International

Afghanistan: Insecurity, Fraud Allegations Mar US Company’s Quest to Mine for Gold in Afghanistan

Oct 4, 2019 | J.P. Lawrence, Stars and Stripes

A year after a U.S.-based company signed contracts to mine for gold and copper in Afghanistan, work still hasn’t begun amid fears of insecurity and…

Iraq: Sudden Eruption of Violence in Iraq Threatens Oil Supply

Oct 3, 2019 | Nick Cunningham, Oil Price

Oil prices have fallen sharply over the past week, as the swift return of disrupted Saudi oil production allowed markets to look past geopolitical risk.…

Food Security, Infrastructure and Containment: Why GCC States Are Engaging in the Horn of Africa in a Big Way

Oct 3, 2019 | Sebastian Rees, AlBawaba

Gulf actors, heavily reliant on foreign food imports, proved particularly interested in the Horn’s potential as a breadbasket for food production and agriculture. A global…

Afghanistan: Mining Law Reforms Revived [Video]

Oct 3, 2019 | TOLOnews

The Ministry of Mines released a statement saying they have consulted with various institutions to revise mining law. Integrity Watch Afghanistan says that despite the…

Iraq: Iraq's Dependence on Oil to Continue as Reform Pace Slows, Says Moody's

Oct 3, 2019 | Jennifer Gnana, National

Iraq's continued dependence on oil revenues is likely to slow structural and fiscal reforms over the medium term, Moody's said in a report, which also…

Colombia: Trees of Reconciliation in Carrizal

Oct 3, 2019 | UN Verification Mission in Colombia

Victims, security forces, former FARC-EP combatants, youth groups and community planted trees at the former Territorial Area for Training and Reincorporation (TATR) in Carrizal, Remedios,…

Iraq: Building the Network of Water Activists in Basra

Oct 2, 2019 | Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative

It’s been one year since the city of Basra was rocked by large-scale protests following a major pollution crisis in which citizens decried the lack…

Climate Change: Climate Action for Peace – Faith-Based Perspectives

Oct 2, 2019 | UN Environment

Environment and peace are cross-cutting issues that are intrinsic to sustainable development. While natural resources are vital to achieving sustainable development, they are also increasingly…

Food Security: Netherlands USD 28 Million Pledge to Support Resilience in Crisis Countries

Oct 1, 2019 | Ana Maria Lebada, International Institute for Sustainable Development

On the margins of the UN Climate Action Summit, the Netherlands pledged USD 28 million in support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the…

China/Vietnam/South China Sea: Beijing Infuriates Vietnam after Deploying Controversial New Oil Rig

Oct 1, 2019 | John Vargo, Express

Tensions between China and Vietnam flared up again over Beijing’s deployment of its giant new offshore oil exploration platform in the disputed South China Sea.

Palestine: Palestinians Hope to Import Iraqi Oil, become More Energy Independent

Sep 30, 2019 | Daoud Kuttab, Al-Monitor

When Iraqi officials offered to sell Palestinians oil at reduced prices, few believed that this offer would actually become reality. While many obstacles continue to exist,…

Liberia: USAID’s Farmer of the Year Promotes Garden Programs

Sep 30, 2019 | George Harris, Observer

Urban population growth is affecting land availability for vegetable production, a situation beclouding the future of urban farming in Liberia. But USAID’s 2019 Farmer of…

Myanmar: Two Mandalay Lakes to Get Wetland Protection

Sep 30, 2019 | Kyaw Ko Ko, Myanmar Times

Mandalay Region’s Sont Ye Lake in Kyaukse township and Paleik Lake in Tada-U will be designated as protected wetlands to conserve them and regulate development, a…

DRC: Congo Mine Deploys Digital Weapons in Fight against Conflict Minerals

Sep 30, 2019 | Aaron Ross and Barbara Lewis, Reuters

In a small shack overlooking muddy pits hewn out of eastern Congo’s rolling green hills, a government official puts a barcoded tag on a sack…

Afghanistan: Protection Body Prevents Illegal Mining at 2,200 Sites

Sep 30, 2019 | Navid Ahmad Barakzai, Pajhwok

The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP) says the Mines Protection Committee (MPC) has been able to prevent illegal extractions of natural resources at 2,200…

