International

Afghanistan: Gemstone Smuggler Says Badakhshan Mines out of Govt Control

Mar 18, 2018 | Tamim Hamid, TOLOnews

A suspected gem stone smuggler has said mines in Badakhshan’s Karan-o-Manjan district, especially those extracting Lapis Lazuli, are out of government’s control and are being…

Afghanistan: ‘Killed, Shovel in Hand’: Afghan Farmers Are Latest Victims of a Chaotic War

Mar 18, 2018 | Zabihullah Ghazi and Mujib Mashal, New York Times

Afghanistan has experienced a rise in violence in recent weeks, even before the official start of what is expected to be another bloody fighting season,…

Afghanistan: Opium Production in Afghanistan Reaches Record High [Video]

Mar 17, 2018 | Tony Birtley, Al Jazeera

Opium production in Afghanistan has been on the rise since the US invasion in 2001. Last year 9,000 tonnes were produced, an increase of 87…

Myanmar: Confiscated Land Returned to Farmers

Mar 16, 2018 | Mizzima

The Myanmar government has returned some 385 acres (156 hectares) of land out of 1,081 acres, confiscated by the Ministry of Defense, to 82 farmers…

DRC: Cobalt to Be Declared a ”Strategic” Mineral in DR Congo

Mar 16, 2018 | Herald

An advisor to Congolese Prime Minister Jean Nkunza on Wednesday said the Democratic Republic of Congo will declare cobalt and coltan, as “strategic” minerals which will earn…

Colombia: More Than 800 Businesses in Colombia Tied to Death Squads: Report

Mar 16, 2018 | Frank Cardona, Colombia Reports

More than 800 businesses sponsored paramilitary groups that committed tens of thousands of human right violations in Colombia, in most cases without consequence, according to…

Afghanistan: Hopes Overflow for Afghan Water Project

Mar 16, 2018 | Safiullah Amiri, Institute for War & Peace Reporting

Residents of Nimruz have high hopes about the dramatic differences a major dam project will have on life in the semi-arid province. Now in its…

Colombia: Climate-Smart Farming in Colombia’s Last Agricultural Frontier

Mar 16, 2018 | World Bank

The Orinoquía is considered Colombia’s last agricultural frontier, with the potential to serve as a food source for Colombia, and the world. While exploiting this…

Iraq: Iraq Establishes National Oil Company

Mar 16, 2018 | Adnan Abu Zeed, Al-Monitor

The Iraqi parliament voted March 5 on the National Oil Company draft law, which regulates oil production and exports and fairly distributes its revenues to…

Food Security: Study Questions Food Scarcity Link in Driving African Conflict

Mar 16, 2018 | Africa Times

It isn’t climate change that will increase the frequency of civil war in Africa as a result of food scarcity, according to a study recently…

Afghanistan: Pressure Builds in 'Powderkeg' Kabul as Refugees Return Home

Mar 15, 2018 | Preethi Nallu, Guardian

Despite the billions of dollars being poured into the “stabilisation” of Afghanistan, the latest figures on displacement paint an alarming picture. The UN High Commissioner…

Colombia: In Colombia, a Losing Battle to Keep a Dump off Native Lands

Mar 15, 2018 | Camila Taborda, Worldcrunch

For more than a decade,  locals have done everything in their power to stop the project, demanding, among other things, that the Interior Ministry consult…

Conflict Minerals: EU Conflict Minerals Bill Still Three Years from becoming Reality

Mar 15, 2018 | Benjamin Fox, Euractiv

Nearly a year after being signed off by MEPs and ministers, the EU’s long-awaited conflict minerals law is still three years from going live. The…

DRC: Glencore, Randgold Mines Quit Congolese Industry Body ahead of Govt Talks

Mar 15, 2018 | Reuters

Mines run by Glencore, Randgold Resources and three other international companies have quit the Democratic Republic of Congo’s chamber of commerce, saying the industry body…

Sierra Leone: Waiting for Benefits from Sierra Leone's Giant 'Peace Diamond'

Mar 14, 2018 | Abu-Bakarr Jalloh, Deutsche Welle

One of the world's biggest uncut diamonds, the egg-sized gem was sold at auction for $6.5 million in December 2017 (the price was disappointing as…

