International


China/Vietnam/South China Sea: Vietnam Orders ‘Immediate Withdrawal’ of Chinese Ships as Tensions Soar

Jul 26, 2019 | Luke Hawker, Express

Hanoi has pressed ahead its work on an oil rig on the Vanguard bank, despite an increased military presence by Beijing in the Taiwan strait.…


Nigeria: Insecurity: Nigeria Loses $14bn Annually to Farmers-Herders’ Clashes – Fayemi

Jul 26, 2019 | Rotimi Ojomoyela, Vanguard

Governer Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, yesterday, lamented that Nigeria loses $14 billion annually to farmer-herder clashes, saying it may affect the country’s ability to…


Liberia: WOMSUD Launches Women’s Participation in Country’s Natural Resources

Jul 25, 2019 | Hannah N. Geterminah, Observer

Women Movement for Sustainable Development (WOMUD) on Tuesday, July 23, 2019, launched the Women’s Participation in the Natural Resources Sectors Report under the title, “Strengthening…


DRC: $3.7m Fund to Help End Illegal Mining in Congo

Jul 25, 2019 | Kennedy Senelwa, East African

Armed actors in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s artisanal mining have been dealt a blow with the release of $3.7 million funding by the United…


South Sudan: South Sudan Will Launch Petroleum Licensing Round, Environmental Audit

Jul 25, 2019 | Africa Oil & Power

South Sudan’s Minister of Petroleum Hon. Awow Daniel Chuang will announce South Sudan’s 2020 oil and gas licensing round at two strategic conferences this October:…


Myanmar: Locals Demand Return of Land Taken for Coffee Project

Jul 25, 2019 | Khin Su Wai, Myanmar Times

Officials have so far ignored an appeal by farmers to return land appropriated for a coffee-planting project in Phaung Taw Sanpya village, Pyin Oo Lwin township,…


South Africa: Sweeping the Bush, Protecting the Land - The Women Quashing Poaching

Jul 25, 2019 | UNEP

The black mamba is the most venomous snake in sub-Saharan Africa. One bite can kill a person in just a few hours. It is also…


Zimbabwe: War Vets Confront Minister over Land Grab

Jul 24, 2019 | New Zimbabwe

War veterans here have called to order Provincial Affairs Minister Ezra Chadzamira for allegedly trying to remove the former freedom fighters from farms they forcibly…


South Sudan: South Sudan’s MoU with Ethiopia, Uganda for Power Transmission to Border Areas

Jul 24, 2019 | Devdiscourse

South Sudan is planning to implement bilateral agreements with Ethiopia and Uganda on the transmission of power to its border areas. The aim of agreement…


Myanmar: EITI Applied in Forestry Sector for the First Time

Jul 24, 2019 | Myat Moe Aung, Myanmar Times

Myanmar’s forestry sector was included in the Myanmar Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (MEITI) report for the first time this year. Myanmar is the second country…


Liberia: EPA, UNDP Seek to Reconcile Weaknesses in Environmental Policies, Legal Instruments

Jul 23, 2019 | FrontPage Africa

With funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), Liberia Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) on Tuesday, 23 July 2019…


Bangladesh/Myanmar: Rohingya Refugees Regreen Deforested Land on Myanmar's Border

Jul 23, 2019 | Kaamil Ahmed, New Arab

Living off the land is natural for the Rohingya, who lived a predominantly agricultural life in Myanmar. Today, the UN estimates only around 400,000 Rohingya remain in…


United Nations Compensation Panel Pays out $270M for Kuwait Oil Company

Jul 23, 2019 | New Indian Express

A United Nations panel that oversees compensation claims stemming from Iraq's 1990-1991 invasion of Kuwait says it has paid out $270 million to Kuwait's national…


Myanmar: More Than 45,000 People Affected by First Monsoon Flood

Jul 22, 2019 | Myat Moe Aung, Myanmar Times

Flooding caused by the first monsoon of the season displaced more than 45,000 people, according to a statement issued by the United Nations Office for the…


Iraq: Water Crisis in Basra

Jul 22, 2019 | Human Rights Watch

Iraqi authorities have failed to ensure for almost 30 years that Basra residents have sufficient safe drinking water, resulting in on-going health concerns, Human Rights…


