International
Kenya: Why Kenya Hopes Blockchain Can End Land Grabbing
May 5, 2018
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Dickens Olewe, BBC
Kenya sees itself as a technology giant in Africa and has embraced the nickname "Silicon Savannah" - now it has set up a special team…
Timor-Leste: Basics in East Timor Allowed Slip as Oil Wealth Poured Away
May 5, 2018
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Amanda Hodge, The Australian
At a debate in East Timor’s capital Dili ahead of next Saturday’s elections, an argument flared between candidates and party flacks over who had the…
Myanmar: Coffee Catches on as a Cash Crop in the Shan Hills
May 5, 2018
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Katrin Schregenberger, Frontier
Of the two main varieties of coffee, Arabica is superior to robusta, with a sweeter, softer taste. It’s also harder to grow because it is…
Afghanistan: Afghan Essential Oils Producer Convinces Locals to Grow Roses Instead of Poppies
May 4, 2018
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Syed Salahuddin, Arab News
Abdullah Arsalan, owner of Ozula Naturals, has introduced rose farming as an attractive alternate to growing poppy for local farmers in eastern Nangarhar province. Nearly…
Bangladesh: Rohingya Refugees Who Fled Massacres in Burma Face Another Lethal Force: The Monsoon
May 4, 2018
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Jason Patinkin, Washington Post
In Bangladesh, the world’s largest refugee camp is literally falling apart. With the annual cyclone and monsoon seasons approaching this month and next, hundreds of…
Myanmar: Special Drones and a Crypto-Currency: Mangrove Restoration Goes High-Tech
May 2, 2018
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Katrin Schregenberger, Frontier
In what may be a first for Myanmar, a drone was used in a reforestation project to plant mangroves at the Thor Heyerdahl Climate Park…
Mexico: Water Wars: Ranchers Clash over Scarce Resources in Mexico
May 2, 2018
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teleSUR
El Barzon, a civil society organization of ranchers and activists, has mobilized against an illegal well being built by the LeBaron farming family in Chihuahua, northern…
Colombia: Mining Formalization in Colombia: Multinationals, Informal Miners ‘Have to Live Together,’ Says Dora Elena Balvín, Antioquia Secretary of Mines
Apr 30, 2018
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Loren Moss, Finance Colombia
The mining sector in Colombia has been facing difficult challenges in recent years. Most notably, there have been a series of referendums across the country…
Liberia: Agricultural Cooperatives: Surviving in Post-War Liberia
Apr 30, 2018
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George Harris, Observer
Cooperatives in Liberia, especially agricultural cooperatives were understood to be a driving tool of development among rural dwellers who were mostly farmers. The movement of…
Liberia: 5000 Cocoa Farmers to Benefit from New Project
Apr 30, 2018
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George Harris, Observer
At least five thousand cocoa farmers from Bong, Lofa and Nimba Counties are to benefit from the Liberia Cocoa Improvement Program (LICSIP) that will officially…
Iraq/Syria/Islamic State: Revealed: How ISIS Raised Billions of Dollars to Fund Its Terror Network
Apr 29, 2018
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Jonathan Walker, Chronicle Live
Terrorist group ISIS raised billions of pounds from oil sales, taxing millions of residents and trading in products such as sulphur and cement. The story…
Afghanistan: Afghan Farmers Stick to Growing Opium in the Face of Less Lucrative Options
Apr 29, 2018
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Ismail Sameem, Reuters
Afghan farmers are busy in their poppy fields as the annual opium harvest begins, underscoring the government’s failure to stamp out a crop that yields…
Syria: Damascus Denies Syrian Land-Grabbing Law Still Published on State Media
Apr 28, 2018
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John J. Catherine, Kurdistan 24
A Syrian official denied the existence of a presidential decree in which the government would confiscate property from its citizens if ownership is not "confirmed"…
Afghanistan: Drought Exacerbating Malnutrition Levels in Afghanistan – UNICEF
Apr 28, 2018
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Robin Gomes, Vatican News
With an extremely dry winter hitting 22 provinces across Afghanistan, the lives of a million people are critically affected, with children the most vulnerable. Another…
Myanmar: An Environmental Disaster [Photos]
Apr 27, 2018
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Zon Pan Pwint, Myanmar Times
About 200 government firefighters and 100 volunteer firefighters have been wrestling to extinguish the landfill fire. The brave and self-sacrificing firefighters work around the clock…
