International

Afghanistan: Taliban-Backed Project Seeks to Save Afghanistan’s Ancient Buddhist City from Copper Mining

Apr 11, 2023 | Francesca Aton, ARTnews

The Afghan heritage site Mes Aynak is currently at risk of being destroyed due to a delayed mining project. The site, just 25 miles southeast…

DRC: The Democratic Republic of Congo Is Auditing Mining Deals Skewed towards China

Apr 10, 2023 | Faustine Ngila, Quartz

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is pushing for an audit of the country’s mining contracts with China, which it says heavily favour Beijing. Kinshasa…

Ethiopia: Reviving Agriculture in Areas Afflicted by Conflict

Apr 8, 2023 | Agence Française de Développement

The two-year civil war that wracked Ethiopia until last fall claimed tens of thousands of lives and destroyed vast swathes of the natural environment. It…

India/Pakistan: After Six Decades, a Water Treaty between India and Pakistan Is in Trouble [Audio]

Apr 7, 2023 | Diaa Hadid, NPR

There's trouble facing a six-decade-old treaty that divides six rivers between bitter rivals India and Pakistan. Experts fear conflict if it unravels.

Death Threats, Trolling and Sexist Abuse: Climate Scientists Report Online Attacks

Apr 6, 2023 | Myriam Vidal Valero, Nature

Survey highlights experiences of dozens of climate researchers who have endured online harassment related to their work.

USA: At Front Lines of Climate Battle, a Miami Course Prepares Women of Color to Lead the Fight

Apr 6, 2023 | Arianna Otero, WLRN

The women filing into the backyard of a house in Liberty City came from all walks of life and in a wide range of ages,…

‘Forever Chemicals’ Linked to Infertility in Women, Study Shows

Apr 6, 2023 | Damian Carrington, The Guardian

Those with higher levels of PFAS in their blood had 40% lower chance of conceiving within a year of trying.

The Hidden Role of Food in Urban Conflicts in Central America

Apr 6, 2023 | Politecnico di Milano

Extreme water events have been shown to affect human security in many ways. In a research article published today in the new journal Nature Water…

Afghanistan: 'Not a Problem but a Disaster': Afghan Canal a Test for Taliban Ties in Water-Stressed Central Asia

Apr 5, 2023 | Chris Rickleton, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

When the Taliban returned to power in 2021 in a lightning military insurrection that toppled Afghanistan’s internationally recognized government, the country immediately fell into diplomatic…

Iraq/Kurdistan: Baghdad, Erbil Sign Final Deal to Restart Northern Oil Exports

Apr 4, 2023 | Reuters

Iraq’s federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) signed a deal to restart northern oil exports on Tuesday, official sources told Reuters. KRG Prime…

Liberia: New Contract for Rogue Company’s Owner

Apr 4, 2023 | Emmanuel Sherman, Observer

The Forestry Development Authority (FDA) has approved a contract for Iroko Timber and Logging Corporation, a new Nigerian-owned company, to operate the Central Dugbe River…

Maynamr: Myanmar’s Largest Lake Is Threatened by Illegal Gold Mining

Apr 2, 2023 | Radio Free Asia

Gold mining is threatening wildlife living in and around Indawgyi lake, Myanmar’s largest natural lake and a UNESCO-designated wildlife sanctuary and world cultural heritage site.…

Iraq/Kurdistan: Baghdad, Kurds Close to Deal to Resume Iraq’s Northern Oil Exports

Apr 1, 2023 | Rowena Edwards, Ahmed Rasheed, and Orhan Coskun, Reuters

Iraq's federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) are close to striking a deal aimed at resuming northern oil exports, four sources familiar with…

Myanmar: Illegal Gold Mining Threatens Myanmar’s Largest Natural Lake [Video]

Apr 1, 2023 | Radio Free Asia

Aggressive and unregulated gold mining since Myanmar’s military coup two years ago has ravaged the land around Indawgyi Lake.

Colombia: Plunging Coca Prices Create ‘Humanitarian Emergency’ in Colombia

Mar 31, 2023 | Joshua Collins, Al Jazeera

Farmers in parts of Colombia say sales of coca, the raw ingredient used to make cocaine, have collapsed after a recent surge in production of…

Climate Change: What Does the Sixth IPCC Synthesis Report Say about Climate Security and Peace?