Iraq: Revenue from Oil Price Rise Will Fund Reconstruction in Iraq, Oil Officials Say

Jul 22, 2019 | Hiwa Shilani, Kurdistan 24

As oil prices in Iraq become more stable, the cost of crude has gradually risen to nearly $70 per barrel for the first time in…


Afghanistan: Three Land Grabbers Arrested in Logar

Jul 22, 2019 | Afghanistan Times

Afghan National Police in southern Logar province have arrested three land grabbers—a lucrative but black business where many powerful individuals have been involved in this…


Iraq: Iraq Races to Save Last of Middle East's Forests from Burning

Jul 22, 2019 | Peter Schwartzstein, National Geographic

Iraq is on fire, and Aram Ismail has no idea how to stanch the flames. As a 12-year veteran of the Iraqi Kurdish forest police,…


Timor-Leste: Oil and Gas Is Timor-Leste's Ticket to Prosperity. Is This Impoverished Nation Blowing Its One Chance?

Jul 21, 2019 | Anne Barker and Michael Barnett, ABC News

East Timor is almost wholly reliant on oil and gas for its revenue. But rather than pocket the royalties from offshore processing without spending a…


Colombia: Impact of Climate Change on Colombia’s Coffee Farmers

Jul 21, 2019 | Emily Sims, Speaker

The livelihoods of many small independent coffee farmers in Colombia are being threatened by climate change. These impacts are intensifying at a rate never seen…


Myanmar: Over 10,000 Tons of Illegal Timber Seized in Four Months

Jul 21, 2019 | Eleven

Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation seized over 10,000 tons of illegal timber during four months of this fiscal year, with Sagaing Region topping…


Inclusive Peace in Afghanistan Means ‘Women at the Centre’ Urges UN Deputy Chief in Kabul

Jul 21, 2019 | UN

The UN deputy chief issued an impassioned plea on Sunday for Afghans to reconcile with the past and put “women at the centre” of all efforts…


Sudan: The Ruthless Mercenaries Who Run the Country for Gold

Jul 20, 2019 | BBC News

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been accused of widespread abuses in Sudan, including the 3 June massacre in which more than 120 people were…


The US’s Toxic Agent Orange Legacy

Jul 20, 2019 | Charles Dunst, Atlantic

Paris Dauk, 24, is among several people in border villages in southeast Cambodia who, despite being born to families with no history of deformities, came…


Iraq: Iraq Kills Daesh Oil Minister

Jul 20, 2019 | Middle East Monitor

Iraq’s intelligence services have killed the oil minister of Daesh in Syria, according to Iraqi security expert Fadel Abu-Ragheef. Abu-Ragheef wrote on Twitter: “The Iraqi…


Climate Change: House Passes Intelligence Legislation with Climate Rider

Jul 19, 2019 | Nick Sobczyk, E&E News

The House this week passed a measure as part of its annual intelligence authorization bill to create a Climate Security Advisory Council under the director…


Women Key in Peace Negotiations- UN Women

Jul 19, 2019 | Sarah Mazirwe, New Vision

The UN Women has urged the government to increase the engagement of women in peace negotiations in conflicts. Anna Mutavati, the deputy representative UN Women…


Israel/Palestine/Gaza: Israeli Spraying of Herbicide Near Gaza Harming Palestinian Crops

Jul 19, 2019 | Miriam Berger, Guardian

Israeli aircraft spraying herbicide beside the buffer zone along the Gaza strip is directly affecting the livelihoods of Palestiniansin violation of international standards, a new…


China/Vietnam/South China Sea: China and Vietnam Face off in South China Sea over Resource Rich Vanguard Reef

Jul 19, 2019 | Duncan DeAeth, Taiwan News

Tensions are rising in the South China Sea, with a potential flashpoint developing between China and Vietnam, who are engaged in a weeks-long “stand-off” over…


DRC: USAID Awards $3.7 Million for Artisanal Mine Sites in DRC

Jul 19, 2019 | Mining Review

The US government, through its Agency for International Development (USAID)has awarded a new funded mine site validation project in North and South Kivu. The $3.7…