International


South Sudan: Covid-19 Pandemic and the Future of South Sudan’s Economy

Jun 14, 2020 | Daniel Athior’o Atem, PaanLuel Wël

The Covid-19 epidemic casts doubt on South Sudan’s economic growth. Currently, almost all efforts are geared towards efforts to combat the virus. Oil is the…


Colombia: To Save a Nearly Extinct Bird, Colombians Are Rethinking One of Their Biggest Economic Engines

Jun 13, 2020 | Alexandra Ossola, Quartz

Birders aren’t just interested in the brushfinch because it’s rare. They know that the species is an indicator for the overall environmental health of Antioquia,…


COVID-19 Pandemic Compounding Grave Security, Development Challenges in Central Africa, Special Representative Tells Security Council, Pointing to 22,000 Confirmed Cases

Jun 12, 2020 | UN Security Council

Persistent terrorist attacks, maritime insecurity and rising political tension are just some of the backdrops against which countries of Central Africa are now battling the…


Conflict Minerals: Perth Mint to Review Audit Processes after Conflict Gold Reports

Jun 12, 2020 | Hamish Hastie, Sydney Morning Herald

The Perth Mint will review its audit process after allegations emerged it had purchased hundreds of millions of dollars worth of 'conflict gold' earlier this…


Syria: Conflict over Syria’s Wheat Crops

Jun 12, 2020 | Ibrahim Hamidi, Asharq Al-Awsat

Ravaged by nine years of war, Syria’s wheat production has been nearly halved. Despite that, rivals are vying to gain access to remaining crops, fighting…


Colombia: Colombian Farmers, Ranchers Join Businesses to Turn the Tide on Amazon Deforestation

Jun 12, 2020 | Dimitri Selibas, Mongabay

Putumayo department along with neighboring Caquetá department have witnessed some of the highest levels of deforestation in Colombia, in part driven by the coca trade.…


Myanmar: Fisheries Sector Calls for Government Rescue amid COVID-19 Fallout

Jun 12, 2020 | Kyaw Lin Htoon, Frontier

Myanmar had its sights set on a record-breaking year for fishery exports until the coronavirus pandemic swept away orders, closed factories and jeopardised millions of…


Women Integral to Battling Coronavirus and Pushing for Lasting Peace and Security

Jun 11, 2020 | UN Women

The coronavirus pandemic has brought into sharp focus the differentiated impacts that COVID-19 is having on women, including new obstacles to their meaningful participation in…


Israel/Palestine: West Bank's Ancient Terraces Threatened by Settlers' Plan to Build Business Park on Unesco Site

Jun 11, 2020 | James Rothwell, Telegraph

A Unesco World Heritage site in the West Bank that dates back to the rule of King Herod could soon be “destroyed” by ultra-orthodox Jewish…


Cyprus: Revealed: Baby Animals Knowingly Killed by British Military

Jun 10, 2020 | Phil Miller, Daily Maverick

Britain’s military is paying compensation on an almost daily basis to farmers in Cyprus whose animals, including unborn goats, are routinely killed by UK troops…


UN Urges Need for Gender Lens to Address Climate Change and other Security Crises in the Time of This Pandemic

Jun 10, 2020 | Kathmandu Post

Gender inequality is not only shaping the experience of the crisis, but also prospects for resilience and recovery of countries around the world, as they…


Afghanistan: 20 Workers Dead in Afghanistan Mine Collapse

Jun 10, 2020 | Shadi Khan Saif, Anadolu Agency

All 20 miners trapped in a coal mine that collapsed in Afghanistan’s northern Samangan province a day earlier have died, officials confirmed on Wednesday. The…


Climate Change: Greta Thunberg Looks to UN Security Council Election for Leverage on Climate

Jun 10, 2020 | Megan Darby, Climate Change News

Greta Thunberg is urging small island diplomats to put Canada and Norway’s oil interests in the spotlight as the two countries seek election to the…


Myanmar: Charity Points to Myanmar Jade Mine Abuses

Jun 9, 2020 | Matt Blomberg, Australian Associated Press

Caterpillar Inc, Komatsu Ltd and Volvo AB - leading providers of machinery to Myanmar's jade mines - have done little to address warnings about rampant…


Israel/Palestine: Israel's High Court Strikes Down West Bank Land-Grab Law as 'Unconstitutional'

