International


Liberia: How Challenging the Powerful Global Palm Oil Industry Forced a Liberian Lawyer into Exile

Apr 29, 2019 | Abdi Latif Dahir, Quartz

In 2010, Liberia’s government signed a 65-year concession agreement to develop over 543,000 acres of land with Golden Veroleum Liberia (GVL), a subsidiary of the…


Myanmar: The Chinese Mega-Dam in Myanmar That Is Hampering the Peace Process

Apr 29, 2019 | Skylar Lindsay, ASEAN Today

Following Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi’s attendance at China’s Belt and Road Initiative forum on April 25, the government is working with Beijing…


Afghanistan: Gasping for Air in Kabul

Apr 29, 2019 | UN Environment

Afghanistan has, for many years, borne the brunt of a much-publicized protracted armed conflict. Meanwhile, away from the glare of publicity, Afghans—and in particular Kabul’s…


Sudan/South Sudan: Sudan Rulers Deny Halt of Oil Flows from South Sudan

Apr 28, 2019 | Nam News Network

Sudan's ruling military council has denied reports about the suspension of oil flows from neighboring South Sudan. In a statement on Saturday, council spokesman Shams…


Iraq: Iraq’s Oil Inspector General Fails to Investigate Loss of $250m by SOMO: MP

Apr 28, 2019 | Sangar Ali, Kurdistan 24

The Oil Ministry’s Office of the Inspector General has failed to investigate and find the causes that led to the waste of $250 million by…


Afghanistan: Afghan Women Demand Seat at Peace Talks but Face Resistance

Apr 28, 2019 | Kathy Gannon

HERAT, Afghanistan (AP) — For four hours, Khadeja begged her in-laws to take her to the hospital. The skin on her face and neck was…


Climate Change: Militaries Go Green, Rethink Operations in Face of Climate Change

Apr 27, 2019 | Linda Givetash, NBC News

Highly efficient air conditioners, LED lights and power meters will be used alongside weapons of war at an upcoming NATO exercise. Military officials from 29…


Philippines: For US Commandos in the Philippines, a Water Pump Is a New Weapon Against ISIS

Apr 27, 2019 | Thomas Gibbons-Neff, New York Times

While neither guided bomb nor armored vehicle, a gray oblong water pump sticking out from the brush along a remote dirt road is intended to…


Climate Change: Militaries Go Green, Rethink Operations in Face of Climate Change

Apr 27, 2019 | Linda Givetash, NBC News

Highly efficient air conditioners, LED lights and power meters will be used alongside weapons of war at an upcoming NATO exercise. Military officials from 29…


Liberia: Civil Society to Help Communities Legalize Land Ownership in over US$1.9 M Project

Apr 26, 2019 | FrontPage Africa

A civil society organization, the Foundation for Community Initiatives (FCI), has begun a project to assist rural communities in Liberia to legalize their customary ownership…


Ghana/Liberia: Liberia, Ghana Launch Legal Timber Trade

Apr 26, 2019 | Prince Parker, NEWS

The Liberia Timer Association (LibTA) in collaboration with the Liberia Chain Saw and Timber Dealers Union (LICSATDUN) with support from its international partners has officially…


Millions of Women Are Still Landless Despite Global Push for Gender Equality

Apr 26, 2019 | Zoe Tabary

Millions of women worldwide are still unable to access and own land despite laws recognizing their rights, researchers and campaigners said on Monday as they…


Myanmar: 630,000 Without Adequate Potable Water as Summer Temps Soar

Apr 26, 2019 | Lei Lei, Irrawaddy

Ten of 14 regions and states are currently suffering from shortages of drinking water due to rising summer temperatures, according to the Rural Water Supply…


Afghanistan: How the US Military's Opium War in Afghanistan Was Lost

Apr 25, 2019 | Justin Rowlatt, BBC

The US has spent $1.5m (£1.15m) a day since 2001 fighting the opium war in Afghanistan. So why is business still booming?


Liberia: “Government Remains Resolute in Promoting Women Peace and Security” – Amb. Kemayah Tells UN Security Council Open Debate

Apr 25, 2019 | FrontPage Africa

NEW YORK – Liberia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, His Excellency Ambassador Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah, Sr., says the Government of Liberia remains resolute in its…


Colombia: Meet the Women Who Detonate Land Mines in Colombia’s Former War Zones

Apr 24, 2019 | Megan Janetsky

For some women, it’s leadership roles. For others, it’s community activism. But what most empowers 19-year-old Marifer Culman Ortiz is detonating land mines.


