International


Conflict Minerals: Interview with the New State Dept. Advisor of Conflict Minerals

Apr 6, 2018 | Rob Bates, JCK

Pamela Fierst-Walsh, senior advisor on conflict minerals and U.S. representative to the Kimberley Process, took some time to speak with JCK yesterday. Here, she speaks…


China/Vietnam/South China Sea: Vietnam's Fishing ‘Militia’ to Defend Maritime Claims against China

Apr 6, 2018 | Ralph Jennings, Voice of America

Vietnam is quietly fostering a state-supported fishing boat militia to hold off China at sea even as the two sides talk formally about easing their…


Colombia: The Hanging Gardens of Colombia

Apr 6, 2018 | UNDP

To make good on commitments to reach the Nationally Determined Contributions outlined in the Paris Agreement on climate change, and to achieve the goals from…


India: Washim Water Wars: It’s Rural vs Urban as Villagers Oppose Dam Water Diversion to Towns

Apr 5, 2018 | Shishir Arya, Times of India

Water shortage has led to battle lines being drawn in Washim district. Summers are usually harsh, and this is a worse year. As dams are…


Liberia: EPA Requests Environmental Impact Assessment Report for President Weah’s Bali Island Project

Apr 5, 2018 | Henry Karmo, FrontPage Africa

The future of the “New Monrovia,” is one of five areas in Liberia under the Ramsar Convention that the government of Liberia is receiving funding…


Report: More People at Risk of Hunger Because of Conflict and Climate Change

Apr 5, 2018 | Stefan Jungcurt, International Institute for Susatainable Development

Conflict and climate change have pushed 124 million people in 51 countries into acute food security, a situation when the inability to consume adequate food…


Afghanistan: US Lost $60 Million on Afghan Power Project That Doesn't Work

Apr 4, 2018 | Nina Burleigh, Newsweek

The  U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has spent $60 million trying to bring power to remote parts of Afghanistan, but has produced an unusable high…


Afghanistan: Why on Earth Would Canadian Mining Companies Want to Do Business in a War Zone?

Apr 4, 2018 | Saul Chernos, NOW

The last time Canadian mining companies showed an interest in Afghanistan, Canada had troops on the ground and the country was riddled with land mines.…


Afghanistan: In Rural Afghan War, Irrigation Water Is Tool

Apr 4, 2018 | Sharifullah Sharfat and Abubakar Siddique, Gandhara

Government forces and insurgents are using access to irrigation water as leverage to pressure civilians into supporting them or force their opponents out of their…


Myanmar: Landmines and Explosive Remnants of War Threaten Children and Communities across Myanmar

Apr 4, 2018 | UNICEF

Landmines and Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) from decades of armed conflicts across Myanmar continue to threaten the lives of children and their families every…


Sudan: Sudan Strives to Address Severe Oil Shortage

Apr 4, 2018 | Xinhua

The Sudanese government is stepping up measures to address a severe shortage of oil products, especially benzine and diesel, in parts of the country including…


DRC: Politics and Oil: The Unseen Drivers of Violence in Congo’s Ituri Province

Apr 4, 2018 | Fiston Mahamba and Claude Sengenya, IRIN

A recent wave of targeted attacks has left a trail of death, destruction, and mass displacement in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s northeastern province of…


South Sudan: South Sudan Has Banned All Forms of Hunting

Apr 4, 2018 | Lorenzo Brenna, LifeGate

On the 6th of March the Ministry of Wildlife Conservation and Tourism of South Sudan banned all forms of wildlife hunting to contrast the phenomenon…


Afghanistan: Water Crisis in Afghanistan

Apr 4, 2018 | Daily Outlook Afghanistan

In Afghanistan, as experts say, the water table has dropped unprecedentedly, and thousands of settlements and farms face sever water crisis. According to the recentreports…


Iraq: Iraq Brings Forward Plan to Award Oil Contracts

Apr 3, 2018 | Financial Tribune

Iraq plans to award oil and gas exploration and development contracts in 11 new blocks on April 15, oil ministry spokesman, Asim Jihad, said on…


