International


Colombia: Canada’s Zonte Metals Sues Colombia over Gold Permit Rejection

Jun 26, 2017 | Cecilia Jamasmie, Mining.com

Canada’s Zonte Metals has officially sued the mining authority of Colombia’s Department of Antioquia for allegedly not processing the junior explorer’s application in accordance with…


Afghanistan: An Afghan Bird Refuge Comes back to Life after Decades of Neglect

Jun 25, 2017 | Pamela Constable, Washington Post

Just south of the Afghan capital, on a busy road lined with car repair shops, goat corrals and garbage pits, a narrow lane opens unexpectedly…


Conflict Minerals: Pioneering Canadian System Ensures Conflict-Free Gold

Jun 25, 2017 | Geoffrey York, Globe and Mail

About 15 per cent of the world’s gold supply is provided by the 30 million workers in the small-scale and artisanal mining industry. But these…


Climate Change: 'Long, Slow, Horrible': Former Defence Officers Warn of Climate Impacts on National Security

Jun 24, 2017 | Fergus Hunter, Sydney Morning Herald

Former Defence Force officers, including a former chief of the Australian military, have warned that climate change will emerge as the defining security threat of…


Liberia: Deputy SRSG Calls for Restructuring National Land Tenure System

Jun 23, 2017 | Alvin Worzi, Observer

Yacoub El Hillo, Deputy Special Representative of UN Secretary-General (DSRSG) and UN Coordination, says there is an urgent need for Liberia to restructure its land…


Afghanistan: Farmers Increase Output with Access to Efficient Water Management Systems in Balkh Province

Jun 22, 2017 | World Bank

The irrigation canal that has benefited so many farmers is the Baghat Irrigation Canal. Located in Sahilozie village in Khulm district in Balkh Province, the…


Boom Time for Colombian Cocaine, Afghan Opioids

Jun 22, 2017 | Deutsche Welle

The Vienna-based UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) cited a sharp increase in cocaine and opium production profiting criminal gangs and terror groups in…


Feucht Inducted in Wisconsin Army National Guard Hall of Honor for Agricultural Work in Afghanistan

Jun 22, 2017 | College of Agicultural & Life Sciences

Agriculture is very important in Afghanistan; it accounts for about 45 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, and 80 percent of the population is…


Colombia: Colombia Plans Initiative for Solar to Benefit Milk Producers

Jun 21, 2017 | Mark Hutchins, PV Magazine

Anatolio Santos, Atlántico Department’s Secretary of Economic Development, brought up the initiative at a government meeting. The aim of the proposed initiative is to boost…


Myanmar: Myanmar Govt Expected to Earn Ks 1.8 Trillion from Natural Resources This Year

Jun 21, 2017 | Eleven

State-owned enterprises extracting natural resources are expected to earn over Ks 1.8 trillion during the 2017-2018 fiscal year, according to this year's budget statement. Those…


South Sudan: More South Sudanese Go Hungry but Worst of Famine Eases: UN

Jun 21, 2017 | Denis Dumo and Tom Miles, Reuters

More South Sudanese people are going hungry and 45,000 are still living in famine-like conditions even though South Sudan is no longer classified as being…


China/Vietnam/South China Sea: China Cancels Military Meeting with Vietnam over Territorial Dispute

Jun 21, 2017 | Mike Ives, New York Times

State-run newspapers in Vietnam and China reported in recent days  that senior military officials from the two countries would hold a fence-mending gathering along a…


South Sudan: South Sudan to Push Ahead with Petroleum Audit

Jun 20, 2017 | African Review

The South Sudanese Ministry of Petroleum has launched a public tender to perform an audit and produce a report on the country's petroleum sector. Despite…


Australia: Australia Warned It Has Radically Underestimated Climate Change Security Threat

Jun 20, 2017 | Ben Doherty, Guardian

As the Senate launches an inquiry into the national security ramifications of climate change, a new report has warned global warming will cause increasingly regular…


Liberia: Multi-Stakeholder Meeting on Land Concession Management Underway in Liberia

Jun 20, 2017 | FrontPageAfrica

As part of improving citizens’ engagement in concessions management and managing concession-related conflicts, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is organizing a two-day national multi-stakeholders…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Who Controls the Oil as Kurdish Independence Looms?

