International


Afghanistan: Using the Sun to Reduce Air Pollution in Kabul

Apr 19, 2019 | Khalil Asir and Hast e Subh, Hindu

According to Afghanistan’s National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA), air pollution is at its peak in cities, particularly Kabul, in late November and early December. In…


Liberia: Forestry Funds Spur Development in Lofa

Apr 19, 2019 | William Q. Harmon, Observer

Residents of several towns in Salayea District, Lofa County, were seen in wild celebration last week as major community projects were dedicated. The projects were…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraqi Police Confiscate Two Trucks Smuggling Crude Oil out of Kirkuk [Photos]

Apr 19, 2019 | Sangar Ali, Kurdistan 24

Iraqi police forces on Thursday seized two trucks which were smuggling crude oil from a pipeline in Kirkuk Province, the area’s designated energy police directorate…


Afghanistan: ‘Illegal’ Saffron Imports Affect Afghan Products Market

Apr 19, 2019 | Fariba Aram, TOLOnews

An increasing flow of Iranian saffron into Afghan markets has affected the prices of Herat saffron, local investors the National Association of Saffron said. The…


Yemen: A Bulgarian Vulture's Odyssey into Yemeni War Zone

Apr 18, 2019 | Jeremy Bowen, BBC

Nelson was in a tight corner, tied up and imprisoned by men who believed he was a spy. It didn't look good. When he was…


Afghanistan: Poppies Bloom across Afghanistan as Drought Eases

Apr 18, 2019 | Muhammad Irfan, UrduPoint

A vast field of towering white poppies sways gently in the breeze, silky petals sometimes tumbling to the ground, a visible marker of the resilience…


Myanmar: Illegal Charcoal Trade Threatens Myanmar’s Remaining Mangroves

Apr 18, 2019 | Wudan Yan, Mongabay

The illegal charcoal trade poses a deadly threat to the world’s remaining original mangrove cover, of which approximately 35 percent is already gone, according to…


Afghanistan: Afghan Opium Farmers Ready for Bumper Crop [Video]

Apr 18, 2019 | Carl Holm, Deutsche Welle

The drought has broken in Afghanistan, bringing easier times for farmers. Although wheat and corn are common crops, they are distinctly less lucrative than opium.…


United States: Democrat: Murdered Women 'An Environmental Injustice'

Apr 16, 2019 | Kellie Lunney

The "silent crisis" of missing and murdered indigenous women is an environmental issue affected by the boom and bust of oil and gas development in…


Sudan/South Sudan: South Sudan, Sudan to Keep Oil Flowing, Industry Is the “Glue That Binds” Two Nations

Apr 16, 2019 | Africa News

South Sudan exports all produced crude oil via pipeline from Hegleig and Paloch to Khartoum and then to Port Sudan for export. Since a landmark…


Afghanistan: Afghanistan Opens New Mining Areas to International Investment

Apr 15, 2019 | TOLOnews

In a keynote address at the Afghanistan Mining Investment Forum convened by INVEST, a global initiative of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to…


Iran: Living Fossil Resurfaces in Hamoun Wetland after Recent Floods

Apr 15, 2019 | Iran Front Page

After nearly two decades of drought in Sistan and Baluchestan province in southeastern Iran, with the beginning of rainy season in neighbouring Afghanistan, flood waters…


Afghanistan: Afghanistan Seeks Foreign Investments in Minerals to Develop $3 Trillion Industry

Apr 15, 2019 | Deena Kamel, National

Afghanistan offered 43 commodities projects for bidding on Monday as the country pushes to attract international investment, crack down on corruption and address security risks…


Afghanistan: Conservation May Offer Common Ground in Afghan Conflict

Apr 15, 2019 | Rhett A. Butler, Mongabay

War, drugs, corruption, and terrorism are terms Westerners are more likely to associate with Afghanistan than biodiversity conservation. But Alex Dehgan, a conservation technologist who…


Timor-Leste: Australia Accused of 'Siphoning' Millions in Timor-Leste Oil Revenue

