International


Liberia: ‘Unregulated’ Artisan Mining In Several Counties Robbing Gov’t of Revenue

Jul 17, 2019 | Alpha Daffae Senkpeni, FrontPage Africa

Liberia’s revenue is “seriously being drained” due to rampant illicit mining by individuals suspected to be foreigners, some Liberians residing in artisanal mining communities have…


Afghanistan: Lapis Lazuli Deposit in Badakhshan Falls to Militants

Jul 17, 2019 | Tamim Hamid, TOLOnews

A lapis lazuli deposit in Keran Wa Manjan district in the northeastern province of Badakhshan fell to the Taliban after a clash between the security…


Climate Change: Two New Studies Warn That a Hotter World Will Be a More Violent One

Jul 17, 2019 | Christopher Ingraham, Washington Post

As the planet warms, experts have increasingly sounded the alarm over the potential for increased climate-driven geopolitical conflict. Two new studies underscore how rising temperatures…


China/Vietnam/South China Sea: Vietnam, China Embroiled in South China Sea Standoff

Jul 16, 2019 | James Pearson and Khanh Vu, Reuters

Vietnamese and Chinese ships have been embroiled in a weeks-long standoff near an offshore oil block in disputed waters of the South China Sea, which…


China/Vietnam/South China Sea: Vietnam 'Safeguarding Waters' in Reported South China Sea Standoff

Jul 16, 2019 | Straits Times

Vietnam is exercising its "sovereign rights and jurisdiction in a peaceful and lawful manner", the government said on Tuesday (July 16) amid reports of a…


Colombia: Climate Change: A Challenge for Colombia’s Campesinos

Jul 16, 2019 | Erik Apolinar, Bogota Post

Climate change is a challenge in every country – and the past G20 summit shows that even amongst world leaders, there is not a lot…


Afghanistan: Driving Improvements in Agriculture through Better Education

Jul 16, 2019 | ACTED

While Afghanistan society has experienced a wide range of positive changes over the recent past, not all Afghans are able to benefit equally from these…


DRC: Send in the Troops: Congo Raises the Stakes on Illegal Mining

Jul 16, 2019 | Aaron Ross, Reuters

Deploying soldiers to clear tens of thousands of illegal informal miners from mining concessions is a new approach by the authorities in Democratic Republic of…


DRC: Refugees Blame Chronic Violence on Battle for Mineral Wealth

Jul 16, 2019 | Halima Athumani, Voice of America

For decades, the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo -- the Ituri and North Kivu provinces especially -- has endured ethnic violence leaving thousands dead and…


Afghanistan: Farmer Field Schools Help Afghan Women to Step out from the Shadows

Jul 16, 2019 | ACTED

Working with over 300 female farmers, ACTED provided field school trainings in five provinces across Afghanistan. They aimed at teaching participants new techniques and developing…


Nigeria: Land Grabbing behind Herdsmen-Farmers Crisis – Yuguda

Jul 16, 2019 | Johnbosco Agbakwuru, Vanguard

Former Bauchi State Governor, Isa Yuguda on Tuesday said that land grabbing and population explosion were responsible for the crisis between farmers and herdsmen in…


Colombia: Colombia Launches Coffee Price Stabilization Fund

Jul 15, 2019 | Nick Brown, Daily Coffee News

Colombian President Iván Duque signed into law a new fund late last week designed to support the country’s smallholder farmers in times of downward price…


Afghanistan: Afghanistan’s Forests Are Turning a Profit for the Islamic State

Jul 15, 2019 | Stefanie Glinski, Foreign Policy

Small numbers of fighters for the Islamic State of Khorasan Province, the Afghan branch of the militant group, have been in Kunar since 2015. But…


Afghanistan: Fish Farming Booms in S. Afghan Province

Jul 14, 2019 | Xinhua

The Afghan Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock has been supporting local farmers in southern province of Kandahar in raising fish to cater to the…


Syria: ISIS Oil Minister Killed in Eastern Syria

Jul 14, 2019 | Al-Masdar Al-'Arabi

The Islamic State oil minister was killed in eastern Syria this week after the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) carried out a joint operation with the…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraqi MP Accuses KRG of ‘Treason’ for Failure to Send Oil

