International
Colombia: From Palenque to the Buenaventura Strike: The Long-Standing Battle of Afro-Colombians
Jul 5, 2017
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Nazaret Castro, Equal Times
Colombia’s Afro-descendant population, largely concentrated in the Pacific and Caribbean regions, has perhaps been the worst victim of the displacements and the massacres perpetrated by…
Afghanistan/Iran: Iran Criticism of Afghan Dam Projects Draws Rebuke from Kabul Officials
Jul 5, 2017
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Noor Zahid, Voice of America
Afghan officials reacted strongly to recent remarks by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani concerning water management and irrigation projects in Afghanistan. Speaking at an international conference…
DRC: In DRC, Women Challenge Custom to Assert Legal Right to Inherit Land
Jul 5, 2017
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Esther Nsapu, News Deeply
Traditionally, women in the DRC gained shares in property through marriage, not inheritance – and today, few realize that this custom contradicts the law. In…
South Sudan: Gold Trade is Unexpected Winner in Failed South Sudan’s Peace Deal
Jul 5, 2017
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Okech Francis, Bloomberg
After South Sudan’s peace deal collapsed, gun battles rocked the capital and soldiers ransacked his clothing store, Ahmed al-Nur faced the economic crisis in a…
Iran: Iran Fears Tension over Water Shortage, Holds Neighboring Countries Responsible for Crisis
Jul 4, 2017
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Adel Al-Salmi, Asharq Al Awsat
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani asked neighboring countries to collaborate to address the region’s water shortages and said environmental issues require planning would not be resolved…
South Sudan: Economic Chaos Fuels Gold Mining Rush in Africa's Newest Nation
Jul 4, 2017
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Okech Francis, Bloomberg
After South Sudan’s peace deal collapsed, gun battles rocked the capital and soldiers ransacked his clothing store, Ahmed al-Nur faced the economic crisis in a trade…
Afghanistan/Iran: Iranian President Voices Concerns Regarding Dams Construction in Afghanistan
Jul 4, 2017
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Khaama Press
The Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has voiced concerns as the Afghan government plans to build more dams in a bid to regulate the waters for…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Canadian Court Orders Seizure of Kurdish Oil Tanker
Jul 3, 2017
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Tsvetana Paraskova, OilPrice.com
A Halifax court issued last week a warrant for the seizure of an oil tanker that holds crude oil from Kurdistan, which was last spotted…
Myanmar: Myanmar’s ‘Sea Gypsies’ Threatened by Dynamite Fishing and Drugs
Jul 3, 2017
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Agence France-Presse
Until recently the sea provided the Moken with everything they needed: a base for boats they lived in, fish and seafood to eat and bounty…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Tanker with Kurdish Oil Seen in Waters Near Canada/US East Coast
Jul 1, 2017
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Rudaw
An oil tanker carrying crude oil from the Kurdistan Region that went off track and was allegedly heading to the US over a week ago…
Myanmar: Jade Stones on Way to China Seized at Yaypu Checkpoint
Jun 30, 2017
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Chan Mya Htwe, Myanmar Times
Jade stones which were about to be smuggled into China were seized from a truck that was on forest track leading to Theinni from Lashio. After…
Myanmar: Over 1000 Mandalay Farmers Protest Land Seizure, Suits
Jun 30, 2017
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Kyaw Ko Ko, Myanmar Times
More than 1000 farmers in the Mandalay Region staged a protest against what they described as unfair lawsuits filed against them pertaining to seized land.…
North Korea/South Korea: Water Issue Can Escalate Inter-Korean Tension
Jun 29, 2017
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Kim Se-jeong, Korea Times
Climate change is creating water scarcity around the world, and Korea is not an exception, especially considering inter-Korean relations. "If North Korea releases water from…
Climate Change: House Lawmakers back Amendment Requiring Pentagon Climate Change Report
Jun 28, 2017
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Ellen Mitchell, Hill
The House Armed Services Committee’s annual defense policy bill will include a provision requiring a Defense Department report on the effects of climate change on military…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Baghdad Threatens Legal Action against KRG over Authorized Exports
Jun 27, 2017
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Zainab Calcuttawala, OilPrice.com
Two weeks after a 700,000-barrel tanker named Neverland reportedly began its journey towards the U.S. East Coast, Baghdad declared its readiness to challenge the legal…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Kurdish Independence: '800,000 bpd of Crude Needed to Oil Statecraft
Jun 27, 2017
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Jijo Jacob, International Business Times
Kurdistan is a state in the birth throes. Almost 30 million Kurds in countries such as Iraq, Turkey, Syria and Iran hope to be a…
Philippines/Vietnam/South China Sea: What's behind the Resumed Vietnam-Philippines South China Sea Activity?
Jun 27, 2017
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Prashanth Parameswaran, Diplomat
On June 22, Vietnam and the Philippines conducted the third iteration of their naval personnel interactions on Southwest Cay in the Spratly Islands in the…
Colombia: In Rural Colombia, Waging Peace by Safeguarding Water
Jun 26, 2017
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María Paula Rubiano, El Espectador
Fundamor's plot of land has a stream, the Quebrada la Fría, that feeds the Mandivá River, which in turns supplies 11 districts further down. The…
Myanmar: Burmese Roofed Turtle Threatened by Water Pollution
Jun 26, 2017
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Ma Pe Nyein, Eleven
The Burmese roofed turtle is an endangered endemic species known only to live in the Ayeyawady, Chindwin, Sitaung, and lower Thanlwin rivers, where it was…
CAR: Global Witness Warns of CAR Diamond Smuggling
Jun 26, 2017
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Joshua Freedman, Diamonds.net
A representative from the organization posed undercover as a diamond trader to gain “unprecedented access” to those involved in smuggling diamonds out of CAR, it…
China/Vietnam/South China Sea: Vietnam Faces New Oil Dispute with China after Beijing Cuts Visit Short
Jun 26, 2017
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Ralph Jennings, Voice of America
China and Vietnam face a stiff new test in avoiding a showdown over undersea oil drilling after Beijing cut short a high-level meeting last week,…
Colombia: Canada’s Zonte Metals Sues Colombia over Gold Permit Rejection
Jun 26, 2017
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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…