Nigeria: Weighing Tech Solutions as Conflict, Disasters Threaten Nigeria’s Food Security

Sep 29, 2019 | PUNCH

In the face of Boko Haram terrorism, farmers-herders conflict and natural disasters such as flooding, Jesusegun Alagbe writes about revolutionary agricultural technologies that can be…

Vets with PTSD Turn to Beekeeping for Relief

Sep 28, 2019 | Michael Casey and Mike Householder, Associated Press

Researchers are beginning to study whether beekeeping has therapeutic benefits. For now, there is little hard data, but veterans in programs like the one in…

DRC: US-Funded Clean Minerals Project Raises Concerns in Congo

Sep 27, 2019 | Pratima Desai and Aaron Ross, Reuters

Democratic Republic of Congo plans to look into potential conflicts of interest in a US-funded project to certify mines that produce minerals such as gold…

Guinea/Ivory Coast/Liberia/Sierra Leone: MRU Establishes Transboundary Water Resources National Advisory Committee

Sep 27, 2019 | Observer

The Mano River Union (MRU) comprising four West African countries, including Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and the Ivory Coast, has officially established a National Advisory…

Myanmar: Jade, Gems Totalling More Than €500 Million Sold during Nay Pyi Taw Event

Sep 27, 2019 | Htoo Thant, Myanmar Times

The recent Mid-Year Myanmar Gem Emporium which took place in Nay Pyi Taw from September 16 to 25, saw sales of more than €500 million…

Colombia: Honey Heals Wounds of War in Colombian Village

Sep 26, 2019 | Daily Times

Covered from head to toe in a protective suit, Yina Ortiz peers through a veil to check in on her beehive. It is one of…

Pentagon May Scrap 35 Million Depleted Uranium Rounds Used by the A-10 Warthog's Gun

Sep 26, 2019 | Joseph Trevithick, Drive

The US military is looking into what it would take to dismantle and dispose of more than 35,000,000 rounds of ammunition with depleted uranium cores,…

Colombia: As the Amazon Burns, Colombia’s Forests Decimated for Cattle and Coca

Sep 26, 2019 | Antonio José Paz Cardona, Mongabay

The last few weeks have been critical for the Amazon in Brazil and Bolivia. Fires in August razed thousands of hectares of forest and drew…

Myanmar: Undeveloped Land in Industrial Zones Could Be Confiscated: Myanmar Authorities

Sep 25, 2019 | Xinhua

Myanmar authorities have warned that undeveloped land plots in industrial zones in Yangon region could be confiscated, saying that unless concrete reasons are provided, the…

China/South China Sea: Beijing Deploys New Deepwater Drilling Rig in South China Sea

Sep 25, 2019 | Laura Zhou, South China Morning Post

China has deployed a deepwater oil rig in the South China Sea , according to a state media report. The machine, which is China’s largest…

South Sudan: South Sudan to Unveil Seven Oil Blocks on Offer in October

Sep 25, 2019 | Fred Ojambo, Bloomberg

South Sudan will unveil next month seven oil blocks that will be offered in the next licencing round, according to the state-owned Nile Petroleum Corp.…

Climate Change: Former Top Military Officials Seek Action, Saying Climate Change Poses ‘Unprecedented Security Risks’

Sep 24, 2019 | Wyatt Olson, Stars and Stripes

A group of former top military and national security officials on Tuesday called for President Donald Trump to establish a sweeping plan that treats climate…

Liberia: NOCAL Holds on to EITI to Keep IMF/WB Funding

Sep 24, 2019 | Africa Intelligence

For the past few weeks, the managing director of the National Oil Company of Liberia (Nocal), Saifuah-Mai Gray has been pushing to keep IMF/WB funding.

Colombia: Oil Palm, Cattle and Coca Take a Toll on Colombia’s Indigenous Jiw

Sep 24, 2019 | Maria Fernanda Lizcano, Mongabay

In the Caño La Sal reservation in central Colombia, the Jiw indigenous community lives on a shrinking amount of land. Several armed groups have begun…

Amazon Deforestation Not a Local Issue When It Comes to Pollution

Sep 24, 2019 | Andrew Wright, Forbes

According to scientists in Latin America, the out-of-control blazes in the Amazon that seized international attention in August 2019 are releasing a hidden danger –…