Jul 14, 2019 | Lawk Ghafuri, Rudaw

An Iraqi MP has called national leadership silence over the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) refusal  to send Baghdad 250,000 barrels per day (bpd) in exchange…


Climate Change: UNFAO: Conflict and Climate Conditions Continue to Exacerbate Food Insecurity

Jul 13, 2019 | OOSKAnews

Variable climate conditions and persistent conflicts contine to cause high levels of food insecurity in 41 countries, with 31 of these in Africa, UNFAO has reported. The Crop…


Myanmar: How a Singaporean Is Changing the Fates of Rice Farmers in Myanmar [Video]

Jul 13, 2019 | Desmond Ng and Alistair Ang, Channel News Asia

Against a backdrop of climate change and a cyclone disaster, David Chen is helping to tackle the problem of poverty through the way rice is…


Meet the Woman Risking her Life to Clear Colombia's Minefields

Jul 12, 2019 | BBC News

Paola Sanchez is 24 years old and risks her life every day, finding and deactivating landmines after five decades of conflict in Colombia.

Many of the…


India: Water Wars: Tempers Fray as Shortages Bite in New Delhi

Jul 12, 2019 | Joe Wallen, Telegraph

Soaring temperatures and a long delay to the start of the monsoon season are behind some of the most severe water shortages in New Delhi's…


South Sudan: South Sudan Collects 36 Million USD Tax from Non-Oil Sources

Jul 12, 2019 | Xinhua

South Sudan said on Friday that it collected over 7 billion South Sudanese Pounds (36 million U.S. dollars) in the last six months from non-oil…


Iraq: Iraq Seeks to Promote Oil Exports via Integrated Infrastructure: Minister

Jul 12, 2019 | Hellenic Shipping News

The Iraqi oil minister said that his ministry seeks to promote Iraqi oil exports through establishment of integrated infrastructure. According to the statement, the Iraqi…


China/Vietnam/South China Sea: China and Vietnam in Stand-off over Chinese Survey Ship Mission to Disputed Reef in South China Sea

Jul 12, 2019 | Liu Zhen, South China Morning Post

Chinese and Vietnamese coastguard vessels have been involved in a week-long confrontation over a reef in the South China Sea, risking the biggest clash between…


Los Derechos a la Tierra y a los Medios de Vida son Clave para que las Mujeres Indígenas de Kenia Logren un Desarrollo Sostenible

Jul 11, 2019 | Coalicion Mundial por los Bosques

Los gobiernos que están hoy reunidos en el Foro Político de Alto Nivel en la sede de las Naciones Unidas en Nueva York, están discutiendo…


Land Rights and Livelihoods Key to Achieving Sustainable Development for Kenya’s Indigenous Women

Jul 11, 2019 | Global Forest Coalition

Governments gathered today at the High-level Political Forum at United Nations Headquarters in New York are discussing Sustainable Development Goal 13, on climate action. But…


Israel/Palestine/Gaza: A Spillover Crisis: How Gaza’s Water Shortage Affects Israel

Jul 11, 2019 | Tamar Lavi, Zavit

Recently, the Israel Water Authority announced an upgrade to the water supply line from Israel to the Gaza Strip. The renovations will be carried out…


Colombia: Why Colombia’s Deforestation Spiked after the FARC’s Demobilization

Jul 11, 2019 | Kristen Rounds, Colombia Reports

Deforestation in Colombia surged after the demobilization of the FARC as it opened previously untouched rainforest to harmful and unregulated development. The increase in military…


Myanmar: Loopholes in Myanmar’s Forest Sector Cost Govt Million in Revenue

Jul 11, 2019 | Nan Lwin, Irrawaddy

On Thursday, MEITI released two reports on the forestry sector for fiscal years 2014-2015 and 2015-2016, shedding light on issues like the discrepancy in annual…


Colombia: As Climate Changes, Colombia’s Small Coffee Farmers Pay the Price

Jul 11, 2019 | Richard Schiffman, Yale Environment 360

In the last 18 months, Colombia has lost nearly 100,000 acres of coffee plantations, more than 4 percent of the land under coffee cultivation, according…


Afghanistan: UN Lab in Gurugram Digitising Afghan Land Records

Jul 10, 2019 | Sonali Verma, Hindustan Times

To digitise land records in the war-torn cities of Afghanistan, a team of experts in the city is currently designing blockchain-based software at the Technology…