International
DRC: Investigating DR Congo's Illegal Gold Trade
Jan 8, 2019
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Lisa Dupuy and Klaas van Dijken, Deutsche Welle
The conflict-ridden African nation is rich in gold — and gold smugglers, who are often linked to rebel groups. But tracing commercially available gold back…
Liberia: China Breaks Ground for Liberia’s First Plywood Factory
Jan 8, 2019
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Samuel G. Dweh, FrontPage Africa
“We are here to break ground for the construction of a plywood factory, the first of its kind in Liberia, and for Liberia,” a Chinese…
Liberia: Green Advocates, IDI Develop New Tools to Hold Oil Palm Farmers Accountable for Environmental and Human Rights Violations
Jan 7, 2019
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Alloycious David, Liberian Observer
Green Advocates International (GAI) and Inclusive Development International (IDI) have developed new advocacy tools that would be used by local communities to hold oil palm…
DRC: DRC on the Brink
Jan 7, 2019
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Resource Clips, Greg Klein
This is the place that inspired the term “crimes against humanity.” As a timely new book points out, American writer George Washington Williams coined that…
Myanmar: Salween Peace Park to Keep Lands in Local Hands
Jan 7, 2019
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Lawi Weng, Irrawaddy
Representatives of the Salween Peace Park have said there is no vacant land in Karen State and that all land and its natural resources are…
Colombia: How Organized Crime Profits from Deforestation in Colombia
Jan 7, 2019
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Bjorn Kjelstad and Felipe Puerta, InSight Crime
Two years after the signing of a peace deal between the Colombian government and the FARC, Colombia’s forests are under siege and experiencing heightened levels…
Afghanistan: Afghan Villagers Panning for Gold Die as Tunnels Collapse
Jan 6, 2019
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Najim Rahim and Mujib Mashal, New York Times
More than two dozen villagers panning for gold in the northern Afghan province of Badakhshan were killed on Sunday after the makeshift tunnels where they…
Afghanistan: At Least 30 Gold Miners Killed in Afghanistan Landslide
Jan 6, 2019
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Sayed Salahuddin and Alex Horton, Washington Post
At least 30 workers were killed in a landslide in northeastern Afghanistan while illegally sifting for gold, officials said Sunday. The landslide occurred in Badakhshan…
Afghanistan: Ministry Plans to Attract Investment in Pine Nuts Trade
Jan 6, 2019
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Rohullah Arman, TOLOnews
The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) on Tuesday held a meeting in Kabul titled “Pine Nuts Development Investment Conference” where officials encouraged investors to invest…
South Sudan: Outlook 2019: New Signs of Hope Emerge for South Sudan’s Oil Industry
Jan 5, 2019
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Hellenic Shipping News
South Sudan’s long-suffering oil industry is looking with fresh optimism at 2019 following the East African producer’s latest peace deal which promises to re-energize the…
Afghanistan: Nimroz Farmers in Despair as Drought Kills Livestock
Jan 3, 2019
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Daily Outlook Afghanistan
Farmers in southwestern Nimroz province have been in despair after losing around 500,000 livestock to the worst drought in living memory. Mohammad Akbar Sharifi, agriculture,…
Food Security: Recognising the Debilitating Nature Conflict Has on Food Security
Jan 2, 2019
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Busani Bafana, Inter Press Service
In May 2018, the Security Council adopted Resolution 2417 (2018), explicitly acknowledging the link between conflict and hunger and calling on all partners to protect…
Afghanistan: Ministry Develops Policy to Ensure Mining Security
Jan 2, 2019
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Tamim Hamid, TOLOnews
The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum on Wednesday said it has developed a policy to ensure the safety of mining and ensure the safety of…
Iraq: Plunge in Oil Prices Threatens Iraq’s Postwar Recovery
Jan 2, 2019
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Sinan Salaheddin, Associated Press
The latest plunge in oil prices has dealt a heavy blow to Iraq’s stagnating economy, threatening the new government’s ability to rebuild after the war…
Gaza: Water Crisis May Make Gaza Strip Uninhabitable by 2020 [Video]
Jan 1, 2019
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Fred de Sam Lazaro, PBS News Hour