Iraq: Iraq Unveils Plan to Diversify Away from Oil

Apr 3, 2018 | Julianne Geiger, Oil Price

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi on Sunday unveiled an ambitious plan to end its dependence on oil through building up its private sector over…


Colombia: Understanding the Causes of Colombia’s Conflict: Land Ownership

Apr 3, 2018 | Jarrod Demir, Colombia Reports

At the very heart of violence and armed conflict in Colombia is land. This has been the case since before Colombia was a republic and…


Myanmar: Environmental Group Warns of Risk Posed by Air Pollution in Yangon

Apr 3, 2018 | Myat Moe Aung, Myanmar Times

Air pollution in most locations in Yangon exceed authorised limits, according to the 2018 air quality findings of the environment group Advancing Life and Regenerating…


China/Vietnam/South China Sea: China and Vietnam Call for Maritime Disputes to Be Settled

Apr 2, 2018 | Straits Times

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi yesterday said Beijing and Hanoi should settle their disputes in the South China Sea through talks and move to jointly…


Afghanistan: Water Ministry Warns of Drop in Water Levels

Apr 1, 2018 | Zabihullah Jahanmal, TOLOnews

Officials from the Ministry of Energy and Water on Sunday raised concern over water resources in the country and said the total amount of running and underground…


Yemen: Houthi Militias Accused of Looting 500,000 Oil Barrels

Mar 31, 2018 | Asharq Al-Awsat

The Yemeni legitimate government accused Houti militias of starting Friday to implement a plot aiming to loot around 500,000 oil barrels from oilfields in Marib…


Iraq: Iraq Announces 11 Tender Offers for Southern Oil Exploration

Mar 31, 2018 | Rudaw

As Iraq’s 2018 budget became law this week, the Iraqi oil Ministry has announced 11 tender offers for 11 blocs bordering Iran, Kuwait, and one…


Burkina Faso: Hunger and Conflict Push Northern Burkina Faso into Crisis

Mar 31, 2018 | Nellie Peyton, Thomson Reuters Foundation

Food shortages and a jihadist uprising in northern Burkina Faso risk plunging the region into a humanitarian crisis if urgent action is not taken, aid…


Colombia: Oil Spill Kills More Than 2,400 Animals

Mar 30, 2018 | Elaina Zachos, National Geographic

At the beginning of March, an oil well in northern Colombia burst, spewing an unclear amount of oil into the Magdalena River, a principal waterway…


Liberia: Rex Tillerson's Exxon Mobil Involved in Corrupt Oil Deals in Liberia, Investigation Reveals

Mar 29, 2018 | Cristina Maza, Newsweek

Under the leadership of former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, oil giant Exxon Mobil signed a $120 million deal for an oil block in Liberia that…


Iraq: Iraq to Exclude Oil By-Products from Companies' Profit in New Contracts

Mar 29, 2018 | Reuters

Iraq will exclude oil by-products such as liquefied petroleum gas and dry gas from foreign oil companies’ revenues in new contracts expected to be awarded…


Conflict Minerals: Apple Cobalt Supplier Seeking Ethical Supply with Industry Pilot

Mar 28, 2018 | Thomas Wilson, Bloomberg

A supplier of cobalt to Apple Inc. is joining with others in the industry to try to ensure the metal used in rechargeable batteries is…


Colombia: Colombia to Formalize Land Rights of 2.5 Million Peasants

Mar 28, 2018 | Jarrod Demir, Colombia Reports

Colombia President Juan Manuel Santos on Tuesday signed a landmark decree that would formalize the land ownership of 2.5 million Colombian farmers. The new mandate…


Liberia: Illicit Miners Raise Fears in Bong

Mar 28, 2018 | New Dawn

Some residents who spoke to this paper via mobile phone from the district say the alleged illicit miners are believed to come from Ghana, Nigeria…


Somalia: UN Security Council Makes ‘Historic’ Warning on Climate Threat to Somalia

Mar 28, 2018 | Zak Derler, Climate Change News

The United Nations Security Council has formally recognised climate change as a destabilising factor in Somalia. In a resolution adopted on Tuesday as part of a renewed mandate for assistance…