International


Afghanistan: 2 in 3 Afghan Men Think Women Have Too Many Rights

Jan 30, 2019 | Thomson Reuters Foundation

Afghan men strongly oppose giving women more freedom — 2 in 3 think they have too much already — and young men are even more reluctant than…


Afghanistan: Peace in Afghanistan? Maybe—but a Minerals Rush Is Already Underway

Jan 30, 2019 | Antony Lowenstein, Nation

The Afghan war is the addiction that Washington can’t quit. The longest war in US history, it’s a conflict that has generally fallen out of…


Myanmar: Karen Minority Urges 'Respect' in Myanmar Peace Park Initiative

Jan 30, 2019 | Sally Kantar, Al Jazeera

With a Myanmar government-backed peace process in deadlock, ethnic Karen political leaders and activists have declared thousands of square kilometers of land a "peace park"…


Liberia: NGO Calls for Regulator of Agriculture Concessions

Jan 29, 2019 | FrontPage Africa

Save My Future Foundation (SAMFU), a local nongovernmental organization, is calling for a separate regulator for large-scale concessions in Liberia it says will guarantee the…


Climate Change: Nations Recognize Warming as Threat to Peace and Security

Jan 28, 2019 | Jean Chemnick, E&E News

There's a growing global consensus that climate change is a threat to peace and security that deserves the same kind of attention afforded to terrorism…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Threat of Renewed Conflict as Tensions Rise over Kirkuk

Jan 28, 2019 | Middle East Monitor

Tension between the Iraqi political circles including the central government in Baghdad, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Iraqi Turkmen are threatening renewed conflict in…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Tensions Rekindle in Iraq’s Oil-Rich Kirkuk

Jan 27, 2019 | Azhar Al-Rubaie and Yousif Raheem, Arab Weekly

Tensions have resurfaced in the oil-rich, multi-ethnic Iraqi province of Kirkuk after a Kurdish party raised the flag of the country’s autonomous Kurdistan region over…


Climate Change: UN Security Council Divided on Climate-Security Link

Jan 26, 2019 | Agence France-Presse

Russia and the US resisted on Friday efforts by the UN Security Council to take a tougher stand on climate change -- a day after…


Climate Change: Climate Change Recognized as ‘Threat Multiplier’, UN Security Council Debates Its Impact on Peace

Jan 25, 2019 | UN

As climate change is increasingly recognized as a “threat multiplier” by scientists, political representatives, and civil society across the world, the United Nations Security Council…


India/Pakistan: Water Wars: Are India and Pakistan Heading for Climate Change-Induced Conflict?

Jan 25, 2019 | Melanie Hall, Deutsche Welle

Across the world, climate change is sparking conflict as people struggle over dwindling resources. The fight over water could quickly escalate between India and Pakistan…


Myanmar: Displaced Villagers Urge Permanent Halt to Myitsone Hydropower Project

Jan 25, 2019 | John Grafilo, Myanmar Times

Villagers displaced by the start of construction on the Chinese-funded Myitsone dam in Kachin State yesterday urged the government to cancel the project, which was halted…


Conflict Minerals: Former Barrick CIO Michelle Ash to Join Blockchain Start-up

Jan 25, 2019 | Kaaria Quash, Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum

Former Barrick chief innovation officer Michelle Ash joined the advisory board of Berlin-based blockchain start-up Minespider. Minespider is aiming to create a public blockchain platform…


Myanmar: Government Approves Seizure of over 950,000 Acres of Unused Land

Jan 24, 2019 | Htoo Thant, Myanmar Times

The government has approved the seizure of more than 950,000 acres of unused vacant, fallow and virgin land that had been leased to private entities for…


South Sudan: South Sudan Resumes Oil Production in Former Unity State

Jan 24, 2019 | Winnie Cirino, Voice of America

Oil is again being pumped from fields in South Sudan’s former Unity state, five years after production was halted because of fighting between government soldiers…


Iraq: Iraq Federal Supreme Court Rules Portions of National Oil Company Law Unconstitutional

Jan 24, 2019 | Erik Slobe, Jurist

Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that several articles of the Iraq National Oil Company Law were unconstitutional. The law is meant to establish the Iraq…