Jun 9, 2020 | Hagar Shezaf, Haaretz

Israel's High Court of Justice ordered on Tuesday to nullify a law that would legalize the status of settlements partially built on privately owned Palestinian…


Afghanistan: Water Politics Heat up under Worsening Climate in Afghanistan

Jun 9, 2020 | Stefanie Glinski, Thomson Reuters Foundation

Over the past two decades weather patterns have become more extreme with flooding and dry spells devastating farms in central Afghanistan’s Bamiyan province that rely…


Afghanistan: Afghanistan Declares 4 More Sites as National Parks

Jun 9, 2020 | Xinhua

Four scenic areas have been declared as protected sites and national parks in Afghanistan, according to the Afghan Presidential Palace. The palace said in a…


For People on the Front Lines of Climate Change and Conflict, COVID-19 Is a New Challenge

Jun 9, 2020 | UN Environment

Al Rahad is one of many communities where the combined effects of climate change, conflict, gender inequality, and now the COVID-19 pandemic are posing grave…


Gender Lens Essential to Addressing Linked Climate Change and Security Crises, Urges Joint UN Report

Jun 8, 2020 | UN Environment

As countries reel from the devastating social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, gender inequality is shaping the experience of crisis, as well as…


Colombia: The Colombian Prosecutor’s Office Indicates that Displaced Peasants Do Not Receive the Aid Ordered by the Justice

Jun 8, 2020 | Europa Press

The Colombian Public Prosecutor’s Office has alerted this Sunday that up to 93 percent of the judicial rulings that decree the delivery of housing and…


Zimbabwe: Climate-Change Conflict Resolution

Jun 8, 2020 | Emily Jones and Mennonite Central Committee, Mennonite World Review

As climate change takes its toll on Zimbabwe, millions who rely on agriculture are threatened with food scarcity. But Edfil Moyo, a subsistence farmer in…


China/Indonesia/Malaysia/South China Sea: Pressures Increasing on Indonesia and Malaysia in the South China Sea

Jun 8, 2020 | Ben Westcott and Brad Lendon, CNN

Chinese and Malaysian vessels were locked in a high-stakes standoff for more than one month earlier this year, near the island of Borneo in the…


Liberia: Liberia Auctions Oil Blocks Online Due to Coronavirus Outbreak

Jun 7, 2020 | Oil & Gas Republic

The Liberian Government is seeking interest from companies on participating in the offshore license round, which was open since April 10, 2020. But, due to…


China/South China Sea: US Military Commander Says China Pushing South China Sea Claims under Cover of COVID-19

Jun 5, 2020 | Tim Kelly, Reuters

China is using the coronavirus as a cover to push territorial claims in the South China Sea through a surge in naval activity meant to…


Iraq: In Iraq's Fields of Black Gold, Thousands Lose Livelihoods

Jun 5, 2020 | Mohammed Aty, Reuters

Mohammed Haider is one of thousands of workers in Iraq’s oil sector who were laid off this year after a fall in oil prices caused…


Iraq/Syria/Islamic State: ISIS Admit to Looting Oil and 'Obscene Amount Antiquities' to Swell Its War Chest

Jun 5, 2020 | Chris Hughes, Mirror

An Islamic State mastermind has admitted his terror group looted oil and an “obscene amount of antiquities” to swell its war chest. Iraqi-born Abdul Nasser…


Ethiopia/Sudan: Sudan-Ethiopia Border Tensions Escalate Despite Government Efforts

Jun 5, 2020 | Mohammed Amin, Middle East Eye

Diplomatic efforts to diffuse a security crisis on the border between Sudan and Ethiopia have been ongoing, but the situation on the ground has escalated…


Myanmar: Farmers Protest Land Grabs in Southern Shan State

Jun 5, 2020 | Shan Herald Agency for News

Pa-O farmers from southern Shan State gathered in protest Tuesday after their farms were seized by the Tatmadaw. Burma Army LIB-423 and LIB-424 confiscated 900…


Myanmar: The Many-Sided Fight over Northern Kachin’s Forests

Jun 4, 2020 | Emily Fishbein, Frontier

The derailing of Hkakabo Razi’s World Heritage bid reveals a multifaceted battle of interests spanning international conservation, commercial exploitation, party politics and local desires to…


South Sudan: South Sudan's Gold Export Earnings Sink Due to COVID-19: Official

Jun 4, 2020 | Ghana News Agency

South Sudan said on Wednesday its monthly gold export earnings to the Arab world have plummeted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Akol Ayii Madut, director…