International


China/India: India and China in a Water War

Aug 31, 2017 | Neeta Lal, Asia Sentinel

With more than 32 million people hit by floods in four Indian states so far this year, New Delhi is growing increasingly frustrated over China’s…


Liberia: Farmer: FAO and Partners Brainstorm on Responsible Governance of Land

Aug 31, 2017 | Judoemue Kollie, Daily Observer

The eradication of hunger and poverty and the sustainable use of the environment depend in large measure on how people, communities and others gain access…


Israel/Gaza: Israeli Mayors to US: Help Resolve Gaza Electricity, Water Crisis

Aug 31, 2017 | Tovah Lazaroff, Jerusalem Post

Southern Gaza border mayors have asked the United States to form an international coalition to help resolve Gaza’s water and electricity crisis, which has created…


Iran: Al Qaeda Affiliate Mining Uranium to Send to Iran, Somali Official Warns US Ambassador

Aug 31, 2017 | Catherine Herridge and Jake Gibson, Fox News

An Al Qaeda affiliate has seized control of uranium mines in Africa with the intent of supplying the material to Iran, according to a diplomatic…


Myanmar: Myanmar to Promote Bamboo Production Industry in Cooperation with China

Aug 31, 2017 | Xinhua

Myanmar has planned to promote bamboo production industry in the country in cooperation with China, U Ohn Win, Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation…


Water: Over 180 Million People Lack Water in Conflict Zones Worldwide

Aug 30, 2017 | Prensa Latina

The United Nations Children''s Fund (UNICEF) warned today that more than 180 million people lack access to water in conflict zones throughout the world. According…


Afghanistan: What Opium Poppy and Tax Reveal about the Afghan State

Aug 30, 2017 | Middle East North Africa Financial Network

The AfghanistanResearch and Evaluation Unit (AREU), in a European Union(EU)-funded study, has released a paper highlighting the challenges of assessing control and influence that both…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraq’s Oil Rich Kirkuk Province to Take Part in Kurdish Independence Vote

Aug 30, 2017 | Energy Voice

Iraq’s Kurds plan to hold the referendum on Sept. 25 in three governorates that make up their region as well as disputed areas that are…


Ghana: Ghana to Import Timber from Liberia as Local Forests Deplete

Aug 30, 2017 | Joseph Opoku Gakpo, Joy News

Ghana will from next month begin importing timber from Liberia to help deal with what woodworkers say is the shortage of logs in the country.…


DRC: The Power Plants That May Save a Park, and Aid a Country

Aug 30, 2017 | Amy Yee, New York Times

Low electrification rates "hamper Africa's development", USAID said in a report last year. In short, power plants are crucial to an ambitious attempt not only…


Afghanistan: Jerry Garry, PNG Geologist Who Helped Shape Afghanistan’s Mining Laws

Aug 29, 2017 | Scott Waide, EMTV

Not many Papua New Guineans outside mining circles know about a geologist named, Jerry Garry,from Simbu. His contributions have helped resurrect the economies of countries…


Afghanistan: Did Afghan Minerals Change Trump's Mind about Afghanistan?

Aug 29, 2017 | Waslat Hasrat-Nazimi, Deutsche Welle

While presenting his much-awaited Afghanistan policy last week, US President Donald Trump said he decided against a complete withdrawal of US forces from the war-torn…


Colombia: Only 16% of Colombia’s Displaced Were Uprooted by Combat

Aug 29, 2017 | Adriaan Alsema, Colombia Reports

Colombia’s armed conflict has displaced more than 7 million Colombians in what increasingly appears to have been a major land theft operation as only 16%…


Myanmar: China Pipeline Firms Must Share Profits, Says Shan State MP

Aug 29, 2017 | Shan Herald Agency for News

Namsan Township MP Aung Tun has called in parliament for the Burmese and Chinese oil and gas firms who operate pipelines through Kyaukme District in…


Myanmar: Dam Project in Northern Myanmar Will Destroy Remote River Valley, Environmentalist Group Warns

Aug 29, 2017 | Seamus Martov, Irrawaddy

A series of four dams set to be built in a remote corner of eastern Kachin State, on the upper waters of the Irrawaddy River,…


