International


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…


Iraq/Islamic State: IS Militants Set Oil Wells on Fire to Hinder Iraqi Jets Reach Targets in Tal Afar

Aug 21, 2017 | Nehal Mostafa, Iraqi News

Islamic State militants set oil wells on fire to hinder military jets reach targets, according to the pro-government paramilitary troops. In a statement on Monday,…


Myanmar: Jade Exports Earnings Plummet Since Last Year

Aug 21, 2017 | Eleven

In the first four months of this fiscal year, jade export earnings reached US$24.8 million, down $85 million since the same period last year, according…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraq's Kurds Might Put off Independence Vote in Return for Concessions from Baghdad: Official

Aug 20, 2017 | Maher Chmaytelli, Reuters

Iraq’s Kurds may consider the possibility of postponing a planned Sept. 25 referendum on independence in return for financial and political concessions from the central…


Afghanistan: Chinese Company Seeking Railway Revival to Invest in Afghan Marble Sector

Aug 20, 2017 | Abdul Haleem, Xinhua

A delegation of Qin Gen Industrial Company of China, headed by deputy general manager Li Yingjun, has met officials with Afghan Chamber of Commerce and…


Myanmar: FDA Charges 17 Water Factories

Aug 20, 2017 | Ei Thinzar Kyaw, Eleven

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in Yangon said it had taken action against 17 "undisciplined" bottled water factories in Hlegu Township in two months…


Afghanistan: At Stake in US Military Efforts to Stabilize Afghanistan: At Least $3 Trillion in Natural Resources

Aug 19, 2017 | Mariam Amini, CNBC

Trump is seeking a military win in Afghanistan, but American efforts there may yet reap financial gains. Afghanistan possesses rare minerals crucial for industrial manufacturing,…


Iraq: ISIL's Smouldering Footprint in Qayyara

Aug 19, 2017 | Dorian Geiger, Al Jazeera

Qayyara had been a strategic stronghold for ISIL where oil was a crucial source of income. But torching the wells was also strategic. It offered…


Afghanistan: Improving Livelihoods for Afghan Women through Agricultural Credit

Aug 18, 2017 | Middle East North Africa Financial Network

USAID's Regional Agricultural Development Program-North (RADP-N), in partnership with Agricultural Credit Enhancement Phase-II project (ACE-II), hosted the Women's Agricultural Credit Shura in Mazar-e-Sharif on Wednesday…


Colombia: Colombia Declares 166 Municipalities Free of Landmines

Aug 18, 2017 | teleSUR

Authorities in Colombia have declared that 166 of the country’s municipalities are free of anti-personnel landmines, adding that 14 other municipalities are free of suspicion…


Afghanistan: USAID Hosts Women’s Agricultural Credit Shura in Mazar-E-Sharif to Improve Livelihoods for Afghan Women

Aug 17, 2017 | USAID

When it comes to accessing credit for women farmers and women-owned agriculture-related businesses, challenges have often forced these operations to close because of a lack…


DRC: Democratic Republic of Congo Grappling with Heavily Networked Armed Groups Funded by Gold Smuggling, Security Council Hears, as Expert Body Mourns Slain Members

Aug 17, 2017 | UN Security Council

Tremendous challenges were facing the Democratic Republic of Congo, with the dynamics of the conflict ever-changing, an illicit trade in artisanal gold funding increasingly fragmented…


Conflict Minerals: Companies Remain Committed to US Conflict Minerals Reporting

Aug 17, 2017 | Chemical Watch

Companies remain committed to conflict minerals due diligence, despite promises of relaxed enforcement of US reporting requirements, a recent study has found. The report, by…


FAO Welcomes UN Security Council Recognition of Conflict-Famine Link

Aug 17, 2017 | Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) welcomes the UN Security Council's recognition of conflict as a major cause of famine, and the call to…


Afghanistan: Ticket to Rot for Fruit Stranded without Flights in Afghanistan

Aug 16, 2017 | Sayed Sarwar and Hamid Shalizi, Reuters

Afghanistan's plans to fly shipments from southern fruit growers to India have gone awry, leaving tons of grapes and melons to rot as officials scramble…


South Sudan/Sudan: Khartoum Negotiating Teams Say Abyei is Sudanese Territory

Aug 16, 2017 | Sudan Tribune

Sudanese delegation for the talks on the Abyei area Monday said they will focus on the need for a peaceful coexistence between the communities there,…


Myanmar: Tatmadaw to Continue Clearing out Illegal Mines in Tanai and Hpakant

Aug 16, 2017 | Htoo Thant, Myanmar Times

The Tatmadaw needs to continue military operations in Tanai and Hpakant in Kachin State to bring peace, order and stability in the area and put…


Afghanistan: Improved Irrigation Canal to Benefit over 7,500 People in Taloqan

Aug 16, 2017 | Middel East North Africa Financial Network

Afghan authorities and the Afghan-German Cooperation signed a contract for the reparation and rehabilitation of the Gurg irrigation canal in Taloqan, Takhar's provincial capital on…


Myanmar: Serenity Amid Conflict at Myanmar’s Indawgyi Lake

Aug 16, 2017 | Hugh Scobie, Adelaide Review

Myanmar is a part of the world where poverty and wealth become very confusing — it suffers from the ‘resource curse’; abundant natural resources but…