International


Myanmar: Myanmar Earns US$310 M from Fishery Exports in 2020

Jan 31, 2020 | Eleven

Myanmar earned about US$310 million from fishery export from October 1 to January 17 in this fiscal year and it is more US$45 million compared…


Kyrgyzstan: From Where I Stand: “Expanding Economic Opportunities of Women is Key to Ensure Safety and Prosperity”

Jan 30, 2020 | UN Women

Kursanali kyzy Begimai, 24, is the leader of a self-help group in a village on the disputed Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan border. Running a profitable agro-business and conflict-resolution…


DRC: Congo Moves to Monopolise about 25 Percent of All Cobalt Exports

Jan 30, 2020 | William Clowes and Michael J. Kavanagh, Bloomberg

The Democratic Republic of Congo created a state monopoly for hand-mined cobalt as the government tries to exert more market control on the battery material.…


New Study Details Overlooked Link Between Climate Breakdown and Violence Against Women

Jan 29, 2020 | Julia Conley, Common Dreams

Women are often the "first to be targeted" when environmental shocks threaten natural resources, international conservation group says.


Colombia: Pablo Escobar's Hippos Have Become an Invasive Species in Colombia

Jan 29, 2020 | Alison DeNisco Rayome, CNET

In the early 1980s, infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar created a family zoo full of exotic animals in Colombia, including rhinos, giraffes, zebras and hippos.…


DRC: DRC Inks Deal to Refurbish Old Mpiana-Mwanga Hydropower Station

Jan 29, 2020 | Construction Review Online

The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has signed an agreement with AVZ Minerals to investigate a potential refurbishment of the old Mpiana-Mwanga hydropower…


Liberia: NGO to Assist Citizens Protect Their Land from Government Officials, Companies in Bomi

Jan 29, 2020 | Lennart Dodoo, FrontPage Africa

A nongovernmental organization, Sustainable Development Institute (SDI), has begun working with local people in Bomi to empower them resist a wave of land grab in…


Climate Breakdown 'Is Increasing Violence Against Women'

Jan 29, 2020 | Fiona Harvey, The Guardian

Climate breakdown and the global crisis of environmental degradation are increasing violence against women and girls, while gender-based exploitation is in turn hampering our ability…


Guatemala: Indigenous Women's Agro-Ecology Is Healing Guatemala's Landscape

Jan 29, 2020 | Andrew J. Wight, Sojourners

RABINAL, BAJA VERAPAZ, GUATEMALA – The massive, white Catholic Cathedral of Rabinal, commissioned by Dominican friar Bartolomé de las Casas, who arrived in Guatemala's central…


'Join Foces in Defense of Life, Territory and our Womanhood!' Statement Signed by Indigenous Women of the World, Present at COP 25

Jan 28, 2020 | United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change


Colombia: For Colombia, 2019 Was a Year of Environmental Discontent

Jan 28, 2020 | Antonio José Paz Cardona, Mongabay

In Colombia, a year of crucial environmental decisions ended with a national strike that began on Nov. 21, 2019. Various social sectors say they are…


Afghanistan: ECHO Extends DACAAR’s Emergency Response Mechanism (ERM) Project in Afghanistan

Jan 28, 2020 | Danish Committee for Aid to Afghan Refugees

In December 2019 DACAAR received an extension from the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) for Emergency Respond Mechanism (ERM). This round of…


Egypt: Mashat Prioritizes Women, Food Security in Davos Meetings

Jan 25, 2020 | Egypt Today

CAIRO - 25 January 2020: On the sidelines of Davos 2020, Minister of International Cooperation Rania al-Mashat held meetings with heads of UN organizations to…


Water: Water Diplomacy Talks -- Peter Gleick, Pacific Institute

Jan 25, 2020 | OOSKAnews

Since the 1980s the Pacific Institute has maintained a historical and current database (chronology and map) of cases where water has been a trigger for…


Sudan/South Sudan/Abyei: UN Urges Calm after Deadly Attack in Disputed Abyei Border Area Between Sudan and South Sudan

Jan 25, 2020 | Lisa Schlein, Voice of America

The United Nations is condemning the deadly attack on a village in the disputed oil-rich area of Abyei between Sudan and South Sudan Wednesday.  It…