Afghanistan: How Climate Change is a 'Death Sentence' in Afghanistan's Highlands

Aug 28, 2017 | Sune Engel Rasmussen, Guardian

The central highlands of Afghanistan are a world away from the congested chaos of the country’s cities. Hills roll across colossal, uninhabited spaces fringed by…


Myanmar: Floods Destroy 90,000 Acres of Paddy Field

Aug 28, 2017 | Su Phyo Win, Myanmar Times

SOME 90,000 acres of riceland have been destroyed due to flooding as of August 18, a huge decline compared to 300,000 acres of paddy washed…


Technology, Blockchain and the Natural Resource Curse

Aug 28, 2017 | Michael Kern, Crypto Insider

The “paradox of plenty,” natural resources are both a gift and a curse to emerging economies. Rather than providing a flourishing economy, often the result…


Liberia: Senate Fails to Agree with House of Representatives on Passage of Land Rights Act

Aug 26, 2017 | Gbatemah Senah, Bush Chicken

The draft law addresses sticky issues surrounding land rights in the country. In addition to calls for the Legislature to act on the bill, the…


India: When Manimajra & Patiala Fought Water Wars

Aug 25, 2017 | Amit Arora, Times News Network

Books published in 19th century and even gazettes and census documents, both from before and after Independence, talk of these battles. Most people believe that…


Colombia: Former Rebels, Colombia Prosecutor Spar over FARC War Chest

Aug 25, 2017 | Christina Amario, Associated Press

A battle is brewing between Colombia's chief prosecutor and what was recently the nation's largest rebel group over just how much money and property it…


DRC: New Mine Set to Double DRC's Tin Exports

Aug 24, 2017 | Biz Community

When it reaches full capacity, the Alphamin Bisie (ABM) tin mine in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will deliver 10,000 tonnes of tin per…


Afghanistan: Nimroz Residents' Interest Grows in Pistachio Farming

Aug 24, 2017 | Muhammad Ramin, Pajhwok Afghan News

The residents of southwestern Nimroz province have been increasingly taking interest in plantation of pistachio farms, an official says. Mohammad Akbar Sharifi, Nimroz’s agriculture director,…


Iraq: Photos Reveal Iraq Oil Fires Burning behind ISIS Retreat [Photos]

Aug 23, 2017 | Megan Darby, Climate Home

Oil wells are on fire in the wake of retreating Islamic State militants in Iraq, satellite images show, belching toxic soot and climate pollutants. As Western-backed Iraqi…


Cambodia: Protesters, Guards Clash in a Bid to Reclaim Farmland

Aug 23, 2017 | Soth Koemsoeun, Phnom Penh Post

About 100 protesters clashed with Chamkarmon district security forces after blocking the street in front of the Land Management Ministry yesterday in an attempt to…


Liberia: ACDI VOCA Smallholder Oil Palm Shut Projects in Liberia

Aug 23, 2017 | Selma Lomax, FrontPageAfrica

The overall objectives of the project, according to Mr. Kolva, is to strengthen Liberia’s smallholders oil palm sector, contribute toward agricultural growth, reduce rural poverty,…


DRC: Alphamin Bisie Tin Mine on Track to Produce Conflict-Free Tin from 2019

Aug 23, 2017 | Mining Review

Alphamin Bisie tin mine holds significant value for the region as it brings employment while adding to the region’s infrastructure and social well-being. North Kivu…


Liberia: Freetown Mudslide, Rainstorms Disaster - A Look at Possible Causal Factors

Aug 22, 2017 | FrontPageAfrica

On August 14, a severe landslide/mudslide and rainstorms disaster killed hundreds on the outskirts of Sierra Leone's capital Freetown. It is believed that the mudslide…


Afghanistan: How Will Trump Pay for Afghanistan? President Wants to Tap Minerals in War-Torn Country

Aug 21, 2017 | Greg Price, Newsweek

Afghanistan is said to be sitting on top of major deposits of gold, platinum and other valuable metals worth potentially $1 trillion, but with barely any…


Sudan/South Sudan: Ethiopia Hosts Fresh Talks on Abyei Demarcation

Aug 21, 2017 | Fred Oluoch, East African

After a 12-year delay in resolving the Abyei border dispute between South Sudan and Sudan, the African Union is now putting pressure on Juba and…