Apr 15, 2019 | Helen Davidson, Guardian

Australia has been accused of “siphoning” millions of dollars a month in oil revenue that should belong to Timor-Leste, because the government is yet to…


Afghanistan: Bird Hunters of Afghanistan [Photos]

Apr 15, 2019 | Reuters

Bird hunting is an ancient sport in Afghanistan, where local and migrating species have flocked for thousands of years and where even amid the chaos…


Afghanistan: Women to Join Taliban Delegation for First Time in Afghan Peace Talks

Apr 15, 2019 | Reuters

Women will be included for the first time in the Taliban delegation for talks this month with US officials and Afghan representatives in Qatar on…


Iraq/Kurdistan: What Did Russia Get from Its KRG Gamble?

Apr 15, 2019 | Mariya Petkova, Al Jazeera

While the KRG has been reaping the benefit of these deals, Russia and Rosneft's gains from this high-risk investment are yet to materialise in full.…


Afghanistan: 9 Hydropower Dams to Be Completed over Next 3 Years

Apr 13, 2019 | Daily Outlook Afghanistan

The Ministry of Water and Energy said more than 250 water management projects were executed last solar year and nine hydropower dams would be constructed…


Myanmar: Putting Elephants before Tourists

Apr 13, 2019 | Thomas Kean, Frontier

There are no rides or performances for visitors at an award-winning elephant care camp in the Shan hills where the animals’ health is the top…


Colombia: In Colombia's Coca Heartland, Photos and Drawings Show Life between War and Peace [Photos]

Apr 13, 2019 | Laura Beltrán Villamizar, NPR

When Venezuelan photographer Fabiola Ferrero first traveled to the city of Florencia in Colombia, she took two instant cameras with her. Her goal: to portray…


Israel/Palestine: Israel’s Never-Ending Search for Oil in Occupied Golan Heights

Apr 12, 2019 | Mamoun Kiwan, Asharq Al-Awsat

Backed by Washington, Israel is spending an arm and a leg on oil drilling in the contested Golan Heights, Syria. Israeli daily, Haaretz, has reported…


Colombia: Police Attacked in Northern Colombia Trying to Enforce Land Restitution – Four Injured

Apr 12, 2019 | Jake Kincaid

Four police were injured in an attack while trying to enforce the restitution of land in Mutata, Uraba Antioquia Thursday, the latest chapter in onogoing…


Myanmar: Myanmar Pipe in Land Row

Apr 11, 2019 | Upstream

Burmese farmers banned for five years from planting crops along the gas and oil export pipelines from Myanmar to China are up in arms over…


Iraq: Heavy Rainfall Increases Fear of Mosul Dam Collapse

Apr 11, 2019 | Mina Aldroubi, National

Iraqi authorities warned on Thursday of the likelihood of a catastrophic collapse of the country’s largest hydro-electric dam due to torrential rainfall. The dam, near…


Somalia: 137,000 People Forced to Flee Their Homes This Year in Somalia

Apr 11, 2019 | Norwegian Refugee Council

Over 137,000 people fled their homes in the first quarter of 2019, according to the UNHCR led Protection Returns Monitoring Network. The number of people…


India: Bengaluru: Water Scarcity Spurs Tanker Wars

Apr 10, 2019 | Deccan Chronicle

The water scarcity in the city has become so acute that people are resorting to strong arm tactics to divert supply to their areas.


Colombia: In the Land of El Dorado, Clean Water Has Become ‘Blue Gold’

Apr 10, 2019 | Damian Carrington, Guardian

In the land where the legend of El Dorado began, the race is on to solve the mystery of a vital 21st-century treasure – the…


Afghanistan: Ministry Begins Survey on Afghanistan's Lithium Deposits

Apr 10, 2019 | Mir Haidarshah Omid, TOLOnews

The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum has started its assessments in certain parts of the country to identify lithium deposits, an official said on Tuesday.…


Liberia: USAID Makes Land Authority Visible on World Wide Web

Apr 10, 2019 | Alaskai Moore Johnson, FrontPage Africa

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-sponsored project has helped the Liberia Land Authority (LLA) to become visible on the world wide web at…