Syria: Health Services for Syrian Women Caught Up in War, Foster Safety and Hope

Jan 23, 2020 | United Nations Population Fund

More than 70,000 people from the northeast remain displaced in Al-Hasakah, Ar-Raqqa and Aleppo governorates due to ongoing conflict in the area. Over 17,500 of…


South Sudan: Black Gold Burning: In Search of South Sudan’s Oil Pollution

Jan 23, 2020 | Wim Zwijnenburg, Bellingcat

Since the discovery of oil in what is now known as South Sudan, bloody conflicts have been waged over control of areas rich with this…


Iraq: British Businessmen on Trial over Bribes for Oil Contracts in Iraq

Jan 23, 2020 | David Pegg and Rob Evans, Guardian

Three British businessmen conspired to pay bribes totalling $6m (£4.6m) to win huge contracts in the oil industry, a court has heard. The trio are…


Nigeria: Conflict over Fertile Lands Threatens Nigeria’s Food Security

Jan 22, 2020 | Andres Schipani, Financial Times

The pastoralist Fulanis have traditionally migrated south during the dry season in search of water and grazing land for their cattle. But as climate change…


Afghanistan: Afghanistan Improves Its Growth by an Estimated 2.9 Percent

Jan 22, 2020 | TOLOnews

Afghanistan’s economy has grown by an estimated 2.9 percent in 2019, driven mainly by strong agricultural growth following recovery from drought, but lingering political uncertainty dampens…


Myanmar: Conservation Group Says Mandalay Birds Need Help

Jan 21, 2020 | Phyo Wai Kyaw, Myanmar Times

A local conservation group will present to the Mandalay Region Forest Department a list of birds that need to be protected. Daw Thiri Dae We…


Liberia: Fisheries Sector Attracts US$40M to Boost Revenue

Jan 21, 2020 | Joaquin M. Sendolo, Observer

The National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA) and the World Bank are expected to sign a $3.7 million agreement today, January 21 to improve the…


Iraq: BP Pulls out of Iraq's Kirkuk Field as Expansion Plans Stall

Jan 21, 2020 | Dmitry Zhdannikov and Ahmed Rasheed, Reuters

BP has pulled out of Iraq’s giant Kirkuk oilfield after its $100 million exploration contract expired with no agreement on the field’s expansion, dealing a…


Myanmar: Solar Mini-Grids to Take off in Myanmar, Support Electrification Ambitions

Jan 21, 2020 | John Liu, Myanmar Times

Solar mini-grids in Myanmar are expected to take off as the private sector sees solar energy as a potentially commercially viable solution in Myanmar’s journey…


Afghanistan: How the Helmand Food Zone Undermined Governance, Stabilisation and Drug Control

Jan 20, 2020 | Khaama Press

The Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU) today presented the findings of its recent research synthesis paper, “The Helmand Food Zone: The Illusion of Success”,…


Liberia: At 22, This Liberian Created a Sustainable Way to Increase Palm Oil Yields to Curb Deforestation

Jan 20, 2020 | Theodora Aidoo, Face2Face Africa

Liberian entrepreneur, Mahmud Johnson, has come up with a possible solution for deforestation caused by oil palms which are already threatening biodiversity. He is doing…


Iraq: Death Of Suleimani Jeopardizes Iraq’s Oil Production Growth

Jan 19, 2020 | Scott Carpenter, Forbes

The death of Iranian commander Qasim Soleimani on January 3rd in an American drone strike has roiled Iran and Iraq. It has also jeopardized the…


Sudan: Darfur Holdout Group Strengthens Military Capacity Thanks to Gold Mining

Jan 19, 2020 | Sudan Tribune

The holdout Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdel Wahid al-Nur (SLM-AW) has strengthened its military capability thanks to the significant goldfields in a rebel-controlled area…


Colombia: The Amazon's Lost Tribes Are Inspiring Colombia's Cocaine Farmers to Become Conservationists

Jan 18, 2020 | Luke Taylor, ABC News

Most of this region is legally protected, experts say, yet deforestation has surged in recent years as clearing land for cattle and drug production, as…


Israel/Palestine: Israel to Open Seven New Nature Reserves in Occupied West Bank

Jan 16, 2020 | Bel Trew, Independent

Israel has announced that it will open seven new nature reserves in the occupied West Bank, the first time it has made such a move…