Liberia: Global Oil Palm Body Rebukes GVL over Land Grab in Sinoe, Grand Kru

Mar 14, 2018 | FrontPage Africa

The Complaint Panel of the Roundtable on Sustainable Oil Palm (RSPO) has rebuked Golden Veroleum Liberia (GVL) for land grab in communities in Sinoe and…

Bangladesh: The Biggest Refugee Camp Braces for Rain: ‘This Is Going to Be a Catastrophe'

Mar 14, 2018 | Somini Sengupta and Henry Fountain, New York Times

The world’s largest refugee camp, a temporary home to more than half a million people that sprawls precariously across barren hills in southeastern Bangladesh, faces…

Myanmar: Karen Villagers Protest Hatgyi Dam, Other Projects on Salween River

Mar 14, 2018 | Nyein Nyein, Irrawaddy

More than 1,700 people living near the site of the planned Hatgyi Dam on the Salween River in Karen State’s Hpapun district gathered to show…

Iran/Iraq: Iran Says IS Resurgence Could Hamper Oil Deal with Iraq

Mar 14, 2018 | Adnan Abu Zeed, Al-Monitor

The Islamic State (IS) appears to be staging a comeback in parts of Iraq, which could endanger the country's oil deal with Iran. Hamid Hosseini,…

Afghanistan: Pine Nut Union Formed amid Ongoing Challenges

Mar 13, 2018 | TOLOnews

The Afghanistan Pine Nut Union was inaugurated at a ceremony in Kabul on Tuesday with the aim of overcoming challenges faced by investors and farmers…

Colombia: Making Land Safe for the People of Putumayo, Colombia

Mar 13, 2018 | Halo Trust

Putumayo is a region in the south-west of Colombia, bordering Ecuador and Peru. Located on the margins of the Amazon rainforest, it’s a place of…

Afghanistan: Activists Call on Govt to Step in and End Ghazni Dispute

Mar 12, 2018 | Nabila Ashrafi, TOLOnews

Rights activists and representatives of civil society institutions on Monday called on the Afghan government to accelerate its efforts to resolve a week-long dispute between…

Afghanistan: Mines, Key to Resolve Afghanistan Woes 'Beside Political Strife, Illegal Mining Spurring Conflict in the Country'

Mar 12, 2018 | Farhad Naibkhel, Afghanistan Times

Political analysts and experts at the Rana Think Thank monthly session on Tuesday expressed concerns over the ongoing crisis in the country and said that…

Myanmar: Myanmar Erects Security Structures atop Burned Land: Amnesty

Mar 12, 2018 | Agence France-Presse

Myanmar is building security installations on top of razed Rohingya villages, Amnesty International said Monday, casting doubt on the country's plans to repatriate hundreds of…

Myanmar's River Dolphins and Fishermen Double Down on Unique Relationship, as Fish Stocks Dwindle

Mar 12, 2018 | New Zealand City

Irrawaddy dolphins — the species is known by the river's former colonial spelling — are critically endangered. They exist only in Myanmar's Ayeyarwady River, the…

Myanmar: Villagers Renew Opposition to Yeywa Hydropower Plan

Mar 12, 2018 | Naw Betty Han, Myanmar Times

Residents of Talong village in Shan State oppose the construction of the Yehwa dam and hydropower project and reject the appeal of the government to…

Liberia: CSOs Calls on Pres. Weah, Senate to Reject Land Rights Bill

Mar 12, 2018 | Gerald C. Koinyeneh, FrontPage Africa

The Civil Society Organization (CSO) Working Group on land rights reform in Liberia has reawakened its campaign against the Land Rights Bill (LRB) passed by…

Iraq: Iraq Seeks to Restore IS-Wrecked Oil Field to Previous Production Capacity

Mar 11, 2018 | Mu Xuequan, Xinhua

The Iraqi oil ministry said on Saturday that the first-phase rehabilitation of an oil field in Iraq's central province of Salahudin has been fulfilled. The…

Afghanistan: Afghanistan Can Be a $50 Billion Economy by 2025

Mar 10, 2018 | Daily Outlook Afghanistan

Afghanistan may have seen muted economic growth in recent years; however impetus on specific drivers of growth can turn the clock around. If it wants…

DRC: DR Congo Signs New Mining Law Despite Companies' Opposition

Mar 10, 2018 | BBC

The Democratic Republic of Congo has moved to increase taxes on mining firms and increase government royalties from the industry despite fierce opposition from international…