KABUL, Afghanistan – The brilliant blue stone lapis lazuli, prized for millennia, is almost uniquely found in Afghanistan, a key part of the extensive mineral wealth that is seen as the best hope for ...

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghanistan’s president has thrown his support behind a push to classify lapis lazuli as a “conflict mineral” after a global advocacy group said Monday that militants — ...

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The first blue pigment to hold its color was often prized over gold. The semi-precious stone lapis lazuli was ground into an iridescent pigment, sometimes called ultramarine, that ...

Imagine encountering a stone with a captivating deep blue hue, speckled with golden pyrite—a gem valued so highly it rivalled gold. This isn’t a fantasy but a remarkable truth that has enchanted ...

Afghanistan's mineral wealth is helping fuel the war that has long ravaged the country, with armed anti-government groups - including the Taliban - earning up to $20 million a year from illegal mining ...

Afghan lapis lazuli must be classified as a “conflict mineral”, an international watchdog says, warning the Taliban and other insurgents are earning some $20 million a year illegally mining the ...