Climate Change and Sexual Harassment Top List of Girls' Concerns

Apr 24, 2019 | Amy Walker

Climate change and tackling sexual harassment are the biggest worries for girls and young women, a major research project has found.

The Girlguiding organisation consulted 76,000…


Top Funders and NGOs Think Empowering Women Farmers Can Reduce Hunger. Are They Right?

Apr 24, 2019 | Michelle Sieff

In 2017, about 11 percent of the world’s population—around 821 million—was undernourished, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). This data confirms a…


Colombia: This Colombian Village Is Redefining Its Future with Rice and Coconuts [Photos]

Apr 24, 2019 | Ishay Govender-Ypma, Saveur

In northwestern Colombia, a small community plagued by drug cartels and deforestation is using local produce to change its fate.


Protect Women’s Rights ‘before, during and after Conflict’ UN Chief Tells High-Level Security Council Debate

Apr 23, 2019 | UN

Over the course of the past decade, there has been “a paradigm shift” in understanding the devastating impact of sexual violence in conflict on international…


Afghanistan: UN-backed Local Peace Initiative Ends Longstanding Dispute in Nangarhar

Apr 23, 2019 | UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan

A longstanding dispute over water resources between two tribes in the eastern province of Nangarhar has been resolved through mediation and community engagement. A peace…


DRC: Why Responsible Sourcing of DRC Minerals Has Major Weak Spots

Apr 22, 2019 | Peer Schouten, Conversation

Conflict minerals are widely held to be at the heart of over two decades of conflict in eastern DRC, involving dozens of armed groups in…


Timor-Leste: Timor-Leste Ex-Leader Jose Ramos-Horta Expects Australia to Pay back 'Millions' in Oil Revenue

Apr 22, 2019 | Alana Schetzer, Jordan Fennell and Stephen Dziedzic, Australian Broadcasting Corporation

One of the founding fathers of Timor-Leste is confident that Australia will return millions of dollars generated from oil fields that belong to the developing…


Sierra Leone: New Diamond Mining Strategy Could Benefit Mining Communities in Sierra Leone

Apr 22, 2019 | Abdul Rashid Thomas, Sierra Leone Telegraph

A group of 29 international diamantaires and jewellers, headed by Martin Rapaport – Chairman of the Rapaport Group, were in Sierra Leone a few weeks…


Viet Nam: Central Highlands People Lack Access to Clean Water as Supply Projects Abandoned

Apr 22, 2019 | Viet Nam News

Hundreds of clean water projects have been built in the Tây Nguyên (Central Highlands) in recent years to serve people living in poor and remote…


Myanmar: Forest Coverage Accounts for More Than 25 Percent of the Country’s Total Area

Apr 22, 2019 | Eleven

Currently, the forest covers more than 25 per cent of the country’s total area and the forest conservation area, up to six per cent, said…


Papua New Guinea: Tribal Conflicts Threaten Women

Apr 22, 2019 | Anggia Anggraini Burchill, Development and Cooperation

In Papua New Guinea (PNG), women and girls face high security risks. Particularly in tribal wars, they are subject to violence and displacement. On the…


Conflict Minerals: WDC Will Lobby for Broader Definition of "Conflict Diamonds" at OECD Meet

Apr 21, 2019 | International Diamond Exchange

On April 23, the 13th OECD Forum on Responsible Mineral Supply Chains will take place in Paris, France. The World Diamond Council (WDC) will be…


Afghanistan: MAIL Reports 50 Percent Reduction in Saffron Production in Afghanistan

Apr 20, 2019 | Khaama Press

The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock (MAIL) has reported that Saffron production has dropped by around 50 percent during the recent years. According to…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraqi Police Confiscate Two Trucks Smuggling Crude Oil out of Kirkuk [Photos]

Apr 19, 2019 | Sangar Ali, Kurdistan 24

Iraqi police forces on Thursday seized two trucks which were smuggling crude oil from a pipeline in Kirkuk Province, the area’s designated energy police directorate…