Africa: West Africa Faces Security Threat from Herders/Farmers Violence - UN
Apr 27, 2018
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Nnenna Ibeh, Naij
The United Nations has said that the incessant clash between herdsmen and farmers across Nigeria poses a grave security to West Africa. Mohammed Ibn Chambas,…
China/Philippines/Vietnam/South China Sea: Duterte to Vietnam: PHL Holding on to Tribunal Ruling vs. China
Apr 27, 2018
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Virgil Lopez, GMA News
President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday assured his Vietnamese counterpart that the Philippines was not abandoning the decision of the United Nations-backed arbitral tribunal in 2016…
Iraq: No Oil Majors Win Contracts in Iraq Oil Licensing Round
Apr 26, 2018
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Maher Chmaytelli, Reuters
Iraq failed to attract investment from the top global energy companies in its oil and gas exploration/development contract auction on Thursday, with no major firms…
Colombia: This Woman Who Saved Her Afro-Colombian Community’s Land from Illegal Gold Miners Won Prestigious Prize
Apr 26, 2018
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Remezcla
Every year, the Goldman Environmental Prize honors those working to protect the earth on a grassroots level. The organization scours all continents for environmental heroes who have had…
Conflict Minerals: IBM Is Tackling Blood Diamonds with Blockchain
Apr 26, 2018
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Olga Kharif, Bloomberg
International Business Machines Corp., a group of four gold and diamond industry companies and an independent laboratory are developing a blockchain network for tracing the…
Conflict Minerals: IBM's Blockchain Tech to Track Jewels from Mine to Retail Stores
Apr 26, 2018
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Olga Kharif, Bloomberg
International Business Machines Corp., a group of four gold and diamond industry companies and an independent laboratory are developing a blockchain network for tracing the…
Iraq: Iraq's Move to Rush Oil Bidding Could Deter Some Firms
Apr 25, 2018
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Sinan Salaheddin, Associated Press
Iraq is opening more of its untapped oil and gas resources to foreign developers, hoping to boost revenues after its costly war with the Islamic…
Colombia: Green Gold, Black Gold, Avocados vs Oil
Apr 24, 2018
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Emma Newbery, Bogota Post
Throw-away comments from politicians always tend to spark headlines during election time – in this case a flurry of memes and a debate about the…
Afghanistan: Emergency Alerts Loom as Drought Takes Hold in War-Torn Afghanistan
Apr 23, 2018
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Rupam Jain, Reuters
Afghanistan faces the threat of serious drought this year after recording the lowest snowfall and rain in years over the winter, officials said on Monday,…
Liberia: “Corridors of Trouble” in Liberia Land Sector
Apr 23, 2018
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Simeon S. Wiakanty, Daily Observer
The Chairman of the Liberia Land Administration Project, Dr. Cecil Othello Brandy, has disclosed that a huge gap exists in the land sector. While he…
Afghanistan/Iran: Afghanistan Blocks Flow of Hirmand River into Iran
Apr 22, 2018
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Financial Tribune
Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian said by building dams on Hirmand River, the eastern neighbor Afghanistan has significantly reduced the volume of water entering Iranian territories…
Sudan: Blood and Gold: Now Sudan's Land Wars Have Spread to Mining
Apr 21, 2018
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Mohammed Amin, Middle East Eye
The protesters always wanted their rally to be peaceful, they said. But by the end of the day at the gold mine in Sudan's remote…
Iraq/Kuwait: Iraq Resumes Gulf War Reparation Payments to Kuwait
Apr 21, 2018
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Rudaw
Iraq has made its first reparations payment to Kuwait after a three-year pause. This is the first payment since October 2014 when Iraq was allowed…
Colombia: Open Destruction in the Colombian Amazon after FARC’s Exit
Apr 20, 2018
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Esteban Montaño and Semana Sostenible, Mongabay
The Amazon is one of the first victims of peace with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). As predicted, the process of disarmament has…
Local Firm Hires 2,000 Workers for Rose Farming
Apr 20, 2018
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Ziar Yaad, TOLOnews
A local firm in Nangarhar province, in the east of Afghanistan, has leased 300 hectares of land to grow rose and process it for perfume…