In the Gaza Strip, 97 percent of freshwater is unsuitable for human consumption, and raw sewage pours into the Mediterranean Sea. Facilities for desalinating and…
Myanmar: Residents Call for End to Mining Activities in Myanmar’s Kachin State
Dec 28, 2018
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Agence France-Presse
Residents from two townships in northern Myanmar’s Kachin state gathered in the state capital Myitkyina on Friday to demand that officials end to mining activities…
Afghanistan: Drones Used to Find Toy-Like “Butterfly” Land Mines
Dec 28, 2018
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Jeremy Hsu, Scientific American
A type of land mine called the “butterfly” has a particularly insidious reputation for two reasons: It is known for killing or crippling children who…
Egypt/Ethiopia: Water Crisis Looms for Egypt as Ethiopia's Nile Mega-Dam Nears Completion
Dec 27, 2018
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Kieran Cooke, Middle East Eye
Egypt is facing a water crisis. A rapid increase in demand due to population growth, severe mismanagement of resources and a lack of investment in…
Iran/Iraq: Iraq, Iran Ink Energy Sector Agreement
Dec 27, 2018
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Rudaw
Iraq and Iran have agreed to continue cooperation in the energy and electricity sectors, despite time ticking down on the US waiver of sanctions. Iran’s…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraq's Kirkuk Oil Exports to Stay Restricted
Dec 26, 2018
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Ahmed Rasheed, Reuters
Exports from Iraq’s northern Kirkuk oilfields to the Turkish port of Ceyhan will stay at between 80-90,000 barrels per day (bpd) as most of the…
Iraq: Despite Oil Wealth, Iraq’s Basra Plagued by Broken Infrastructure, Poverty and Violence [Video]
Dec 25, 2018
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Jane Ferguson, PBS
Basra, in southern Iraq, contains much of the country’s oil wealth -- yet residents there are struggling just to survive. The city lacks basic services…
Water Wars: Early-Warning Tools Aim to Prevent 'Water Wars,' Curb Droughts
Dec 25, 2018
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Linda Givetash, NBC News
In a year of extreme heat and water-related tensions, researchers are trying to develop an early-warning system to prevent the devastating consequences of droughts that…
Afghanistan: 10,000 Tonnes of Fish Production Annually
Dec 24, 2018
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Afghanistan Times
Afghanistan produces an estimated 10,000 tonnes of fish every year, an official said on Monday, admitting that such low production won't meet the country's consumption…
Afghanistan: Water Shortages Worsen in Afghanistan as Drought Persists
Dec 23, 2018
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Al Jazeera
Afghans are facing water shortages due to the persistent drought that has ravaged the country this year. In many places, including the capital Kabul, local…
Afghanistan: Renewable Energy Projects Need $1.5B Investment: Ministry
Dec 23, 2018
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Rohullah Arman, TOLOnews
The Ministry of Energy and Water on Sunday said Afghanistan needs over $1.5 billion investment by the private sector to generate up to 2,000 megawatts…
Afghanistan: Taliban Gains $1.5B from Drugs, Mines Annually: Report
Dec 23, 2018
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Haseba Atakpal, TOLOnews
A report by the BBC shows that Taliban annually earns more than $1.5 billion from drug dealing, illegal mining, collecting electricity bills and financial support…
Afghanistan: How Does the Taliban Make Money?
Dec 22, 2018
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Dawood Azami, BBC
There are indications that the US is planning a significant withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan. Despite continued US military and financial support for the…
Sudan: Student Killed in Sudan Bread Price Protests
Dec 21, 2018
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Agence France-Presse
A student demonstrator was killed Thursday in eastern Sudan, a local official and relatives told AFP, amid mounting protests over the rising price of bread.…
Myanmar: Myanmar’s New Gemstone Law Is Flawed Says Global Witness
Dec 21, 2018
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International Mining
Myanmar’s parliament has passed a new law governing the gemstone sector. According to international anti-corruption NGO Global Witness, “the law may do little to reform…
Climate Change: Germany Aims to Put Climate into Focus at UN Security Council
Dec 21, 2018
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Julian Wettengel, Clean Energy Wire
Germany plans to use its diplomatic clout during its two-year term on the UN Security Council to ensure that climate change concerns are an integral…