Mongabay
Campaigners in the Tanintharyi region of southern Myanmar have urged international donors to support community conservation efforts, rather than what they see as a top-down…
New Study Examines the Links Between Climate Disasters and Armed Conflict
May 26, 2020
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Homeland Security Today
Over the past decade, understanding of the relationship between natural disasters, climate change and conflict has increased significantly. The Center for Climate and Security has…
South Sudan: An Unexplored Eden of Biodiversity
May 26, 2020
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Nick Perry, Agence France-Presse
South Sudan boasts Africa's biggest wetland, the Sudd, and its largest intact savanna, a stretch of untouched wilderness east of the White Nile that reaches…
India, Brazil: Women Peacekeepers from Brazil and India Share UN Military Gender Award
May 25, 2020
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UN News
The award, created in 2016, recognizes the dedication and effort of individual military peacekeepers in promoting the UN principles on Women, Peace and Security in peace operations.…
Pandemic Disrupts Illegal Drug Trade, Upending Both Product and Profits
May 25, 2020
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Brian Mann, NPR
The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the illegal drug trade in ways not seen since World War II, affecting nearly every country and many different kinds…
Women's Appeal for Human Security, Public Health, Peace, and Sustainable Development
May 24, 2020
Governments need to cut military expenditure, and increase their focus and budgets on human security and global cooperation, in order to recover from the COVID-19…
Myanmar: Myanmar’s Hasty Solar Tender Draws Criticism from Investors
May 24, 2020
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Thompson Chau, Myanmar Times
The Ministry of Electricity and Energy (MOEE) is being criticised by the business community over a recent tender for solar power, with key foreign investors…
Egypt/Ethiopia/Sudan: Egypt Accepts Ethiopia-Sudan Proposal to Renegotiate Dam Dispute
May 24, 2020
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Agence France-Presse
Egypt said on Thursday it is willing to resume negotiations with Sudan and Ethiopia over the filling of a controversial mega-dam that has been a…
Afghanistan: Afghan Gold, Gem Sales in Decline
May 23, 2020
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TOLOnews
The gem and gold industries in Afghanistan are facing hurdles despite gold prices soaring in world markets, a jewelers' union said Saturday. Gems and gold…
Sierra Leone: Sierra Leone Mining Revenue Tumbles amidst COVID-19
May 22, 2020
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Mohamed Jaward Nyallay, Politico
Authorities in Sierra Leone have said mining revenue has dropped due to the impact of COVID-19. The revenue drop has been attributed to the difficulties…
Syria: Syrian Army Launches Operation to Secure Oil Fields: Video
May 22, 2020
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Al Masdar News
The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) launched a major operation this week to secure the main roads that link the governorates of Hama and Deir Ezzor,…
Conflict Minerals: COVID-19 in Conflict Minerals Reports — Update
May 22, 2020
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Dynda A. Thomas, National Law Review
As discussed in a previous post, early in 2019, some companies were expressing concern that, because of the impacts of the shut-downs associated with COVID-19,…
Russia/Ukraine: Critical Water Shortage in Crimea May Prompt New Russian Move against Ukraine
May 21, 2020
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Paul Goble, Eurasia Daily Monitor
The Crimean Peninsula has long suffered from water shortages, but these are now often exacerbated by the ever-more frequent winters with little-to-no rain or snow.…
Afghanistan: The Wild Shrub at the Root of the Afghan Meth Epidemic
May 20, 2020
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Kern Hendricks, Undark
Muhammad Rehman Shirzad, a forensic scientist with the Afghan government’s Forensic Medicine Directorate, stops to catch his breath and scans the uneven ground ahead. He…
Israel/Palestine: Land Grab and Deportation: A Leading Israeli Lawyer's Annexation Prediction
May 20, 2020
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Meron Rapoport, MIddle East Eye
Almost 53 years after it occupied the West Bank, Israel is closer than ever to annexing parts of the Palestinian territory. Article 29 of the…