Mar 30, 2023 | Sinéad Barry and Alexandra Steinkraus, Climate Diplomacy

The culmination of the IPCC Sixth Assessment cycle, the recently published synthesis report makes clear the contribution of climate change to global security.

Powering Gender Equity: Women Entrepreneurs at the Forefront of Sustainable Energy Transition

Mar 29, 2023 | Sustainable Energy For All

In the framework of the sixty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), together with ENERGIA International Network on Gender…

Liberia: The Illegal Turkish Loggers Depleting Liberia's Forest

Mar 29, 2023 | Mark B. Newa, The DayLight

Iraq: Water, Oil and Iraq’s Climate Future

Mar 29, 2023 | Zeinab Shuker, Middle East Research and Information Project

For 40 years, the Iraqi state has lurched from crisis to crisis as wars and domestic conflicts have devastated the country’s infrastructure and institutions. The…

Iraq/Kurdistan: Oil Firms Halt or Cut Output in Iraqi Kurdistan after Pipeline Closure

Mar 29, 2023 | Rowena Edwards, Reuters

Producers have shut in or reduced output at several oilfields in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region of northern Iraq following a halt to the northern export…

Colombia: Indigenous Communities and Mennonite Colonies Clash in Colombia

Mar 29, 2023 | Natalia Brito, Mongabay

Satellite data and imagery visualized on Global Forest Watch show tree cover loss associated with large-scale agriculture and road-building occurring since 2015 in the area…

Report: Mitigation of Seal-Fishery Conflict Requires Cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region

Mar 28, 2023 | Natural Resources Institute Finland

Mitigation of seal-fishery conflict requires a broad knowledge base and better understanding between key stakeholders, particularly between the coastal fisheries sector and conservation organizations. A…

Yemen: Groundwater Depletion and Possible Solutions

Mar 27, 2023 | Maha Al-Salehi, Holm Akhdar

Yemen is considered one of the most water-scarce countries in the world. Among the main threats which face the country’s water resources is groundwater depletion…

UN Warns of Water Wars as 2 Billion People Lack Clean Water with Africa & Middle East Hardest Hit [Video]

Mar 27, 2023 | Democracy Now!

A new report by the United Nations warns that a quarter of humanity lacks access to safe drinking water, and nearly half of the global…

Liberia: Permit Shows FDA Boss Approved Illegal Timber Exports

Mar 27, 2023 | James Harding Giahyue, The DayLight

Commenting at an international forest and climate conference in January, the Managing Director of the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) Mike Doryen blamed loggers and villagers for certain…

DRC/Rwanda: Kinshasa Says Kigali Is Plundering Its Resources

Mar 26, 2023 | Financial Times

The Democratic Republic of Congo said it was losing almost $1bn a year in minerals that were being illegally smuggled into Rwanda, as it restated…

Liberia: FDA Says It Issued ‘Tens’ of Permits outside Legal System

Mar 24, 2023 | James Harding Giahyue, The DayLight

The Forestry Development Authority said it has issued “tens” of export permits outside Liberia’s log-tracking system. The DayLight has requested access to all of the…

Sudan/South Sudan/Abyei: UN Helps Broker Accord between Warring Communities in Abyei

Mar 24, 2023 | Xinhua

Two communities, whose fighting over rights in a disputed region between Sudan and South Sudan, have reached a peace accord under the auspices of the…

Iraq: Corruption, Deep Disparity Mark Iraq’s Oil Legacy post-2003

Mar 23, 2023 | Samya Kullab, Associated Press

For Iraq’s poorest, evidence of the country’s monumental oil wealth is inescapable. So is the knowledge that very little of it trickles down to them.

Congo-Kinshasa: Goma - Monusco Supports the Project "Women Elders and Ambassadors for Peacebuilding"

Mar 22, 2023 | Marylene Seguy, All Africa

The consortium of women's organizations in North Kivu launched the "Women Elders and Ambassadors for Peacebuilding" project on Friday, March 17 in Goma, North Kivu.This…