Jun 20, 2017 | Gregory Brew, OilPrice.com

Kurdistan, the autonomous region of northern Iraq that is rich in oil resources and has proven an effective force against the spread of the Islamic…


Africa: Crop Failure and Conflict Affecting Food Security in Africa

Jun 19, 2017 | Sabrina Dean, Farmer's Weekly

According to the latest quarterly Crop Prospects and Food Shortages report released by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) this month, people across 29 countries…


Myanmar: Jade Mining in Hpakant, Lone Khin on Hold Due to Monsoon

Jun 19, 2017 | Chan Mya Htwe, Myanmar Times

Jade mining operations in Hpakant and Lone Khin of Kachin State have slowly begun to wind down from last week, due to the approaching monsoon…


Myanmar: Kyaukphyu Farmers Propose Compensation Rates for Land Lost to SEZ

Jun 19, 2017 | Moe Myint, Irrawaddy

Farmers from four village tracts in southern Rakhine State’s Kyaukphyu Township have demanded that the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone (SEZ) committee compensate seized paddy field…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Abadi: Holding Independence Referendum in Kurdistan Region is ‘Illegal’

Jun 18, 2017 | NRT

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said holding an independence referendum in the Kurdistan Region is “illegal” and that such a referendum requires a specified law…


South Sudan: South Sudan's Displaced See Little Chance of Peace

Jun 18, 2017 | David Lewis, Reuters

When South Sudan's civil war erupted in 2013, Nyayath Uluak was caught in crossfire in the northern town of Malakal and a bullet tore her…


Myanmar: Chin Oppose Ecotourism project

Jun 18, 2017 | Thet Htain Win, Eleven

Residents of Kanpatlat in Chin State are signing a petition to object to the Mone River Company, which is applying to take 1,700 acres from residents for an ecotourism project.…


Iran/Turkey: Ebtekar Calls for Water Diplomacy with Turkey

Jun 18, 2017 | Financial Tribune

Massoumeh Ebtekar, the head of the Department of Environment, has called on the Foreign Ministry to help convince Turkey to abandon its obsession with dam…


Afghanistan/Iran: Iran, Afghanistan Start Talks in Five Strategic Fields

Jun 17, 2017 | Mehdi Sepahvand, Trend

A large delegation of Afghan officials is visiting Tehran today to start a previously arranged series of talks in five strategic fields, Mehr news agency…


Colombia: Why Colombia’s Economic Growth Slowed in 1Q17

Jun 16, 2017 | Mary Sadler, Market Realist

The third-largest economy in Latin America (ILF), Colombia (GXG) is growing at a slower pace in 2017 amid its external and domestic shocks. The Colombian…


Myanmar: MTE to Resume Timber Extraction from Taninthayi Mountains

Jun 16, 2017 | Zaw Moe Oo, Eleven

Myanma Timber Enterprise will resume its activities to extract 17,000 tonnes of timber from Taninthayi mountain range. The timber will be taken from a protected…


Myanmar: Deadly Dengue Fever on the Rise

Jun 16, 2017 | May Thet Hnin, Global New Light of Myanmar

The number of cases of dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) has dramatically increased over the last five months due to climate change, increased breeding rates of…


South Sudan: South Sudan Ministry of Petroleum Launches Open Tender for Petroleum Audit

Jun 16, 2017 | Globe Newswire

South Sudan’s government will commission an audit of national oil production and petroleum industry activities, the Ministry of Petroleum announced today. The Ministry invites companies…


Food Security: UN Agencies Appeal for Support to Stop Acute Food Crises Driven by Conflict and Drought

Jun 15, 2017 | Stefan Jungcurt, International Institute for Sustainable Development

UN agencies have released updated reporting on acute and imminent famine and set forth additional measures addressing food security and hunger in countries facing crises…


Liberia: MOA, Partners Begin Agriculture Land Use and Suitability Mapping

Jun 15, 2017 | Judoemue Kollie, Liberian Observer

Liberia is endowed with natural resources and is home to two-thirds of West Africa’s remaining rainforest. However, due to the lack of state-of-the art technology…