Liberia: Liberia’s Community Forestry becoming a Front for Deforestation: Report

Jan 23, 2019 | Ashoka Mukpo, Mongabay

A report released by Global Witness late last year alleges that Liberia’s forestry laws are being “hijacked” by logging companies. These logging companies can potentially…


Conflict Minerals: ERG to Pilot Blockchain-Based Solution to Trace Cobalt in DRC

Jan 23, 2019 | Mining Technology

Eurasian Resources Group (ERG) will pilot a blockchain-based solution to trace cobalt originating from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Initially, the solution, which is…


Afghanistan: 1,000 Tons of Fish Produced Every Year from Helmand River

Jan 23, 2019 | Afghanistan Times

As many as 1,000 tons of fish is produced every year from the Helmand River in southern Afghanistan, said officials on Wednesday. Agriculture Directorate of…


Colombia: UN Envoy Urges Colombia to Act Quickly to Protect Leaders

Jan 23, 2019 | Edith M. Lederer, Tribune

The new UN envoy for Colombia urged the government on Wednesday to swiftly implement its plan to protect social leaders, saying seven leaders were killed…


Timor-Leste: Oil Plan Stalled as East Timor President Vetoes State Budget

Jan 23, 2019 | Oki Raimundos, Associated Press

East Timor's president has vetoed the government's budget, possibly jeopardizing plans to develop the Greater Sunrise oil and gas field, seen by leading East Timorese…


Afghanistan: 'The Snow Leopard Project' Puts Spotlight on Afghanistan's Wildlife

Jan 23, 2019 | Barabara J. King, NPR

In the city of Kabul, Afghanistan, there is a "green, leafy oasis" called Shahr-e Naw Park — a place that briefly became a staging ground…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Disagreement over KRG Share Prevents Iraq from Voting on Budget

Jan 22, 2019 | Rudaw

Due to lack of an agreement over the share of the Kurdistan Region’s share of Iraq’s budget for 2019, the parliament in Baghdad won’t vote…


Myanmar: Amended Land Law Could Criminalise Millions, Obstruct Peace Talks

Jan 21, 2019 | John Liu, Myanmar Times

With less than two months before the newly amended Vacant, Fallow and Virgin Lands Management (VFV) Law goes into force, millions in ethnic rural areas…


South Sudan: South Sudan Starts Repairs, Pumping Oil from Wells Damaged in the Civil War: Minister

Jan 21, 2019 | Katharine Houreld and Denis Dumo, Reuters

South Sudan has begun to repair and pump oil from wells damaged in the civil war and will ramp up production by the end of…


Myanmar: Internal Peace, International Pressure and China’s Stance on Myitsone

Jan 21, 2019 | Hsan Moe Tun, Eleven Myanmar

In recent days, there was a hullabaloo among the public on the suspended Myitsone Dam project after the statement issued by the Chinese embassy in…


Gaza: Ticking Time Bomb: The Water Crisis Which Threatens Chances for Peace in the Middle East

Jan 20, 2019 | Bel Trew, Independent

Climate change and crumbling infrastructure are causing water shortages in Gaza, which could soon make the enclave uninhabitable. 


Afghanistan/Turkey: Turkey to Become Main Market for Afghanistan’s Saffron

Jan 20, 2019 | TOLOnews

Turkey which reportedly needs up to 300 tons of saffron a year will turn into a major customer of Afghanistan’s saffron, said Ali Arghon Chin, of…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Black Gold: Afrin’s Olive Trees Thrive in Erbil

Jan 19, 2019 | Dilbixwîn Dara, Rudaw

The Kurdistan Region is growing its olive groves using trees and expertise imported from Afrin. Afrin is famous for its olive trees. The oil is…


Climate Change: ‘Conflict and Climate Nexus’ Unpacked at Nairobi High-Level Round Table

Jan 18, 2019 | Julie Arrighi, Climate Centre

The first of a 2019 series of high-level round tables on the interconnected vulnerabilities and impacts of climate and conflict was held in the Kenyan…


Conflict Minerals: International Project Launched to Use Blockchain to Track DRC Cobalt

Jan 18, 2019 | Mining Technology

US-based automobile manufacturer Ford, US technology major IBM, South Korean cathode manufacturer LG Chem and China-based Huayou Cobalt have teamed up to launch a blockchain…